Cardinia VIC 3978
Cardinia sits 63 km from Melbourne CBD in Victoria, around 54 minutes by car. Census data records 342 residents with a median age of 44 and a median household income of $97,500 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the middle range nationally. Population fell 9.0% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $390 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,950. The area shows high flood risk and high crime risk. 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 342. 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 Cardinia?
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Our score
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Rental Market
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025114 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 26% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3978.
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.
Short-Stay Rentals
No active Airbnb listings.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Is Cardinia safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Cardinia sits in the high band, with 43 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 23% on the prior year.
43 offences
22.9% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20257 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 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 Cardinia, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 189 students in one school (avg 189)
Primary
Walkability
Cardinia is very car-dependent on foot — at 20/100, nearly all errands require a car.
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 Cardinia.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 150
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
Cardinia: 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
Cardinia is home to 342 residents, with a median age of 44, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $98,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
342
Median Age
44
Median Household Income
$97,500/yr
Census Median Rent
$390/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,950/mo
Avg Household Size
2.9
Median Personal Income
$36,036/yr
Unemployment Rate
5.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
5.3%
Total Dwellings
113
Owner-Occupier Rate
89.6%
Houses
100.0%
Rental Stress
20.8%
Mortgage Stress
24.0%
Work From Home
29.7%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 82.7%
- English Spoken at Home
- 87.4%
- Employment Rate
- 64.2%
- Completed Year 12
- 29.8%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
2% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (4 of 191).
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 $1,880 a year through Cardinia based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 89%
- Other and special use 8%
- Infrastructure and transport 2%
- Zones under 1% 1%
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: Cardinia
In the year to August 2026, 1,323 new dwellings were approved across Cardinia. That mix is 1,196 houses and 127 units. Approvals are up 12.8% on the same period a year earlier.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this suburb: 1,128 homes
- Land set aside, awaiting a precinct structure plan 1,128 homes
From the Victorian Government's Urban Development Program: growth-area land and approved lots (metropolitan 2025, regional June 2024) and projects of 10 or more homes in Melbourne (2025), by stage. Lots and homes are counted as published; a lot usually becomes one home.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Registered Aboriginal Party for this area is Bunurong Land Council 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.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 6.3 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 20.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.98 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 3 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Dandenong monitoring station, 26.0 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Dandenong, 25.1 kmModerate rainfall.
- Elevation
- 5 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 8.2 km
- Annual rainfall
- 781 mm
- 105 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
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 3978, 698 of 42,890 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 6.4% (2,759 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 8.1%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3978, 12,260 rooftop-solar systems totalling 85.7 MW have been installed since 2001, against 13,431 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 2,019 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.
776 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3978 in 2025-26, rank 3 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 1,163, in 2020-21.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Jason Wood Liberal
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Jason Wood | 47.9% | 52.1% | +6.4 |
| 2022 | Jason Wood | 41.3% | 58.7% | +3.6 |
| 2019 | Jason Wood | 45.5% | 54.5% | +1.3 |
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 Jordan Crugnale Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Jordan Crugnale ALP | 50.2% | 50.2% | 49.8% |
| 2018 | Jordan Crugnale ALP | 52.4% | 52.4% | 47.6% |
| 2014 | Brian Paynter LP | 54.5% | 45.5% | 54.5% |
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 Cardinia?
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 342 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
Clyde North VIC 3978
Clyde VIC 3978
Koo Wee Rup VIC 3981
Tooradin VIC 3980
Officer South VIC 3809
Pakenham South VIC 3810
Compare Cardinia 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 Cardinia
Is Cardinia a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Cardinia is high (84/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Cardinia?
Cardinia has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a high share of it (98/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Cardinia?
Cardinia, VIC had a population of 342 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Cardinia, VIC?
The postcode for Cardinia, VIC is 3978.
How far is Cardinia from Melbourne?
Cardinia is 63 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 54 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Cardinia?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Cardinia was $97,500 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 Cardinia?
There are too few current rental listings in Cardinia for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $390, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Cardinia?
The median age of residents in Cardinia was 44 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Cardinia?
There is 1 school inside the Cardinia boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Cardinia walkable?
Cardinia scores 20/100 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 air quality in Cardinia?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Cardinia (Dandenong) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 20.8 µg/m³. That puts Cardinia below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Cardinia?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Cardinia, Dandenong (25.1 km away), 781 mm of rain a year over 105 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Cardinia?
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 Cardinia belong to?
Cardinia sits within the Cardinia local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Cardinia?
The average residential rates bill through Cardinia is $1,880 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Cardinia?
Across Cardinia, 1,323 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 12.8% 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 Cardinia in?
Cardinia sits within the federal Division of La Trobe, currently held by Jason Wood (Liberal).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2026
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- 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.