East Bairnsdale VIC 3875
East Bairnsdale sits 286 km from Melbourne CBD in Victoria, around 3 hours 35 minutes by car. Census data records 1,352 residents with a median age of 45 and a median household income of $50,284 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The suburb grew 4.2% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $250 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,088. East Bairnsdale is characterised by high flood risk and high crime risk. Walkability is low.
Is East Bairnsdale a good suburb?
East Bairnsdale scores a D (8/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit, safety, and community.
Car-dependent
Walkability 10/100 · 285.7 km · 213 min drive to Melbourne
Around the state median
Median $385K · Cheaper than 87% of VIC
High crime risk
Fire 30/100 · Crime 91/100 · Flood 96/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 45 · 1,352 residents
Liveability Rating
8 / 100 · Ranked #876 in VICEach bar is East Bairnsdale'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 East Bairnsdale?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
8 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataEast Bairnsdale's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $385,000, roughly 27% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$385,000
26% below its 4 neighbours (median $520,000)
Based on 67 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 41 days — median across 33 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 40 sales $388K
- 4 bed 22 sales $458K
Land
$168,000
Based on 28 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 91 days — median across 11 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in East Bairnsdale are currently listed at around $535,000 on average. Based on 37 houses listed in the past six months.
$535K
37 houses listed in the last 6 months.
37 of the suburb's 517 dwellings (7.2%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in East Bairnsdale rent for around $520 a week on average, based on 21 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$520/wk
21 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
22 rentals advertised against an estimated 194 rented homes (11.3%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025104 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 29% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3875.
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$520/week ($27,000 a year) on a $535,000 median
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 East Bairnsdale safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in East Bairnsdale sits in the high band, with 204 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 21% on the prior year.
204 offences
21.2% 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 suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Schools
Walkability
East Bairnsdale is very car-dependent on foot — at 10/100, 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 East Bairnsdale.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 49%
- Premises covered
- 712
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
East Gippsland: 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 6 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 4 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
East Bairnsdale is home to about 1,400 residents, with a median age of 45, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $50,000 a year, with unemployment at 8.9%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,352
Median Age
45
Median Household Income
$50,284/yr
Census Median Rent
$250/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,088/mo
Avg Household Size
2.2
Median Personal Income
$28,652/yr
Unemployment Rate
8.9%
Unoccupied Dwellings
10.8%
Total Dwellings
517
Owner-Occupier Rate
62.4%
Houses
93.0%
Rental Stress
25.9%
Mortgage Stress
26.0%
Work From Home
10.3%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
67 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 11 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 189 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 75.3%
- English Spoken at Home
- 81.4%
- Employment Rate
- 41.9%
- Completed Year 12
- 25.7%
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.
10 residents (0.7%) 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.
4.2% of residents (53) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (47).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,271 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
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,807 a year through East Gippsland based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Parks and recreation 52%
- Rural and farming 44%
- Residential 3%
- 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: East Gippsland
In the year to August 2026, 386 new dwellings were approved across East Gippsland. That mix is 362 houses and 24 units. Approvals are up 50.0% on the same period a year earlier.
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 Bairnsdale Airport, 9.4 kmModerate rainfall — warm summers, cold winters with occasional frost.
- Elevation
- 7 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 16.3 km
- Annual rainfall
- 620 mm
- 82 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 25.5°C
- 8 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 4.5°C
- 7 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- 2.5 km
- 3.5 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · n-Hexane
- 3.8 km
- 4.9 kmWaste Treatment and Disposal ServicesTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
EV adoption
In postcode 3875, 95 of 19,447 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.5% (298 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.0%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3875, 4,072 rooftop-solar systems totalling 26.8 MW have been installed since 2001, against 8,719 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 258 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.
16 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3875 in 2025-26, rank 59 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 191, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
6 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 3875.
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 $385,000 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 Darren Chester The Nationals
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Darren Chester | 30.6% | 69.4% | +1.2 |
| 2022 | Darren Chester | 29.4% | 70.6% | +3.9 |
| 2019 | Darren Chester | 33.3% | 66.7% | -1.5 |
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 Tim Bull The Nationals
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Tim Bull NP | 63.3% | 26.1% | 73.9% |
| 2018 | Tim Bull NP | 56.7% | 32.4% | 67.6% |
| 2014 | Tim Bull NP | 60.4% | 32.1% | 67.9% |
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 East Bairnsdale?
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 1,352 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 East Bairnsdale 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 East Bairnsdale
Is East Bairnsdale a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in East Bairnsdale is high (91/100, 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 East Bairnsdale?
East Bairnsdale has a low recorded bushfire history (30/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a high share of it (96/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is East Bairnsdale a good place to live?
East Bairnsdale has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (8/100), 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 East Bairnsdale?
East Bairnsdale, VIC had a population of 1,352 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for East Bairnsdale, VIC?
The postcode for East Bairnsdale, VIC is 3875.
How far is East Bairnsdale from Melbourne?
East Bairnsdale is 286 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 213 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in East Bairnsdale?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in East Bairnsdale was $50,284 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 East Bairnsdale?
The median advertised rent in East Bairnsdale is $520 a week for houses (21 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in East Bairnsdale?
The median age of residents in East Bairnsdale was 45 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is East Bairnsdale at risk of bushfire?
East Bairnsdale has a low recorded bushfire history (30/100). 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.
Is East Bairnsdale walkable?
East Bairnsdale scores 10/100 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 East Bairnsdale?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to East Bairnsdale, Bairnsdale Airport (9.4 km away), summer days average 25.5°C, winter nights 4.5°C, 620 mm of rain a year over 82 rainy days, and 8 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in East Bairnsdale?
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 East Bairnsdale belong to?
East Bairnsdale sits within the East Gippsland local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in East Bairnsdale?
The average residential rates bill through East Gippsland is $1,807 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near East Bairnsdale?
Across East Gippsland, 386 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 50.0% 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 East Bairnsdale in?
East Bairnsdale sits within the federal Division of Gippsland, currently held by Darren Chester (The Nationals).
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.
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.