Dumbalk VIC 3956
Dumbalk sits 154 km from Melbourne CBD in Victoria, around 2 hours by car. Census data records 455 residents with a median age of 48 and a median household income of $57,616 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The locality grew 10.2% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $268 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,278. Dumbalk is characterised by no recorded bushfire exposure. Walkability is low.
This locality is too small to rate.
The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 455. 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 Dumbalk?
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Our score
Not enough data to score this locality.
Residents say
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Median House Price
Public listings dataDumbalk's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $488,000, roughly 36% above where it sat a year earlier. That said, only eight sales settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level.
Houses
$487,500
Based on only 8 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Land
$325,000
Based on only 3 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Is Dumbalk safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Dumbalk sits in the moderate band, with 12 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 29% on the prior year.
12 offences
29.4% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20252 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the locality carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Schools
Walkability
Dumbalk is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, 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 Dumbalk.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 213
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
South Gippsland: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Dumbalk is home to 455 residents, with a median age of 48, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $58,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.2%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
455
Median Age
48
Median Household Income
$57,616/yr
Census Median Rent
$268/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,278/mo
Avg Household Size
2.2
Median Personal Income
$33,020/yr
Unemployment Rate
5.2%
Unoccupied Dwellings
7.7%
Total Dwellings
182
Owner-Occupier Rate
90.3%
Houses
99.5%
Rental Stress
24.2%
Mortgage Stress
26.6%
Work From Home
25.6%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 77.8%
- English Spoken at Home
- 87.3%
- Employment Rate
- 53.5%
- Completed Year 12
- 29.7%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,282 a year through South Gippsland based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 97%
- Parks and recreation 2%
- Infrastructure and transport 1%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the locality around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: South Gippsland
In the year to August 2026, 170 new dwellings were approved across South Gippsland. That mix is 154 houses and 16 units. Approvals are up 21.1% 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 Wonthaggi, 45.2 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 53 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 21.3 km
- Annual rainfall
- 906 mm
- 119 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 24.6°C
- 6 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 6.9°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the locality 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 3956, 21 of 3,253 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.8% (57 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.4%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3956, 1,056 rooftop-solar systems totalling 6.6 MW have been installed since 2001, against 2,975 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 57 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.
1 first-home grant was paid in postcode 3956 in 2025-26, rank 213 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 24, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
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 $487,500 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 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 locality's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Danny O'Brien The Nationals
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Danny O'Brien NP | 53.3% | 34.8% | 65.2% |
| 2018 | Danny O'Brien NP | 61.9% | 34.7% | 65.3% |
| 2014 | Peter Ryan NP | 57.3% | 34.3% | 65.7% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.
Looking at a specific address in Dumbalk?
Every figure above is a locality 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 455 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 Dumbalk to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other VIC suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Dumbalk
Is Dumbalk a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Dumbalk is moderate (41/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Dumbalk?
Dumbalk has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a low share of it (28/100). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Dumbalk?
Dumbalk, VIC had a population of 455 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Dumbalk, VIC?
The postcode for Dumbalk, VIC is 3956.
How far is Dumbalk from Melbourne?
Dumbalk is 154 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 122 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Dumbalk?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Dumbalk was $57,616 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 Dumbalk?
There are too few current rental listings in Dumbalk for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $268, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Dumbalk?
The median age of residents in Dumbalk was 48 at the 2021 ABS Census.
What is the weather like in Dumbalk?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Dumbalk, Wonthaggi (45.2 km away), summer days average 24.6°C, winter nights 6.9°C, 906 mm of rain a year over 119 rainy days, and 6 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Dumbalk?
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 Dumbalk belong to?
Dumbalk sits within the South Gippsland local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Dumbalk?
The average residential rates bill through South Gippsland is $2,282 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Dumbalk?
Across South Gippsland, 170 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 21.1% 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 Dumbalk in?
Dumbalk sits within the federal Division of Monash, currently held by Mary Aldred (Liberal).
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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.