suburb.guide

VIC · Hume Council

Bulla, 3428

Est. population · Jun 2025

795

Growth (1 yr)

+4.2%

Growth (5 yr)

+25.4%

Median age

45

Median income

$1,738/wk

Employment rate

56.2%

University qualified

12.5%

Work from home

17.8%

Languages at home

26.2%non-English

Most common: Italian, Arabic, Mandarin

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

41.8/100
Average

893rd in VIC

Verified 88% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Excellent transport
  • National parks
  • Outer suburban
What Bulla is known for: Excellent transport, National parks, Outer suburban

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Suburb Guide, “Bulla, VIC Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/vic/bulla-vic

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Suburb profile

Bulla is an outer metropolitan suburb of Melbourne, in Hume Council. The Maribyrnong River is part of the surrounding geography.

Open-space access is better than in most comparable places, with park access 94% above the peer median. Rents sit a little below those in comparable places. Mapped flood cover is a relative strength. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high. Trade-offs centre on fewer university qualifications and thinner local amenities, with university qualifications 48% below the peer median.

Bulla is a better fit for people who value open space and lower rents more than university qualifications.

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

Outer metropolitan suburb · compared with outer metropolitan suburbs in Victoria (148)

Strengths

  • Open-space access is better than in most comparable places
  • Rents sit a little below those in comparable places
  • Mapped flood cover is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • University qualifications are less common than in comparable places
  • Local amenity access is relatively limited

What stands out

  • Overseas-born and multilingual community
  • Maribyrnong River
  • Space is a strength, but car dependence is high

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Bulla compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$520/wk

Population (ERP)

795

+4.2% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

8.3%

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

#39

among Metro Melbourne · Mature

Crime rate

86th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

96th

percentile in VIC

Rented dwellings

9%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

6/10

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
41.8/100 — Average
National rank
3936th in Australia
State rank
893rd in VIC
Peer rank
#39 among Metro Melbourne · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#319 among Metro Melbourne suburbs
Data confidence
88%

Data sources & freshness

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

Housing

All types (Sep 2025 (council median))
$520

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

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

795(June 2025)

+4.2% annual · +25.4% over 5 years · 96th percentile in VIC

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+4.2%
5-year growth
+25.4%
Change in 1 year
+32
Change in 5 years
+161
Growth rank in VIC
96th 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 (~1,000), extrapolated at +4.9% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
668
Median age
45
Median household income / week
$1,738
Dwelling vacancy
8.3%
Unoccupied private dwellings
20 of 240
Median monthly mortgage
$2,100
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$348
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
44.9% / 45.8% / 9.3%
Employment rate
56.2%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
17.8% / 0.9% / 64.5%
Walked or cycled to work
1.6%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
220 / 0 / 0

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.

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

Qualifications

12.5% of adults have a university degree, compared with 29.2% across Victoria. 21.7% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified12.5% · 29.2% VIC
  • Diploma qualified9.7% · 9.8% VIC
  • Trade / vocational21.7% · 14.2% VIC
  • Year 12 or below56.1% · 46.8% VIC

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Engineering and related technologies26.6%
  • Architecture and building17.2%
  • Management and commerce16%
  • Health9.4%
  • Society and culture9.4%
  • Education6.6%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 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)
$57,419

65th percentile in VIC · -2% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$66,490

78th percentile in VIC · +2% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
22.0%

97th percentile in VIC · +59% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$88,149

62nd percentile in VIC · +39% vs Australia

Residents with business income
10.0%

26th percentile in VIC · -4% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 3428 — 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
409
Taxpayers reporting net rent
91
Median net rent
$1,033
Taxpayers reporting business income
41
Taxable income vs state median
+8%
Salary / wages vs state median
+14%
Rental investment vs state median
+69%
Super vs state median
+10%
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

26.2% speak a language other than English at home; 25.8% born overseas

Language at home
462 English only · 164 other
Non-English at home
26.2%
Born overseas
161 (25.8%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
24 (3.6%)
Australian citizens
591
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
9

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Italian16 · 26.2%
  • Arabic11 · 18%
  • Mandarin8 · 13.1%
  • Greek7 · 11.5%
  • Croatian4 · 6.6%
  • Russian4 · 6.6%
  • Samoan4 · 6.6%
  • Serbian4 · 6.6%

Religion

62%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 62%, while 25% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion25%38.8%
Christianity62%40.9%
Islam2.4%4.2%
Other / not stated10.6%16.1%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic38.8%20.5%
Anglican5.1%6.5%
Eastern Orthodox4.2%3.3%
Uniting Church3.1%2.4%
Christian (not further defined)2.8%2.5%
Oriental Orthodox2.5%0.3%

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 decreased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (2026)
122
Against the person
19
Against property
84
Rate per 1,000 residents
153.5
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 35 residents
State crime-rate percentile
86th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate)
-14.7%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
103
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
129.56

Most common offence types

  • B41 Motor Vehicle Theft9
  • B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle6
  • B49 Other Theft48
  • E21 Breach Family Violence Order5
  • B21 Criminal Damage11

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

School list
School catchments
  • Copperfield CollegeGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Diggers Rest Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Elevation Secondary CollegeGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Goonawarra Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Greenvale Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Greenvale Secondary CollegeGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Hillside Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Keelonith Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Sunbury CollegeGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Sunbury Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_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

Public transport

4 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Rawdon St/Bulla Rd
  • Rawdon St/Bulla Rd
  • Wildwood Rd/Bulla Rd
  • Wildwood Rd/Bulla Rd

