Wurruk
Over half the dwellings in Wurruk have four or more bedrooms, a figure that places it among Victoria's most family-sized housing stocks at 99% detached houses. The suburb's 1,177 residents sit at the 46.7th income percentile nationally, just below the median, with a weekly household income of $1,495. At a median age of 41, residents are roughly aligned with the national average, just 1 year above it. The crime rate of 117.2 incidents per 1,000 people is elevated compared to low-crime outer suburbs, and property and deception offences account for 64 of 138 recorded incidents, pointing to a pattern driven by opportunistic rather than violent crime.
Population
1,177
Median Age
41.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,495/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
2
No current median house price is recorded for Wurruk in this dataset, which limits direct price benchmarking. However, the housing cost signals available point to relative affordability compared to major Victorian centres: weekly rent of $250 and a monthly mortgage of $1,517 both sit well below Melbourne suburban averages. Mortgage repayments consume 23.4% of household income, below the 30% stress threshold, suggesting existing owners are not financially stretched. The stock is almost entirely separate houses at 99%, with 53.9% of dwellings having four or more bedrooms, making Wurruk well suited to families seeking space. With 43.3% of households carrying a mortgage and 35.9% owning outright, the suburb has a settled ownership profile rather than one driven by churn.
For Buyers
No current median house price is recorded for Wurruk in this dataset, which limits direct price benchmarking. However, the housing cost signals available point to relative affordability compared to major Victorian centres: weekly rent of $250 and a monthly mortgage of $1,517 both sit well below Melbourne suburban averages. Mortgage repayments consume 23.4% of household income, below the 30% stress threshold, suggesting existing owners are not financially stretched. The stock is almost entirely separate houses at 99%, with 53.9% of dwellings having four or more bedrooms, making Wurruk well suited to families seeking space. With 43.3% of households carrying a mortgage and 35.9% owning outright, the suburb has a settled ownership profile rather than one driven by churn.
For Investors
Wurruk's rental market is thin but stable, with 20.8% of households renting and weekly rents at $250. Vacancy sits at 5.0%, higher than the tight sub-2% levels seen in stronger rental markets, which means investors may face some leasing friction. Development activity is very low, with just 2 subdivision applications in the past 12 months, signalling limited new supply competition. The suburb's income level at the 46.7th percentile nationally means tenant affordability is a consideration when pricing rents. The low mortgage stress rate of 23.4% of income and a turnover rate of only 15.9% suggest residents who buy tend to stay, which can support long-term capital stability even without strong price data to confirm recent movement.
Development Activity
Total DAs
7
Last 12 Months
2
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+100.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Wurruk iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Wurruk Primary School
Prep-6 · 40 students
Demographics
Wurruk's median age of 41 is 1.0 year above the national figure, placing it in a broadly working-age to middle-aged profile. University qualification rates reach 22.7%, which is 7.4 percentage points below the national average, reflecting the regional character of the Gippsland area. Overseas-born residents account for 11.7% of the population, 9.9 points below the national figure, and ancestry is strongly Anglo-Celtic, with English (475), Scottish (122) and Irish (110) the three largest groups. Average household size of 2.7 is 0.2 above national, consistent with the suburb's family-oriented housing stock. Volunteering reaches 19.9% of residents, indicating a degree of community engagement above what many lower-income suburbs show.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
99.0%
Houses
1.0%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
Wurruk's housing stock is almost entirely separate detached houses, at 99%, with semi-detached dwellings making up the remaining 1% and no apartments recorded. The dominant dwelling size is four or more bedrooms at 53.9%, followed by three bedrooms at 31.3%, and two bedrooms at 14.1%, a profile that skews large compared to national averages where smaller dwellings are more common. Tenure splits into 35.9% owning outright, 43.3% with a mortgage and 20.8% renting. Mortgage-to-income is 23.4% and rent-to-income is 16.7%, both below conventional stress thresholds, so neither group faces significant housing cost pressure relative to income at the 46.7th percentile nationally. No current sale price data is available in this dataset to quantify recent price movement.
