suburb.guide

VIC · Nillumbik Council

Bend Of Islands, 3097

Population

267

Growth (1 yr)

0.0%

Growth (5 yr)

-1.4%

Median age

47

Median income

$1,971/wk

Employment rate

57.8%

Languages at home

6.5%non-English

Most common: Italian

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

32.9/100
Below average

973rd in VIC

Verified 62% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • National parks
  • Heritage area
  • High desirability
What Bend Of Islands is known for: National parks, Heritage area, High desirability

Suburb profile

Bend Of Islands offers a slower smaller community life in Nillumbik Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Established families and long-term residents give the suburb a settled feel, with family life visible on every street. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting.

Open space is thinner than in many regional towns, so residents often travel a little further for a longer park day. A car helps for most daily errands, with fewer amenities clustered within an easy walk. Homes cost more here than in most comparable suburbs.

Reported crime has been rising recently. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.

The overall desirability read is below average, pulled by softer local dining and lifestyle amenities compared with similar regional towns, though community and employment remain brighter spots. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Bend Of Islands snapshot

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$640/wk

Population (Census)

267

0.0% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

16.1%

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

#236

among Country & regional · Mature

Safety

40th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

6th

percentile in VIC

Advantage (IRSAD)

10/10

national SEIFA decile

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
32.9/100 — Below average
National rank
5072nd in Australia
State rank
973rd in VIC
Peer rank
#236 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#486 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
62%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Housing

All types (Sep 2025 (council median))
$640

Median weekly rent from Victorian government rent reports. Council median fallback may apply where suburb rent is unavailable.

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)

Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum

Data sources & freshness

Population

Population growth

0.0% annual · -1.4% over 5 years · 6th percentile in VIC

Growth rates are from ABS Estimated Resident Population at SA2 level. Headcount uses 2021 Census when allocated ERP is too low relative to Census to display reliably.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
267
Median age
47
Median household income / week
$1,971
Dwelling vacancy
16.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
18 of 112
Median monthly mortgage
$2,084
Employment rate
57.8%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
92 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Community & culture

No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census runs 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 (2025)
3
Against the person
1
Against property
2
Rate per 1,000 residents
42.3
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 267 residents
State safety percentile
39.8th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate)
+200%

Most common offence types

  • A231 Fv Common Assault1
  • B41 Motor Vehicle Theft1
  • B49 Other Theft1

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Amenities

2 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
Walkability proxy
0/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Other(2)
  • Christmas Hills South CFAFire station
  • Kangaroo Ground South Bushland ReserveNature Reserve

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

2 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Kangaroo Ground South Bushland ReserveNature reserve
  • Neil Douglas Natural Features ReserveNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
3
Parks (OSM)
0

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

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)

Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Nearest hospital
Yarra Ranges Health (8.8 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
2
Participants per 1,000 residents
28.2

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.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

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
24° / 13°
Rainfall
155 mm · ~19 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
20° / 11°
Rainfall
186 mm · ~23 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
14° / 6°
Rainfall
203 mm · ~25 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
18° / 9°
Rainfall
207 mm · ~26 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from PPARS statewide register (lodged 2020–2022). Free public PPARS MapServer — applications through ~2022 (service last updated Feb 2024).

7 planning-related records

2021· 2 proposals

  • September 2021

  • Buildings and works to construct a dwelling and outbuilding and removal of trees and vegetation (retrospective)
    776 HENLEY ROAD BEND OF ISLANDS 3097Withdrawn

  • February 2021

  • Buildings and works to construct a dwelling extension, outbuilding (shed) and vegetation removal
    235 CATANI BOULEVARD BEND OF ISLANDS 3097Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 5 proposals

  • October 2020

  • Buildings and works to construct an outbuilding, gate, removal of vegetation and associated earthworks
    56 CATANI BOULEVARD BEND OF ISLANDS 3097Refusal issued by the Resp. Authority

  • September 2020

  • Use and development of the land for a dwelling, construction of driveway and temporary shed structure
    469 Henley RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • June 2020

  • Buildings and works to construct a deck and gazebo
    662 Henley RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • April 2020

  • Buildings or works in a Zone - Works to construct a verandah
    74 Catani BoulevardPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • February 2020

  • Buildings and works to construct a shed and removal of one tree
    191 Catani BoulevardLapsed

Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)

Development and planning activity

Data sources & freshness

Heritage

1 heritage place

  • BURNS HOUSE 'KANGAROO'NH2314

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Victorian Bushfire Management Overlay mapping.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Bushfire hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Casey
Member of Parliament
Aaron VIOLI (Liberal)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
122,351
Turnout (2025)
94.5%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-1.5 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 52.9%Labor 47.1%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 9.1 km away).

Coalition 56.6%Labor 43.4%

3.7 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +0.5 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Wonga ParkLabor 37.7% · Coalition 62.3% TPP (2025)3.4 km away
  • Chirnside ParkLabor 45.5% · Coalition 54.5% TPP (2025)6.6 km away
  • Lilydale NorthLabor 47.7% · Coalition 52.3% TPP (2025)7.4 km away
  • Lilydale WestLabor 48.0% · Coalition 52.0% TPP (2025)8.0 km away
  • Mooroolbark UpperLabor 50.4% · Coalition 49.6% TPP (2025)8.6 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.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

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

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 (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

This suburb ranks highly for

Compare with

Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.

More in Nillumbik Council

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