Buninyong sits 117 km from Melbourne CBD in Victoria, around 1 hour 30 minutes by car. Census data records 3,797 residents with a median age of 45 and a median household income of $90,740 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 20% nationally. The suburb grew 2.2% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $305 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,733. Buninyong is characterised by high bushfire risk and no recorded flood exposure. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is moderate.
Is Buninyong a good suburb?
Buninyong scores a B (55/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on prices and community, weaker on safety.
Mixed results
1 school
Some car dependence
Walkability 40/100 · 116.8 km · 88 min drive to Melbourne
More affordable than most
Median $750K · More affordable than 76% of VIC
High bushfire risk
Fire 80/100 · Crime 45/100 · Flood 0/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 9/10 · median age 45 · 3,797 residents
Liveability Rating
55 / 100 · Ranked #349 in VICEach bar is Buninyong'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 Buninyong?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
55 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataBuninyong's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $750,000, about 10% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$750,000
Based on 96 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 44 days — median across 58 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 42 sales $694K
- 4 bed 41 sales $813K
- 5 bed 9 sales $925K
Units
$410,000
Based on only 3 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Buninyong are currently listed at around $862,000 on average. Based on 41 houses listed in the past six months.
$862K
41 houses listed in the last 6 months.
42 of the suburb's 1,368 dwellings (3.1%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Buninyong rent for around $460 a week on average, based on 7 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$460/wk
7 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
7 rentals advertised against an estimated 183 rented homes (3.8%) in the last 6 months.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$460/week ($24,000 a year) on a $862,000 median
Based on a small sample (7 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 Buninyong safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Buninyong sits in the moderate band, with 123 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 13% on the prior year.
123 offences
12.8% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20259 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
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 Buninyong, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 567 students in one school (avg 567)
Primary
Walkability
Buninyong is car-dependent on foot — at 40/100, most errands require a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Buninyong.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 34.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 30.3 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 42.8 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 16.4 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Buninyong.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 85%
- Premises covered
- 1,658
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
Ballarat: council population
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
The ABS scores 9 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 6 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Buninyong is home to about 3,800 residents, with a median age of 45, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $91,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.5%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
3,797
Median Age
45
Median Household Income
$90,740/yr
Census Median Rent
$305/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,733/mo
Avg Household Size
2.6
Median Personal Income
$42,536/yr
Unemployment Rate
2.5%
Unoccupied Dwellings
8.5%
Total Dwellings
1,368
Owner-Occupier Rate
86.6%
Houses
96.6%
Rental Stress
17.5%
Mortgage Stress
22.9%
Work From Home
24.1%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 86.4%
- English Spoken at Home
- 94.1%
- Employment Rate
- 58.9%
- Completed Year 12
- 43.9%
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.
20 residents (0.5%) 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.
5.7% of residents (208) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (184).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 3,627 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
4% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (65 of 1,753).
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.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,086 a year through Ballarat based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 68%
- Residential 10%
- Environmental 10%
- Parks and recreation 8%
- Infrastructure and transport 2%
- Other and special use 2%
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: Ballarat
In the year to August 2026, 1,451 new dwellings were approved across Ballarat. That mix is 1,134 houses and 317 units. Approvals are up 41.8% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Registered Aboriginal Party for this area is Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (appointed 2009).
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 Ballarat Aerodrome, 18.0 kmModerate rainfall — warm summers, cold winters with occasional frost.
- Elevation
- 489 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Annual rainfall
- 605 mm
- 97 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 25.7°C
- 6 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 3.5°C
- 17 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.
EV adoption
In postcode 3357, 34 of 3,252 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.6% (85 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.7%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3357, 709 rooftop-solar systems totalling 4.4 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,482 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 40 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 3357 in 2025-26. The most was 29, 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 suburb.
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 $750,000 this is under 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 Catherine King Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Catherine King | 60.7% | 39.3% | -2.3 |
| 2022 | Catherine King | 63.0% | 37.0% | -2.7 |
| 2019 | Catherine King | 61.0% | 39.0% | -3.6 |
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
Currently held by Michaela Settle Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Michaela Settle ALP | 57.2% | 57.2% | 42.8% |
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 Buninyong?
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.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 3,797 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.
Featured in
- #1 in Ballarat suburbs with the biggest house blocks
- #2 in Ballarat suburbs with the highest EV adoption today
- #2 in Ballarat suburbs where the most homes are owned outright
- #3 in Ballarat suburbs with the most rooftop solar
- #4 in Ballarat suburbs with the fastest EV adoption growth
- #4 in Ballarat's most educated suburbs
- #4 in Ballarat's most owner-occupied suburbs
- #5 in Ballarat suburbs where young families live
- #6 in The safest suburbs in Ballarat
- #7 in Ballarat suburbs where seniors live
- #8 in Ballarat's highest-income suburbs
- #12 in Ballarat suburbs with the most parkland nearby
- #12 in Ballarat suburbs with the best public transport
- #13 in The most liveable suburbs in Ballarat
- #13 in Ballarat suburbs with the largest non-religious population
- #15 in Ballarat suburbs that added the most residents, 2016-2021
- #15 in Sportiest Ballarat suburbs
Nearby suburbs
Compare Buninyong 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 Buninyong
Is Buninyong a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Buninyong is moderate (45/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Buninyong?
Buninyong has a high recorded bushfire history (80/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). No mapped flood overlay applies. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Buninyong a good place to live?
Buninyong has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (55/100), 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 Buninyong?
Buninyong, VIC had a population of 3,797 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Buninyong, VIC?
The postcode for Buninyong, VIC is 3357.
How far is Buninyong from Melbourne?
Buninyong is 117 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 88 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Buninyong?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Buninyong was $90,740 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 Buninyong?
The median advertised rent in Buninyong is $460 a week for houses (7 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Buninyong?
The median age of residents in Buninyong was 45 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Buninyong at risk of bushfire?
Buninyong has a high recorded bushfire history (80/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb 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 Buninyong?
There is 1 school inside the Buninyong boundary: 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Buninyong walkable?
Buninyong scores 40/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it 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 Buninyong?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Buninyong, Ballarat Aerodrome (18 km away), summer days average 25.7°C, winter nights 3.5°C, 605 mm of rain a year over 97 rainy days, and 6 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Buninyong?
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 Buninyong belong to?
Buninyong sits within the Ballarat local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Buninyong?
The average residential rates bill through Ballarat is $2,086 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Buninyong?
Across Ballarat, 1,451 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 41.8% 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 Buninyong in?
Buninyong sits within the federal Division of Ballarat, currently held by Catherine King (Australian Labor Party).
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
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- 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.
Was the information on this page useful to you?
Thanks! Anything we could improve?
We hate spam as much as you do — we'll never use your email for marketing, and we might not be able to reply to everyone.
Thanks for your feedback! 🙏
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.