Bona Vista VIC 3820

Located in Victoria, Bona Vista sits 112 km from Melbourne CBD, around 1 hour 25 minutes by car. The suburb has 107 residents, a median age of 47, and a median household income of $96,200 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 40% nationally. Population fell 1.8% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $285 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,700. The area shows no recorded bushfire exposure. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is low.

This suburb is too small to rate.

The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 107. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.

How do you rate the liveability in Bona Vista?

Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.

Our score

Not enough data to score this suburb.

Residents say

…

AwfulPoorAverageGoodGreat
What applies here? (optional)

One rating per person. You can change yours at any time.

Rental Market

Rental affordability

June quarter 2025

88 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 34% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3820.

SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.

Is Bona Vista safe? Crime statistics

2026

Crime in Bona Vista sits in the low band, with 2 incidents recorded in 2026.

2 offences

no change since 2025
Theft 2 (100.0%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

2 crashes

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital

Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.

Schools

One school serve Bona Vista, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.

38
out of 100
Weak
1 school in this suburb
1 below similar
  • • 17 students in one school (avg 17)

Primary

Government · Prep-6 · 17 students
ICSEA 916 (higher than 14% of Australian schools) · 2% top-SEA students
Below similar

Walkability

Bona Vista is very car-dependent on foot — at 17/100, nearly all errands require a car.

17
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Top 22% in VIC
Public Transport within 1 km not measured
Schools within 1.5 km 60
Parks within 800 m 0
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 0
Hospitals within 5 km 60

We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.

NBN connectivity

The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Bona Vista.

30
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
44
Technology mix
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 98%
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 2%

NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.

Amenities

Supermarkets
None
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
None
Parks & Reserves
None
Sport & Recreation
None
Beaches
None
Waterways
6 in suburb
Childcare
None
GPs
None
Pharmacies
None
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
None
Fuel Stations
None
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
None
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
None

Baw Baw: council population

The whole council area, not just Bona Vista · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
62,784
+1.6% in a year
Change
+991
people since 2024
Density
16
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+350
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+514
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+127
arrivals minus departures

The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.

Socio-economic profile

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
8/10
8/10 within VIC
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
10/10
10/10 within VIC
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
7/10
5/10 within VIC
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Bona Vista is home to 107 residents, with a median age of 47, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $96,000 a year, with unemployment at 0.0%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

107

1.8% since 2016

Median Age

47

2.2% since 2016

Median Household Income

$96,200/yr

3.2% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$285/wk

256.2% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,700/mo

12.1% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.4

4.0% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$45,916/yr

15.1% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

0.0%

Unoccupied Dwellings

0.0%

Total Dwellings

37

2.8% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

87.5%

12.5% since 2016

Houses

100.0%

no change since 2016

Rental Stress

15.4%

242.2% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

21.2%

8.7% since 2016

Work From Home

24.1%

5.1% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 37 (100.0%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 16 (66.7%)
Mortgage 5 (20.8%)
Renting 3 (12.5%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
78.5%
English Spoken at Home
84.1%
Employment Rate
65.9%
10.9% since 2016
Completed Year 12
34.6%

Occupations

Managers 20 (32.3%)
Labourers 9 (14.5%)
Clerical & Administrative 7 (11.3%)
Professionals 6 (9.7%)
Technicians & Trades 6 (9.7%)
Community & Personal Service 5 (8.1%)

Religion

Christianity 41 (38.3%)
No Religion 37 (34.6%)

Age Distribution

0-4 4 (3.7%)
5-14 15 (14.0%)
15-19 7 (6.5%)
20-24 5 (4.7%)
25-34 15 (14.0%)
35-44 9 (8.4%)
45-54 17 (15.9%)
55-64 19 (17.8%)
65-74 10 (9.3%)
75-84 12 (11.2%)

Family & Household Composition

Couple Families 10 (52.6%)
Lone Person 9 (47.4%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 34 (63.0%)
Worked from Home 13 (24.1%)
Walked Only 4 (7.4%)
Car (passenger) 3 (5.6%)

Education

Certificate III & IV 24 (22.4%)
Bachelor Degree 13 (12.1%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4 (3.7%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 3 (2.8%)

Cars per Dwelling

1 car 6 (16.2%)
2 cars 12 (32.4%)
3 cars 10 (27.0%)
4+ cars 15 (40.5%)

Council Rates

Baw Baw
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,138 a year through Baw Baw based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$2,138/yr
10% above the VIC average of $1,937 · median of 79 councils
Rate in the dollar
0.303¢ / $
of property valuation
Valuation basis
Capital Improved Value
land + buildings

How this land is zoned

Share of Bona Vista's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 96%
  • Parks and recreation 4%

Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.

