Bright is a town in Victoria, 346 km from Melbourne CBD, around 4 hours 50 minutes by car. Population is 2,620; the median age is 49 and the median household income is $70,304 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 40% nationally. The town grew 8.9% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $300 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,638. Bright is characterised by high bushfire risk. 1 school sits within the town boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Bright a good town?
Bright scores a D (28/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on community, weaker on transit, prices, and safety.
Mixed results
1 school
Car-dependent
Walkability 0/100 · 345.9 km · 289 min drive to Melbourne
Above the state median
Median $1.12M · Less affordable than 89% of VIC
High bushfire risk
Fire 96/100 · Crime 55/100 · Flood 14/100
Advantaged
SEIFA decile 7/10 · median age 49 · 2,620 residents
Liveability Rating
28 / 100 · Ranked #740 in VICEach bar is Bright's rank among VIC suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
How do you rate the liveability in Bright?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
28 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataBright's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $1.12 million, roughly 23% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$1,122,500
Based on 60 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 120 days — median across 14 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 7 sales $1.07M
- 3 bed 31 sales $1.08M
- 4 bed 16 sales $1.23M
- 5 bed 5 sales $1.45M
Units
$622,500
Based on 26 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 82 days — median across 8 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 15 sales $588K
- 3 bed 9 sales $795K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Bright are currently listed at around $1.19 million on average. Based on 93 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$1.19M
93 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$624K
12 units listed in the last 6 months.
105 of the suburb's 1,050 dwellings (10.0%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Bright rent for around $602 a week on average, based on 4 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$602/wk
4 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$420/wk
5 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
9 rentals advertised against an estimated 257 rented homes (3.5%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025109 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 28% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3741.
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.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$602/week ($31,000 a year) on a $1.19 million median
Based on a small sample (4 listings) — indicative only.
$420/week ($22,000 a year) on a $624,000 median
Based on a small sample (5 listings) — indicative only.
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Is Bright safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Bright sits in the moderate band, with 103 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 34% on the prior year.
103 offences
33.8% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202512 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the town 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 Bright, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 514 students in one school (avg 514)
Combined
Walkability
Bright is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car. Within the town there are 2 supermarkets, 14 parks and 18 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
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 Bright.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 45%
- Premises covered
- 2,112
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
Alpine: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this town alone — this town's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 10 small areas inside this town and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 4 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this town rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Bright is home to about 2,600 residents, with a median age of 49, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $70,000 a year, with unemployment at 1.8%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
2,620
Median Age
49
Median Household Income
$70,304/yr
Census Median Rent
$300/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,638/mo
Avg Household Size
2.2
Median Personal Income
$40,248/yr
Unemployment Rate
1.8%
Unoccupied Dwellings
46.3%
Total Dwellings
1,050
Owner-Occupier Rate
75.5%
Houses
86.0%
Rental Stress
22.2%
Mortgage Stress
28.0%
Work From Home
25.1%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
24 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 3 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 246 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 74.8%
- English Spoken at Home
- 84.3%
- Employment Rate
- 54.6%
- Completed Year 12
- 43.7%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
59 residents (2.3%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
14.9% of residents (377) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (280).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 2,534 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
3% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (38 of 1,221).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this town against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 1,487 people work here; 1,221 employed residents live here.
Roughly as many jobs as working residents (1.2 per resident). At least 16% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,945 a year through Alpine based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Parks and recreation 76%
- Rural and farming 19%
- Residential 3%
- Zones under 1% 1%
Proposed rezonings
- Public Use Zone → General Residential Zone · C69alpi, exhibited Jul 2026 0.5 ha
- General Residential Zone → Public Park and Recreation Zone · C69alpi, exhibited Jul 2026 0.5 ha
and 2 smaller changes
Land in this town moved from one zone to another by a planning scheme amendment (Vicmap Planning, CC BY 4.0). Exhibited amendments are proposals and can change or lapse.
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the town around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Alpine
In the year to August 2026, 32 new dwellings were approved across Alpine. That mix is 28 houses and 4 units. Approvals are down 41.7% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
No Registered Aboriginal Party is appointed for this area. About an eighth of Victoria, mostly in the north-east, has no appointment; that is a fact about the register rather than about the Country.
Climate & Setting
from Bright, 6.6 kmModerate rainfall.
- Elevation
- 900 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Near high-voltage lines
- 6.8% of addresses
- 170 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 895 mm
- 66 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
Elevation is the ground at the town 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.
EV adoption
In postcode 3741, 35 of 3,297 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.0% (67 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.1%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3741, 919 rooftop-solar systems totalling 6.4 MW have been installed since 2001, against 2,056 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 67 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.
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.
0 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3741 in 2025-26. The most was 17, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
1 mortgage broker is registered in this town.
Land transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with State Revenue Office Victoria
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $750,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with State Revenue Office Victoria.
At $1,122,500 this is $372,500 above the $750,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with State Revenue Office Victoria.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Helen Haines Independent
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Helen Haines | 43.3% | 56.7% | -1.4 |
| 2022 | Helen Haines | 44.7% | 55.3% | -7.5 |
| 2019 | Helen Haines | 37.3% | 62.7% | +7.7 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact town's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Tim McCurdy The Nationals
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Tim McCurdy NP | 52.1% | 32.0% | 68.0% |
| 2018 | Tim McCurdy NP | 51.9% | 37.4% | 62.6% |
| 2014 | Tim McCurdy NP | 55.5% | 33.4% | 66.6% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this town's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.
Looking at a specific address in Bright?
Every figure above is a town 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.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 2,620 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Nearby suburbs
Compare Bright 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 Bright
Is Bright a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Bright is moderate (55/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Bright?
Bright has a high recorded bushfire history (96/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a low share of it (14/100). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Bright a good place to live?
Bright has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (28/100), ranked against other VIC suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Bright?
Bright, VIC had a population of 2,620 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Bright, VIC?
The postcode for Bright, VIC is 3741.
How far is Bright from Melbourne?
Bright is 346 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 289 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Bright?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Bright was $70,304 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 Bright?
The median advertised rent in Bright is $602 a week for houses (4 listings) and $420 a week for units (5 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Bright?
The median age of residents in Bright was 49 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Bright at risk of bushfire?
Bright has a high recorded bushfire history (96/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the town relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
How are the schools in Bright?
There is 1 school inside the Bright boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
What is the weather like in Bright?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Bright, Bright (6.6 km away), 895 mm of rain a year over 66 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Bright?
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 Bright belong to?
Bright sits within the Alpine local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Bright?
The average residential rates bill through Alpine is $1,945 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Bright?
Across Alpine, 32 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 41.7% 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 Bright in?
Bright sits within the federal Division of Indi, currently held by Helen Haines (Independent).
Search another suburb or address
Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2026
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2022
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.