Ballarat East is a major regional centre in Victoria, in Ballarat Council, characterised by heritage listings alongside mixed commercial and residential development. Notable landmarks include Ballarat Fire Station.
Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places. Rents sit a little below those in comparable places. The suburb has an unusually high concentration of heritage listings, placing it among the highest-ranked major regional centres, and green cover is an exceptional strength. Trade-offs centre on higher crime and limited health access, with reported crime 49% above the peer median.
Overall, Ballarat East suits people prioritising heritage character and daily services over peace and quiet.
Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.
Strengths and weaknesses
Major regional centre · compared with major regional centres in Victoria (187)
Strengths
The suburb has an unusually high concentration of heritage listings
Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places
Green cover is stronger than in comparable places
Rents sit a little below those in comparable places
Weaknesses
Reported crime is somewhat elevated against comparable places
Health-facility access is relatively limited
What stands out
Heritage listings
Ballarat Fire Station
Who it suits
Stars are audience-fit ratings derived from Suburb.Guide data, not demographic counts or user reviews.
Families★★☆☆☆
Professionals★☆☆☆☆
Retirees★★☆☆☆
Students★★★☆☆
Budget buyers★★★☆☆
Housing, growth and risk
How Ballarat East compares
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median house price
$580k
+27% change
Median rent
$430/wk
Population (ERP)
6,672
+1.0% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
8.5%
Census unoccupied dwellings
Livability profile
Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Desirability
#26
among Country & regional · Emerging
Crime rate
82nd
percentile in state (higher = more crime)
Pop. growth
69th
percentile in VIC
Rented dwellings
41%
2021 Census tenure
Advantage (IRSAD)
3/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
52nd
percentile among schools with ICSEA
Population growth
Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years
Housing mix
Dwelling types from the 2021 Census
Risks & flags
Quick scan — open a section below for full context
Living here
Desirability
Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
50.7/100 — Average
State standing
Top 36% of Victoria's suburbs
National rank
1849th in Australia
State rank
450th in VIC
Peer rank
#26 among Country & regional · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#168 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
99%
Data sources & freshness
Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
All types (Sep 2025 (council median))
$430
Median house price (4th Quarter 2025)
$580,000
Median price change
+27.2%
Median weekly rent from Victorian government rent reports. Council median fallback may apply where suburb rent is unavailable.
+1.0% annual · +1.3% over 5 years · 69th percentile in VIC
Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.0%
5-year growth
+1.3%
Change in 1 year
+68
Change in 5 years
+83
Growth rank in VIC
69th percentile
ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.
Methodology
Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.
The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~6,900), extrapolated at +0.7% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
Population
5,937
Median age
43
Median household income / week
$1,123
Dwelling vacancy
8.5%
Unoccupied private dwellings
237 of 2,793
Median monthly mortgage
$1,300
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$290
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
32.9% / 25.9% / 41.3%
Employment rate
49.1%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
18.6% / 1.2% / 62.1%
Walked or cycled to work
4.1%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
2,285 / 241 / 23 (+ 7 other)
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)
Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus
Data sources & freshness
2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
23.8% of adults have a university degree, compared with 29.2% across Victoria. 17.4% have a trade or vocational qualification.
University qualified23.8% · 29.2% VIC
Diploma qualified8.8% · 9.8% VIC
Trade / vocational17.4% · 14.2% VIC
Year 12 or below50% · 46.8% VIC
Highest qualification field
Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).
Society and culture15.7%
Management and commerce15.4%
Health14.7%
Education13.3%
Engineering and related technologies11.4%
Creative arts7.5%
How these groups are defined
Measure
Definition
University qualified
Bachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualified
Advanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocational
Certificate III + IV
Year 12
Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12
Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below
People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)
University qualifications from the 2021 Census
Data sources & freshness
2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Tax & income
Median taxable income (2023–24)
$57,488
66th percentile in VIC · -2% vs Australia
Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$62,410
65th percentile in VIC · -4% vs Australia
Residents with rental investments
13.0%
54th percentile in VIC · -6% vs Australia
Median super balance (2023–24)
$81,201
51st percentile in VIC · +28% vs Australia
Residents with business income
10.0%
31st percentile in VIC · -4% vs Australia
Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 3350 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.
Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
41,156
Taxpayers reporting net rent
5,246
Median net rent
-$2,680
Taxpayers reporting business income
4,029
Taxable income vs state median
+8%
Salary / wages vs state median
+7%
Rental investment vs state median
0%
Super vs state median
+1%
Business income vs state median
-9%
Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in VIC, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.
Data sources & freshness
Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary
Community & culture
6.3% speak a language other than English at home; 11.7% born overseas
Language at home
5,228 English only · 351 other
Non-English at home
6.3%
Born overseas
659 (11.7%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
138 (2.3%)
Australian citizens
5,318
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
18
Top languages other than English
Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).
Punjabi19 · 13.7%
Hindi13 · 9.4%
Italian13 · 9.4%
Mandarin10 · 7.2%
Spanish10 · 7.2%
Croatian9 · 6.5%
Nepali9 · 6.5%
Vietnamese9 · 6.5%
Religion
51.1%No religion
No religion is the most common response at 51.1%, while Christianity accounts for 38.6%.
Measure
Suburb
State
No religion
51.1%
38.8%
Christianity
38.6%
40.9%
Other / not stated
10.4%
20.3%
Christian denominations
Denomination
Suburb
State
Catholic
19.3%
20.5%
Anglican
7.7%
6.5%
Uniting Church
4.4%
2.4%
Presbyterian and Reformed
2%
1.4%
2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.
Data sources & freshness
2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
Total offences (2026)
837
Against the person
138
Against property
491
Rate per 1,000 residents
125.4
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 43 residents
State crime-rate percentile
82.3th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate)
+36.1%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
156
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
23.38
Most common offence types
B21 Criminal Damage72
B41 Motor Vehicle Theft54
B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle119
B49 Other Theft75
E21 Breach Family Violence Order90
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)
Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates
Woodmans Hill Secondary CollegeSecondary · Government · ICSEA 988 · 41th percentile · LBOTE 8% · 602 students · Top SEA quarter 12% · 0.9 km awayView on My School →
Caledonian Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1010 · 52th percentile · LBOTE 3% · 215 students · Top SEA quarter 16% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →
St Alipius' Parish SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1052 · 69th percentile · LBOTE 11% · 248 students · Top SEA quarter 19% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →
Canadian Lead Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 952 · 25th percentile · LBOTE 5% · 235 students · Top SEA quarter 7% · 1.3 km awayView on My School →
St Francis Xavier SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1071 · 76th percentile · LBOTE 4% · 482 students · Top SEA quarter 25% · 1.5 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
Ballarat Primary School (Dana Street)Government school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Black Hill Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Caledonian Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Canadian Lead Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Macarthur Street Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Warrenheip Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Woodmans Hill Secondary CollegeGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.
Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)
Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts
Data sources & freshness
Victorian designated neighbourhood zones — Victorian Department of Education · current · Updated · Open catchment polygons where published
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.
Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)
Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000
Data sources & freshness
OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries
Places of worship
2 places of worship within ~1.5 km
St Alpius
York Street Church of Christ
From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.
Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.
For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.
Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.
Summer (Dec–Feb)
Usual max / min
26° / 12°
Rainfall
128 mm · ~16 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
Usual max / min
21° / 10°
Rainfall
124 mm · ~16 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
Usual max / min
14° / 6°
Rainfall
149 mm · ~19 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
Usual max / min
19° / 8°
Rainfall
182 mm · ~23 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)
Development applications from PPARS statewide register (lodged 2020–2022). Free public PPARS MapServer — applications through ~2022 (service last updated Feb 2024).