Mortgage / mo
$1,517
Rent / wk
$250
HH Size
2.7
Personal Income / wk
$749
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.0%
Unoccupied
22
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.7%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.4%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
25.8%
Couples, no children
971
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the largest employer at 18.5% of the local workforce (65 workers), followed by Public Administration at 14.2% (50 workers) and Construction at 12.5% (44 workers). Education and Retail fill out the top five at 11.7% and 8.0% respectively. By occupation, Professionals lead at 87 workers, closely followed by Community and Personal Service workers at 82, and Managers at 76. The unemployment rate is 5.2%, slightly above the national average, and the labour force participation rate is 54.5%, on the lower side, partly because 301 residents are not in the labour force. Full-time employment accounts for 59.9% of those employed. These figures reflect a regional economy typical of Gippsland, where public services and healthcare anchor local employment.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
59.9%
Part-time
34.9%
Participation
54.5%
Employed
476
Occupations
Top Industries
University
22.7%
Postgraduate
5.1%
Born Overseas
11.7%
Dwellings
411
Transport to Work
Car dependence is high in Wurruk, with 89.2% of residents driving to work, compared to the national urban average of around 70%, reflecting the regional location where public transport reaches only 1.3% of commuters. Walking and cycling account for just 0.8%. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in adjacent Sale and surrounding Gippsland communities. The crime rate of 117.2 incidents per 1,000 residents is elevated relative to quieter regional suburbs, driven by property and deception offences (64 incidents) and justice procedures offences (37 incidents). At 7.0%, the share of residents needing daily assistance is moderate. Rent-to-income at 16.7% and mortgage-to-income at 23.4% both sit below stress thresholds, keeping housing financially manageable for most households.
Drive
89.2%
Public Transport
1.3%
Walk / Cycle
0.8%
Work from Home
N/A
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
138
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
117.2
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 Wurruk compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wurruk a good suburb to live in?
Wurruk suits families seeking space: 99% of dwellings are separate houses and 53.9% have four or more bedrooms. Housing costs are manageable, with mortgage-to-income at 23.4% and rent-to-income at 16.7%, both below stress thresholds. The crime rate of 117.2 per 1,000 people is elevated compared to quieter regional towns, and no schools are recorded inside the suburb boundary.
What is the median house price in Wurruk?
No current median house price is recorded for Wurruk in this dataset. As a cost indicator, weekly rent averages $250 and monthly mortgage repayments average $1,517, which is well below Melbourne suburban levels. Household income sits at the 46.7th percentile nationally, suggesting moderate purchasing power in the local market.
What schools are in Wurruk?
No schools are recorded within the Wurruk suburb boundary in this dataset. Families typically access schools in nearby Sale, which is the main service centre for the Gippsland region. Locally, 22.7% of residents hold university qualifications, which is 7.4 percentage points below the national average.
Is Wurruk safe?
Wurruk has a crime rate of 117.2 incidents per 1,000 residents based on 138 total recorded offences. The largest category is property and deception offences at 64 incidents, followed by justice procedures offences at 37. Crimes against the person account for 24 incidents, suggesting the crime profile is more property-focused than violent.
Is Wurruk good for property investment?
Rental yield potential is limited by a weekly rent of $250 combined with the absence of a recorded median price for direct yield calculation. The 5.0% vacancy rate is above tight-market thresholds and 20.8% of households rent. Development activity is very low at 2 applications in 12 months, limiting supply competition. Stability rather than strong growth is the realistic expectation at the 46.7th income percentile nationally.
How is Wurruk's population changing?
Wurruk's current population is 1,177 across 4.85 km2, giving a density of 242 people per km2. No forecast data is available in this dataset to project future trends. The resident turnover rate is low at 15.9%, with 84.1% of people having stayed in the same address, indicating a stable rather than fast-changing community.
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), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), 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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