Building Approvals: Baw Baw

The whole council area, not just Bona Vista · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 619 new dwellings were approved across Baw Baw. That mix is 604 houses and 15 units. Approvals are up 49.3% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
619dwellings
+49.3% YoY
Houses
604
detached dwellings
Units
15
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage

The Registered Aboriginal Party for this area is Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (appointed 2017).

Registered Aboriginal Parties are appointed by the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 as the primary guardians, keepers and knowledge holders of Aboriginal cultural heritage for their area. They are the body to contact about cultural heritage here.

Climate & Setting

from Noojee (Slivar), 33.5 km

High rainfall — warm summers, cold winters with occasional frost.

Elevation
149 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean
39.5 km
Annual rainfall
1,090 mm
133 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
25.1°C
7 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
3.7°C
12 frost days ≤ 0°C

Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.

Industrial Emissions Nearby

4 facilities within 5 km

EV adoption

0.7%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.04% in 2021
+0.3 points this year

In postcode 3820, 132 of 18,527 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.4% (449 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.1%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.04%
2022
0.09%
2023
0.19%
2024
0.44%
2025
0.71%

Rooftop solar

45
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 6.6 kW each

In postcode 3820, 3,640 rooftop-solar systems totalling 24.0 MW have been installed since 2001, against 8,061 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 410 went up in the last year.

Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
224
2020
266
2021
279
2022
253
2023
304
2024
268
2025
369
2026
212

2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.

First Home Owner Grant

FY2026-27

$10,000 for new homes priced up to $750,000.

The separate First Home Buyer Duty Reduction (stamp-duty concession) runs alongside this grant.

69 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3820 in 2025-26, rank 20 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 167, in 2020-21.

2000-01 to 2025-26

Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.

Verify eligibility with State Revenue Office Victoria

Federal Electorate

Division of Monash

Currently held by Mary Aldred Liberal

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Mary Aldred 45.9% 54.1% -1.2
2022 Russell Broadbent 47.1% 52.9% -4.0
2019 Russell Broadbent 42.6% 57.4% -0.1

Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.

State Electorate

Narracan District

Currently held by Wayne Farnham Liberal

Next state election: 28 November 2026.

Year Winner Won with 2PP ALP 2PP LNP
2022* Wayne Farnham LP 51.7% — —
2018 Gary Blackwood LP 51.7% 42.7% 57.3%
2014 Gary Blackwood LP 55.2% 38.7% 61.3%

* The 2022 poll here was replaced by a supplementary election on 28 January 2023; its result is shown.

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.

Looking at a specific address in Bona Vista?

Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.

Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.

Nearby suburbs

Compare Bona Vista to another suburb

Side-by-side stats for any other VIC suburb — type a name and pick one.

Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:

Common questions about Bona Vista

Is Bona Vista a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Bona Vista is low (27/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Bona Vista?

Bona Vista has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (48/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

What is the population of Bona Vista?

Bona Vista, VIC had a population of 107 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Bona Vista, VIC?

The postcode for Bona Vista, VIC is 3820.

How far is Bona Vista from Melbourne?

Bona Vista is 112 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 87 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Bona Vista?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Bona Vista was $96,200 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.

What is the median weekly rent in Bona Vista?

There are too few current rental listings in Bona Vista for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $285, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Bona Vista?

The median age of residents in Bona Vista was 47 at the 2021 ABS Census.

How are the schools in Bona Vista?

There is 1 school inside the Bona Vista boundary: 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).

Is Bona Vista walkable?

Bona Vista scores 17/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very car-dependent. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.

What is the weather like in Bona Vista?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Bona Vista, Noojee (Slivar) (33.5 km away), summer days average 25.1°C, winter nights 3.7°C, 1,090 mm of rain a year over 133 rainy days, and 7 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Bona Vista?

First-home buyers in VIC may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $750,000. The grant is administered by State Revenue Office Victoria; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.

What council does Bona Vista belong to?

Bona Vista sits within the Baw Baw local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Bona Vista?

The average residential rates bill through Baw Baw is $2,138 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Bona Vista?

Across Baw Baw, 619 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 49.3% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.

Which federal electorate is Bona Vista in?

Bona Vista sits within the federal Division of Monash, currently held by Mary Aldred (Liberal).

Search another suburb or address

Data freshness

Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.

Was the information on this page useful to you?

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or