118 planning-related records
2021· 40 proposals
August 2021
Construction of an outbuilding
86 HUMFFRAY STREET NORTH BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Development of 12 dwellings, 12 lot subdivision and reduction in car parking (two visitor car parking spaces)
LOT C CASELLI STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Development of a commercial building in association with use of the land as a Beauty Salon (as of right), installation of business identification signage and a waiver in car parking requirements
67A SCOTT PARADE BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Development of three dwellings on a lot and a three lot subdivision
10 EUREKA STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Development of a dwelling
515 FINCH STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Development of a dwelling
54 STOCKADE STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
July 2021
Change of use to rooming house and waiving of car parking
194 VICTORIA STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Lapsed
Construction of three dwellings
3 ROFF STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Construction of two dwellings
1 ROFF STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Partial demolition to dwelling, alterations and additions to dwelling and demolition of shed
215 EUREKA STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Change of use to a medical centre (Allied Health), display of business identification signage and car parking reduction
102 EUREKA STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Construction of a dwelling
16 OTWAY STREET SOUTH BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Two lot subdivision
402 YORK STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Development of a dwelling
13 DODDS LANE BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
June 2021
Partial demolition, use and development of a childcare centre, display of business identification signage and access to Road Zone, Category 1
200 VICTORIA STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Development of a dwelling and associated works
525 FINCH STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Development of an outbuilding, retaining wall and associated works
41 BARKLY STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Use and development of a supermarket, display of business identification signage, reduction of car parking requirement, and access to a road zone category 1
200 VICTORIA STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Partial demolition and alterations to the dwelling, demolition and development of a carport
5 NUNN STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Two lot subdivision
123 JOSEPH STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Extension to dwelling, construction of vehicle crossovers and two lot subdivision (boundary realignment)
5 GRAY STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
May 2021
Development of a verandah
5 Nicholls AvenuePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
Development of a second dwelling and a two lot subdivision (boundary realignment)
4 WESLEY COURT BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Removal of two trees covered by a restriction on the property title [Variation of Covenant AS706470X to build outside building envelope and remove tree 23]
910A Eureka StreetWithdrawn
Construct a vehicle crossing
10 Otway Street SouthWithdrawn
Partial demolition, alterations and additions to a dwelling and development of a second dwelling
207 VICTORIA STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Use and development of 14 warehouses, 14 lot subdivision and waiver of car parking requirements
102 FUSSELL STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Verandah addition to a dwelling
19 King Street SouthPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
Development of a dwelling a creation of a vehicle crossover
200A Victoria StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
Development of a dwelling a creation of a vehicle crossover
200A Victoria StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
April 2021
Demolition and development of a fence
5 Queen Street SouthPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
Partial demolition of dwelling, alterations and additions to dwelling and development of a garage
138 Eureka StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
Demolition of an outbuilding
7 Gray StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
Development of a shed
9 Oliver StreetWithdrawn
March 2021
Development of a dwelling on a number of lots in the Bushfire Management Overlay
809 Wilson StreetWithdrawn
Two lot subdivision
7 QUEEN STREET SOUTH BALLARAT EAST 3350Withdrawn
Development of a front fence
14 Barkly StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
Partial demolition, alterations and additions to a dwelling
215 Scott ParadePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
Partial demolition alterations and additions to existing dwelling
5 EBDEN STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Five lot subdivision
819 EUREKA STREET BALLARAT EAST 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)
Heritage listings as established streetscape
Data sources & freshness
State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated
Hazards
Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Victorian Bushfire Management Overlay mapping. Flood cover uses inundation overlay polygons against the suburb boundary where published.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)
Bushfire and flood hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated
Politics & representation
Federal electorate
Ballarat
Member of Parliament
Catherine KING (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
116,238
Turnout (2025)
93.3%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-2.3 pp toward Coalition
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 39.3%Labor 60.7%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 4.1 km away).
Coalition 33.9%Labor 66.1%
5.4 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: -2.3 pp toward Coalition
Nearest polling places
Brown HillLabor 64.0% · Coalition 36.0% TPP (2025)1.0 km away
Ballarat EastLabor 72.9% · Coalition 27.1% TPP (2025)2.0 km away
CanadianLabor 68.8% · Coalition 31.2% TPP (2025)2.1 km away
WarrenheipLabor 52.7% · Coalition 47.3% TPP (2025)2.8 km away
Black HillLabor 72.1% · Coalition 27.9% TPP (2025)2.9 km away
Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.
ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).
What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?
IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.
IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.
A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)