suburb.guide

ACT · Unincorporated ACT Council

Melba, ACT, 2615

Current weather

12.7°COvercast

80% humidity · 9.5 km/h wind · 13.2° / 10° today · 21.8 mm rain

Desirability index

88.5/100

#12 among Metro Canberra suburbs

How this score is calculated

Suburb snapshot

Melba is a smaller suburban community in the Unincorporated ACT area, home to around 3,383 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 21 offences in 2025 Q2 Apr-Jun with falling year-on-year trends (-9%), roughly 6.2 offences per 1,000 residents, 2 school and preschool sites in the area, a higher concentration of local shops, services, and recreation amenities, and notable planning and development activity on record. Use the sections below for detailed population, safety, schools, and local activity data.

Population

Population
3,383
Median age
38
Median household income / week
$2,326
Dwelling vacancy
4.5%
Unoccupied private dwellings
57 of 1,254
Median monthly mortgage
$2,100
Employment rate
62.6%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
76 / 210 / 19

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Total offences (2025 Q2 Apr-Jun)
21
Against the person
3
Against property
11
Rate per 1,000 residents
6.2
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 1,128 residents
State safety percentile
29.5th (lower crime is better)
Year-on-year change
-8.7%

Most common offence types

  • Assault - Fv1
  • Burglary Dwellings2
  • Other Offences7
  • Property Damage5
  • Theft (Excluding Motor Vehicles)3

Data sources & freshness

  • ACT crime statistics by suburb (quarterly) — ACT Policing / dataACT · Period: 2025 Q1 Jan-Mar → 2025 Q2 Apr-Jun; 2025 Q2 Apr-Jun · Updated on site · Quarterly XLSX release

Schools & preschools

Schools & preschools
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
1,048.5
  • Melba Copland Secondary SchoolSecondary
  • Mount Rogers Primary SchoolPrimary

Data sources & freshness

Planning & development

Development applications from ACT planning register (lodged 2020–2026).

39 planning-related records

2026· 2 proposals

  • March 2026

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • February 2026

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted
2025· 7 proposals

  • December 2025

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • October 2025

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENActive

  • June 2025

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • April 2025

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • March 2025

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted
  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • January 2025

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted
2024· 6 proposals

  • December 2024

  • RESL
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted
  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • October 2024

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • August 2024

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • July 2024

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • June 2024

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted
2023· 7 proposals

  • November 2023

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted
  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted
  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • October 2023

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • September 2023

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • July 2023

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • June 2023

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted
2022· 5 proposals

  • September 2022

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • May 2022

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • March 2022

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • February 2022

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • January 2022

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted
2021· 5 proposals

  • November 2021

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • August 2021

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • July 2021

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • June 2021

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • January 2021

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted
2020· 7 proposals

  • December 2020

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • October 2020

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • August 2020

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • May 2020

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted
  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • March 2020

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

  • January 2020

  • SUBC
    MELBA · BELCONNENCompleted

Data sources & freshness

  • Active & completed development applications — ACT Planning · Period: 2020; 2020–2026; 2021… · Updated on site

Amenities

84 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • Bench (24)
  • Bicycle Parking (2)
  • Alfred Hill Drive after Bishop PlaceBus stop
  • Alfred Hill Drive after Carandini StreetBus stop
  • Alfred Hill Drive after Crossley CloseBus stop
  • Alfred Hill Drive after Henslowe PlaceBus stop
  • Alfred Hill Drive after Les Gallienne StreetBus stop
  • Alfred Hill Drive after Levy PlaceBus stop
  • Alfred Hill Drive Mount Rogers PrimaryBus stop
  • Alfred Hill Drive Mt Rogers PS (School Services Only)Bus stop

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
9/10
IRSD decile (2021)
8/10

SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.

Data sources & freshness

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via ACT Bushfire Prone Area (SBMP) mapping.

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
46
Parks (OSM)
5

OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Desirability index

Desirability score
88.5/100
Cohort rank
#12 among Metro Canberra suburbs

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • RESLplanningMELBA · BELCONNENLodged 11 Dec 2024 · Completed
  • SUBCplanningMELBA · BELCONNENLodged 03 Mar 2026 · Completed
  • SUBCplanningMELBA · BELCONNENLodged 18 Feb 2026 · Completed
  • SUBCplanningMELBA · BELCONNENLodged 05 Dec 2025 · Completed
  • SUBCplanningMELBA · BELCONNENLodged 13 Oct 2025 · Active
  • SUBCplanningMELBA · BELCONNENLodged 25 Jun 2025 · Completed
  • SUBCplanningMELBA · BELCONNENLodged 09 Apr 2025 · Completed
  • SUBCplanningMELBA · BELCONNENLodged 13 Mar 2025 · Completed
  • SUBCplanningMELBA · BELCONNENLodged 04 Mar 2025 · Completed
  • SUBCplanningMELBA · BELCONNENLodged 07 Jan 2025 · Completed

Data sources & freshness

  • Active & completed development applications — ACT Planning · Updated on site

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