Wheelers Hill
Almost half of Wheelers Hill residents were born overseas, while 51.3% hold a university qualification, creating a highly educated and internationally connected profile alongside a median age of 48. Compared with nearby Glen Waverley, Wheelers Hill presents a more detached-house-oriented choice within Monash, supported by 20,652 residents and a SEIFA IRSAD decile of 9. Its annual forecast growth of 0.15% reflects established wealth and slow change, while the aging trajectory and worsening affordability are important considerations for long-term buyers.
Population
20,652
Median Age
48.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,818/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
81
Median House
$1.5M
October to December 2025
Wheelers Hill suits buyers prioritising space, established streets and long-term occupancy because 84.9% of dwellings are separate houses and 58.9% have 4 or more bedrooms. Compared with apartment-heavy markets, the 9.4% apartment share shows that buyers are paying mainly for land and family-sized layouts. Prices are 3.8% below the Oct-Dec 2023 peak, which may provide negotiating room, but the 108.0% rise since 2013 keeps entry costs high.
For Buyers
Wheelers Hill suits buyers prioritising space, established streets and long-term occupancy because 84.9% of dwellings are separate houses and 58.9% have 4 or more bedrooms. Compared with apartment-heavy markets, the 9.4% apartment share shows that buyers are paying mainly for land and family-sized layouts. Prices are 3.8% below the Oct-Dec 2023 peak, which may provide negotiating room, but the 108.0% rise since 2013 keeps entry costs high.
For Investors
Investors face a low-rental-share, established market rather than a high-yield rental proposition. Only 13.4% of households rent, weekly rent is $481 and vacancy is 6.1%, while 85.2% of residents stayed at the same address and turnover was 14.8%. Compared with higher-renting suburbs, this points to a smaller tenant pool, although overseas migration is the primary growth driver and may support family and migrant demand.
Development Activity
Total DAs
93
Last 12 Months
81
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+2600.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Wheelers Hill
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Brandon Park Primary School
Good Shepherd School
Jells Park Primary School
St Justin's School
Waverley Meadows Primary School
Demographics
Wheelers Hill has an older and more highly educated profile than national benchmarks: the median age is 48, or 8.0 years above national, while university attainment is 51.3%, 21.2 percentage points higher than national. Overseas-born residents account for 48.3%, 26.7 points above national, with Chinese ancestry recorded for 5,122 people and Mandarin spoken by 1,524. Family households remain important, with 47.8% of couples having children and average household size at 2.7, or 0.2 above national. Residential continuity is high, with 85.2% staying put, reflecting established households even as the aging trajectory increases demand for accessible housing.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
84.9%
Houses
5.8%
Townhouse
9.4%
Apartment
Tenure
Wheelers Hill's housing is overwhelmingly detached and owner occupied: 48.2% of homes are owned outright, 30.6% are mortgaged and 13.4% are rented, while 84.9% are separate houses. Compared with its earlier market, Wheelers Hill now carries a much higher entry cost, and the 31.8% mortgage-to-income ratio helps explain why affordability is worsening despite 48.2% outright ownership.
Mortgage / mo
$2,500
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$481
Census 2021
HH Size
2.7
Personal Income / wk
$720
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.1%
Unoccupied
473
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.5%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
31.8% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
47.8%
Couples with children
39.0%
Couples, no children
12.0%
Single parent
5,934
Total families
Economy & Employment
Wheelers Hill's workforce is concentrated in healthcare at 16.1% or 1,054 workers, professional and technical services at 12.9% or 845, education at 12.0% or 785, construction at 7.9% or 513 and manufacturing at 7.7% or 501. This mix aligns with 2,790 professionals and 1,465 managers, helping place household income at the 65.6th percentile, above the midpoint. Unemployment is 4.7% and participation is 53.4%; the lower participation rate is consistent with a median age of 48 and 7,412 people outside the labour force. SEIFA ranks the suburb in decile 8 for education and occupation, and decile 9 for economic resources, disadvantage and advantage, indicating stronger socioeconomic conditions than lower-decile areas.
Unemployment
4.7%
Labour Force
9,421
Unemployed
444
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
57.4%
Part-time
37.2%
Participation
53.4%
Employed
8,977
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
51.3%
Postgraduate
15.9%
Born Overseas
48.3%
Dwellings
7,276
Transport to Work
Daily life is more car-oriented than transit-led: 56.1% drive to work compared with 1.8% using public transport, while 36.9% work from home. Families have access to 8 schools across 6 government schools, 2 Catholic primary schools, 6 primary settings, 1 government secondary college and 1 government special school; enrolment zones still need checking by address. The recorded crime rate is 37.7 per 1,000 people, with 778 offences and 504 property and deception offences, so street-level checks remain sensible. Wheelers Hill ranks in SEIFA IRSAD decile 9, higher than lower-decile areas, indicating relatively advantaged socioeconomic conditions as the population ages.
Drive
56.1%
Public Transport
1.8%
Walk / Cycle
1.0%
Work from Home
36.9%
Population Forecast
+0.15%/yr
(+32 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is deliberately slow: the annual trend is 0.15% and population change across the wider area is 8.1% over ten years, consistent with an established suburb rather than a rapid expansion corridor. Overseas migration is the primary driver, while the shift trajectory is Aging, with the senior share up 9.5 percentage points and the working share down 7.0 points. Compared with a high-growth profile, demand is more likely to come from replacement, downsizing and new migrant households than broad population churn. Gentrification indicators are mixed, with a score of 10 and stage Not gentrifying, alongside a shift assessment of 23 and Early signs. Development activity reached 76 applications in 12 months.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+357
Net Internal / yr
-83
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Strong overseas inflow +357/yr
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
778
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
37.7
Offence Categories
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Wheelers Hill compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
What schools are in Wheelers Hill?
Wheelers Hill has 8 schools: 6 government schools, 2 Catholic primary schools, 6 primary settings, 1 government secondary college and 1 government special school. Check the exact enrolment zone before buying, because school access can differ across nearby streets and suburb boundaries.
Is Wheelers Hill safe?
Wheelers Hill recorded 778 offences at a rate of 37.7 per 1,000 people. Property and deception offences accounted for 504, compared with 120 crimes against the person. These figures support checking recent incidents around the exact address rather than treating the suburb-wide rate as uniform.
How is Wheelers Hill's population changing?
Population change is steady rather than rapid. The annual trend is 0.15%, the wider area's 10-year change is 8.1% and overseas migration is the primary driver. The trajectory is Aging, with the senior share up 9.5 percentage points and the working share down 7.0 points, so future demand may lean toward accessible homes and established services.
What languages are spoken in Wheelers Hill?
Mandarin is the largest recorded non-English language, with 1,524 speakers, followed by Canton at 455, Greek at 433, Italian at 244 and Sinhal at 239. These figures fit a suburb where 48.3% of residents were born overseas, well above the national comparison.
Are there many developments in Wheelers Hill?
There were 76 development applications in 12 months. Activity includes planning permits and tree-removal requests, so it is broader than new housing alone. Buyers should check whether an individual application could affect privacy, established trees, traffic or construction near a prospective property.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), Valuer-General Victoria (house prices), state education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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