Median house price
$982k
+13% change
VIC · Brimbank Council
Cairnlea, 3023
Est. population · Jun 2025
10,010
Growth (1 yr)
+0.3%
Growth (5 yr)
-4.5%
Median age
36
Median income
$2,062/wk
Employment rate
58%
Median house price · 4th Quarter 2025
$981,500
Languages at home
71.8%non-English
Most common: Vietnamese, Cantonese, Macedonian
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- National parks
- High desirability
- Excellent transport
- Café precinct
Suburb profile
Cairnlea is a practical established suburb in Brimbank Council, well placed for families who want metro access without the inner-city squeeze. Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with plenty of young families in the mix. Most local households sit in a multicultural mix, with overseas-born residents and languages other than English common at home.
Everyday cafés are limited locally, with the wider metro area covering the bigger food and entertainment trips. Parks and open space are a real strength relative to many metro suburbs, easy for walks, sport and weekend downtime. Daily life works well on foot, with buses also serving the suburb.
Buyers typically pay more than the metro middle for a home here. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
Desirability rates good overall, led by schools and education, while growth momentum, plus community and employment land closer to the middle of the pack for similar metro suburbs.
At a glance
Cairnlea snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$480/wk
Population (ERP)
10,010
+0.3% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
3.6%
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
#99
among Metro Melbourne · Established
Safety
45th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
47th
percentile in VIC
Advantage (IRSAD)
4/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
49th
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
- 60.8/100 — Good
- State standing
- Top 22% of Victoria's suburbs
- National rank
- 934th in Australia
- State rank
- 275th in VIC
- Peer rank
- #99 among Metro Melbourne · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #200 among Metro Melbourne suburbs
- Data confidence
- 100%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
- All types (Sep 2025 (council median))
- $480
- Median house price (4th Quarter 2025)
- $981,500
- Median price change
- +12.8%
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
- DFFH rent report and Valuer-General property sales report — Department of Families, Fairness and Housing / Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria) · 4th Quarter 2025; Sep 2025 (council median) · Updated · Quarterly releases; council median rent fallback where suburb rent unavailable
Population
Estimated resident population
10,010(June 2025)
+0.3% annual · -4.5% over 5 years · 47th percentile in VIC
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +0.3%
- 5-year growth
- -4.5%
- Change in 1 year
- +25
- Change in 5 years
- -472
- Growth rank in VIC
- 47th 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 (~10,300), extrapolated at +0.5% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 10,038
- Median age
- 36
- Median household income / week
- $2,062
- Dwelling vacancy
- 3.6%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 104 of 2,910
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,883
- Employment rate
- 58%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 2,480 / 212 / 106
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 (2026)
- 473
- Against the person
- 61
- Against property
- 305
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 47.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 165 residents
- State safety percentile
- 45.1th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +10%
Most common offence types
- B21 Criminal Damage54
- B41 Motor Vehicle Theft37
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle106
- B49 Other Theft35
- E21 Breach Family Violence Order57
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · 2025 · Updated
Family & Lifestyle
Schools & preschools
- Schools within 2 km
- 4
- Median school ICSEA (4 schools)
- 1,005.5
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 49th
School list
- Cairnlea Park Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1023 · 57th percentile · LBOTE 73% · 776 students · Top SEA quarter 15% · 0.2 km awayView on My School →
- Deer Park North Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 942 · 22th percentile · LBOTE 78% · 307 students · Top SEA quarter 2% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →
- University Park Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 999 · 46th percentile · LBOTE 77% · 229 students · Top SEA quarter 10% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →
- St Peter Chanel SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1012 · 52th percentile · LBOTE 67% · 506 students · Top SEA quarter 15% · 1.9 km awayView on My School →
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
Childcare
2 childcare services from OpenStreetMap
- Cairnlea Kindy and Childcare Centrekindergarten
- Carmody Drive KindergartenCarmody Drivekindergarten
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated
Public transport
27 public transport stops in this suburb
- Cairnlea Dr/Furlong Rd
- Clarian Street Reserve/Cairnlea Dr
- Furlong Rd/Station Rd
- Glenbrook Ave/Cairnlea Dr
- Woolshed Ave/Furlong Rd
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · current · Updated
Amenities
133 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
7 restaurants · 2 cafes · 2 supermarkets · 1 pharmacies · 1 fast food · 1 bakeries · 1 places of worship · 9 playgrounds
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Highly walkable for everyday errands
- Great for outdoor family life — 23 parks mapped in suburb, 9 playgrounds nearby