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

19 mapped amenities

1 restaurants · 1 fast food · 4 swimming pools · 1 petrol stations

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life — 3 parks mapped in suburb
Walkability proxy
10/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
2.99
Parks per 1,000 residents
4.49
Food & drink(2)
  • Hungry Jack'sFast food
  • The Black HorseRestaurant
Shopping(1)
  • BP ShopConvenience store
Everyday services(1)
  • BPPetrol station
Sport & outdoors(9)
  • Organ Pipes National ParkNature reserve
  • Bulla Hill RailwayPark

    11-15 Green Street, Bulla

  • Park (2)
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool (4)
Transport(1)

1 train stations

Other(3)
  • Bulla Fire StationFire station

    5 Green Street, Bulla

  • Alister Clark Memorial Rose GardenGarden

    96-98 Bulla Road

  • Parking (3)

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
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

1 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Bulla Hill RailwayPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
2.5%
Woodland / forest cover
2.2%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
13
Parks (OSM)
3
Typical summer maximum
24°C

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

Health access

Nearest hospital
Broadmeadows Hospital (12.0 km)
Nearest hospital type
Public hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
21
Participants per 1,000 residents
26.4

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 (12%)

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).

10 planning-related records

2021· 2 proposals

  • September 2021

  • THE DEVELOPMENT OF LAND FOR ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS TO THE EXISTING DWELLING ON A LOT AFFECTED BY THE MELBOURNE AIRPORT ENVIRONS OVERLAY
    1395 SOMERTON RD BULLA 3428Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • March 2021

  • BUILDINGS AND WORKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ALTERATION AND EXTENSION OF THE EXISTING DWELLING IN THE GREEN WEDGE ZONE AND MELBOURNE AIRPORT ENVIRONS OVERLAY
    1395 SOMERTON RD BULLA 3428Withdrawn
2020· 8 proposals

  • December 2020

  • USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF A SINGLE DWELLING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ENDORSED PLANS
    18-32 CAHILL STPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • October 2020

  • CONSTRUCTION OF AN OUTBUILDING
    70 BATEY CTPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • September 2020

  • USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE LAND FOR STORE (SHED)
    70 BOURKE STPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GARAGE/ STUDIO
    50 BULLA RDWithdrawn
  • USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF LAND FOR A DWELLING, DEPENDENT PERSON¿S UNIT AND ASSOCIATED STORAGE SHED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ENDORSED PLANS
    10 BULLA-DIGGERS REST RDPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • July 2020

  • EARTHWORKS, REMOVAL OF VEGETATION, VARIATION OF AN EASEMENT AND ALTERATION OF ACCESS TO A ROAD
    400 SUNBURY RD BULLA 3428Withdrawn

  • May 2020

  • BUILDINGS AND WORKS TO ALLOW AN EXTENSION TO EXISTING DECK AND ALFRESCO AREA
    52-54 BOURKE STPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • February 2020

  • Amendment of permit P1488 to increase the capping contours and height to184 metres above sea level and amendment of Condition1 and 4
    500 SUNBURY RDNOD issued by the Resp. Authority

Data sources & freshness

Roadworks & transport

5 active roadworks / incidents

  • External Projects / Developer-Funded activities occurring between 18/01/2026 and 31/12/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM, Weekends 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed both directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be Greater than 10 min.BULLA ROAD, SUNBURY ROAD17 Jan 2026 – 30 Dec 2026
  • External Projects / Developer-Funded activities occurring between 18/01/2026 and 31/12/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM, Weekends 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed both directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be Greater than 10 min.WILDWOOD ROAD, BULLA ROAD17 Jan 2026 – 30 Dec 2026
  • External Projects / Developer-Funded activities occurring between 18/01/2026 and 31/12/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM, Weekends 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed both directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be Greater than 10 min.SUNBURY ROAD, WILDWOOD ROAD17 Jan 2026 – 30 Dec 2026
  • Utility Works activities occurring between 14/11/2025 and 31/01/2027 during the following times: Weekdays 6:30 PM to 6:00 AM, Weekends 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed both directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 6 to 10 min.LANCEFIELD ROAD, SUNBURY ROAD13 Nov 2025 – 30 Jan 2027
  • Utility Works activities occurring between 14/11/2025 and 31/01/2027 during the following times: Weekdays 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM, Weekends 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed both directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 6 to 10 min.LANCEFIELD ROAD, SUNBURY ROAD13 Nov 2025 – 30 Jan 2027

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated

Heritage

2 heritage places

  • FORMER STATE SCHOOL NO.46NH1643
  • GLENARANH0625

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
Hawke
Member of Parliament
Sam RAE (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
118,785
Turnout (2025)
91.1%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
0.0 pp

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 42.4%Labor 57.6%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 10.0 km away).

Coalition 40.3%Labor 59.7%

2.0 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +1.7 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Sunbury EastLabor 59.5% · Coalition 40.5% TPP (2025)7.1 km away
  • Sunbury SouthLabor 58.0% · Coalition 42.0% TPP (2025)7.5 km away
  • Diggers RestLabor 61.0% · Coalition 39.0% TPP (2025)8.3 km away
  • Hillside (Hawke)Labor 58.5% · Coalition 41.5% TPP (2025)8.6 km away
  • SunburyLabor 59.8% · Coalition 40.2% TPP (2025)9.0 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)
6/10
IRSD decile (2021)
5/10

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 (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

Compare with

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

More in Hume Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Victoria.