Wonga Park
High household incomes and a 45-year median age define Wonga Park more than rapid expansion: 3,843 residents live across 23.22 sq km, with household income at the 96th percentile nationally. Detached homes account for 99.8% of dwellings, while 69.6% have four or more bedrooms, because the housing stock is built around established family households. The suburb is older and less overseas-born than national averages, by 5.0 and 7.5 percentage points respectively. Compared with nearby Warrandyte, Wonga Park has a similarly low-density setting but a stronger mortgage-belt profile, while Ringwood is more urban and connected. Its -0.16% annual forecast trend and 1.0% ten-year population change point to stability rather than expansion.
Population
3,843
Median Age
45.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,790/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
32
Median House
$1.4M
October to December 2025
The stock is unusually detached, with 99.8% separate houses and 69.6% four-plus-bedroom homes, so buyers get space rather than apartment choice. Mortgage payments equal 19.0% of household income, below the 30% stress benchmark, because household income sits at the 96th percentile. Compared with Ringwood, Wonga Park suits buyers prioritising land and privacy over rail-led convenience; Warrandyte is the closer lifestyle comparison.
For Buyers
The stock is unusually detached, with 99.8% separate houses and 69.6% four-plus-bedroom homes, so buyers get space rather than apartment choice. Mortgage payments equal 19.0% of household income, below the 30% stress benchmark, because household income sits at the 96th percentile. Compared with Ringwood, Wonga Park suits buyers prioritising land and privacy over rail-led convenience; Warrandyte is the closer lifestyle comparison.
For Investors
Rental stock is tight: only 5.4% of dwellings are rented, weekly rent is $491, vacancy is 3.6% and rent-to-income is 17.6%. That scarcity can support tenant competition, although the 99.8% separate-house mix means the investment case depends on acquiring and maintaining larger homes rather than a broad apartment market. Development activity reached 32 applications in 12 months, which may create renovation or subdivision opportunities but does not guarantee new rental supply. Compared with more urban Ringwood, yields may be constrained by the higher capital base; Wonga Park is better aligned with investors seeking established-family demand and lower turnover, with 87.7% of residents staying at the same address.
Development Activity
Total DAs
37
Last 12 Months
32
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+3100.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Wonga Park
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Wonga Park Primary School
Demographics
Wonga Park has a median age of 45, which is 5.0 years above the national figure, and average household size is 3.0 people, 0.5 higher than national. Families dominate: 53.8% are couples with children, compared with 37.6% couples without children, while 8.2% are one-parent families. University attainment is 37.6%, 7.5 percentage points above national, helping explain the concentration of professionals at 479 and managers at 409. Overseas-born residents account for 14.1%, 7.5 points below national, and English, Scottish and Irish ancestry counts are 1,713, 443 and 441. Compared with Warrandyte, the profile is similarly established but Wonga Park is less internationally diverse; nearby Ringwood is more migration-diverse and urban.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
99.8%
Houses
0.0%
Townhouse
0.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Housing is overwhelmingly detached and owner-occupied: 99.8% separate houses, 44.2% owned outright and 49.1% mortgaged, compared with only 5.4% renting. Four-plus-bedroom homes make up 69.6%, while three-bedroom homes account for 26.5%, so the market is geared to families and long stays rather than compact entry-level stock. Compared with Ringwood, Wonga Park has a more house-heavy and higher-cost profile; Warrandyte is the closer detached-home comparison. Mortgage costs are 19.0% of income, below typical stress levels, because household income ranks at the 96th percentile.
Mortgage / mo
$2,300
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$491
Census 2021
HH Size
3.0
Personal Income / wk
$968
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.6%
Unoccupied
46
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
17.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.0%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
53.8%
Couples with children
37.6%
Couples, no children
8.2%
Single parent
1,119
Total families
Economy & Employment
Wonga Park combines high household earnings with a practical employment base. Household income is $2,790 a week, at the 96th percentile, while unemployment is 3.1% and labour-force participation is 69.5%. Construction is the largest industry at 20.2% or 287 workers, followed by healthcare at 14.4% and 204, professional and technical services at 11.3% and 160, education at 10.8% and 153, and manufacturing at 6.1% and 87. Professionals number 479 and managers 409, above the local trades and clerical or administrative counts of 327 and 326. SEIFA places the suburb in decile 10 for IRSD and IER, with IRSAD in decile 9, indicating less disadvantage and higher economic resources than most areas. Compared with more urban Ringwood, incomes and construction exposure are more pronounced because Wonga Park's detached, established housing attracts higher-earning households.
Unemployment
3.1%
Labour Force
2,233
Unemployed
69
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
54.7%
Part-time
39.3%
Participation
69.5%
Employed
2,164
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
37.6%
Postgraduate
6.5%
Born Overseas
14.1%
Dwellings
1,228
Transport to Work
Livability suits households that value space, driving access and a quieter setting. Car drivers account for 60.3% of commuters, work from home is 34.7%, and public transport use is only 0.6%, so daily life is more car-dependent than in Ringwood. Schooling within Wonga Park includes Wonga Park Primary School, a government primary school; families should check enrolment zones and secondary options against the exact address. Crime is 21.9 incidents per 1,000 residents, with 84 recorded offences, including 44 property and deception offences and 25 crimes against the person. SEIFA IRSAD is decile 9 and IRSD decile 10, above the national median, because high incomes and low disadvantage support household resilience. The trade-off is limited public transport and a 23.22 sq km area, so access to shops and services should be assessed street by street.
Drive
60.3%
Public Transport
0.6%
Walk / Cycle
1.2%
Work from Home
34.7%
Population Forecast
-0.16%/yr
(-16 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is subdued and ageing-led. The annual forecast trend is -0.16%, while population change across the wider area is 1.0% over 10 years, so Wonga Park is tracking below a strong-growth profile. The primary migration driver is overseas migration, but the shift trajectory is Aging: the senior share rose 7.9 percentage points and the young share fell 4.0 points. Affordability worsened from 49.4% in 2011 to 51.7% in 2021, while rent growth reached 37.4%, making new household formation harder. Gentrification is not evident, with a score of 0 and stage Not gentrifying. Compared with Ringwood's more urban renewal potential, Wonga Park's established setting and -0.16% trend suggest preservation and incremental change are more likely than rapid expansion.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+70
Net Internal / yr
-71
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
84
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
21.9
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 Wonga Park compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wonga Park a good suburb to live in?
Wonga Park suits households seeking large detached homes, lower-density living and a quieter setting. The median age is 45, 99.8% of dwellings are separate houses and 60.3% of commuters drive, so it is a better fit for space and car access than rail-oriented convenience.
What schools are in Wonga Park?
Wonga Park Primary School is the local government primary school. It is sensible to verify enrolment zones and compare secondary options by exact address, because the suburb covers 23.22 sq km and school access can vary across its edges.
Is Wonga Park safe?
Wonga Park recorded 84 offences, equal to 21.9 incidents per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences were the largest category at 44, followed by crimes against the person at 25. Check recent local updates and the exact street, since suburb-wide rates can conceal small-area variation.
How is Wonga Park's population changing?
Wonga Park's population is 3,843 today, with the wider area's 10-year population change at 1.0% and an annual forecast trend of -0.16%. The trajectory is Aging, with the senior share up 7.9 percentage points and the young share down 4.0 points, so change is likely to be slow and age-weighted rather than rapid.
What development is occurring in Wonga Park?
There were 32 development applications in the past 12 months. The examples include a boundary realignment between 2 existing lots and extensions or alterations to existing dwellings, suggesting incremental change rather than a large apartment pipeline.
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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