- Well connected by public transport — 27 public transport stops
- Strong local sport and recreation — 15 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
- Walkability proxy
- 92/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0.2
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 1.1
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 2.29
Food & drink(11)
- Top TopBakery
- Cafe OlivetoCafe
- VicpiesCafe
- Delite Fish & ChipsFast food
- Basil Leaf ThaiRestaurant
- Dai NamRestaurant
- Grind Grill & HausRestaurant
- KebayanRestaurant
- Kim HuongRestaurant
- Pizza Pasta RestaurantRestaurant
- Wok KingRestaurant
Shopping(5)
- Cairnlea ButcherButcher
- Lovely FreshGreengrocer
- ColesSupermarket
- Minh ViSupermarket
Community(4)
- Cairnlea Kindy and Childcare CentreKindergarten
- Carmody Drive KindergartenKindergarten
59 Carmody Drive, Cairnlea
- Cairnlea Park Primary SchoolSchool
49 Carmody Drive, Cairnlea
- Victoria University Secondary College Cairnlea Senior CampusSchool
43 Ken Jordan Road, Cairnlea
Health & services(5)
- Clinic
- Mercy Medical CentreClinic
- Western Family MedicalClinic
- Cairnlea Dental CareDentist
- Priceline PharmacyPharmacy
Sport & outdoors(38)
- Dog park
- Clarian Street ReservePark
- Elford Green ReservePark
- Kevin Flint Memorial ReservePark
- Lavender ParkPark
10A Appletree Grove
- Longwood Avenue ReservePark
Longwood Avenue
- Moorland ParkPark
- O'Connors PaddockPark
- Park (12)
- Shearwater Meadow ReservePark
- Station Waters ReservePark
- Stockton Run ReservePark
- Waterfield ParkPark
- Playground (9)
- Victorian Croquet CentreSports centre
- Albion Rovers Football ClubSports field
- Sports field
- Sports field
65 Nobel Banks Drive, Cairnlea
- Sunshine United Cricket ClubSports field
Transport(13)
10 bus stops · 3 transport platforms
Other(28)
- Commonwealth BankATM
- WestpacATM
- Bbq
- Embyounce Beauty SpaBeauty salon
- Paris StarBeauty salon
- Bench (5)
- Sparkle n GoCar wash
- Brands CoClothes
- FloraliciousFlorist
- KV Hair SalonHairdresser
- Vincent VuHairdresser
- Home IdeasInterior Decoration
- Blue Hippo LaundryLaundry
- TattsLottery
- Cairnlea Town CentreMall
100 Furlong Road, Cairnlea
- Iramoo Wildlife ParkNature Reserve
- Parking (27)
- PhysioChoice Deer ParkPhysiotherapist
Unit T30 Station Road
- Picnic Table
- An Quang Buddhist TemplePlace of worship
159 Cairnlea Drive
- Cairnlea LPOPost office
- Public toilets
- Shelter
- Brimbank Aged CareSocial Facility
- Cairnlea AlterationTailor
- Telephone
- CignallTobacco
- Western TravelTravel Agency
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
12 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Clarian Street ReservePark
- Elford Green ReservePark
- Iramoo Wildlife ParkNature reserve
- Kevin Flint Memorial ReservePark
- Lavender ParkPark
- Longwood Avenue ReservePark
- Moorland ParkPark
- O'Connors PaddockPark
- Shearwater Meadow ReservePark
- Station Waters ReservePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 31
- Parks (OSM)
- 23
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
- OpenStreetMap green cover — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Places of worship
1 places of worship within ~1.5 km
- An Quang Buddhist Temple
159 Cairnlea Drive
From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
- 6
- Nearest hospital
- IPC Health Deer Park (1.3 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
- Emergency department in suburb
- Not in suburb
- Cairnlea Dental CareDentist
- ClinicClinic
- Mercy Medical CentreClinic
- PhysioChoice Deer ParkStation RoadPhysiotherapist
- Priceline PharmacyPharmacy
- Western Family MedicalClinic
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 281
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 28.1
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
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
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).
1 planning-related records
2021· 1 proposal
July 2021
- Car Parking Reduction and Medical Centre and PPAR-One or more new buil AMENDMENT TO THE ENDORSED PLANS FOR A MEDICAL CENTRE TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH DISABILITY ACCESS REQUIREMENTS1 PINEWOOD CRESCENT CAIRNLEA 3023Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- PPARS planning permit activity (statewide) — Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria) · 2020–2022 · Updated · MapServer through FY 2022–23; newer data needs council/API access
Heritage
1 heritage place
- BLACK POWDER MILLNH2029
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
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
- Fraser
- Member of Parliament
- Daniel MULINO (Australian Labor Party)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 124,191
- Turnout (2025)
- 90.0%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +5.5 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 28.0%Labor 72.0%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 3.5 km away).
Coalition 29.5%Labor 70.5%
1.5 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +10.1 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- Cairnlea (Fraser)Labor 70.5% · Coalition 29.5% TPP (2025)0.1 km away
- St Albans SouthLabor 70.0% · Coalition 30.0% TPP (2025)1.5 km away
- St Albans EastLabor 68.1% · Coalition 31.9% TPP (2025)2.3 km away
- St Albans South EastLabor 71.6% · Coalition 28.4% TPP (2025)2.4 km away
- St Albans WestLabor 71.0% · Coalition 29.0% TPP (2025)2.4 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
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 4/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
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
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
Compare with
Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.
More in Brimbank Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Victoria.