Elsternwick VIC 3185
Located in Victoria, Elsternwick sits 11 km from Melbourne CBD, around 22 minutes by car. The suburb has 10,887 residents, a median age of 38, and a median household income of $114,868 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 20% nationally. Population grew 5.2% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $441 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,400. The area shows high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. Of 7 schools within the suburb boundary, 3 rank above the state average, and walkability is high.
Is Elsternwick a good suburb?
Elsternwick scores a A+ (86/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on schools, transit, and community, weaker on prices.
Above the state average
7 schools · 3 above peer schools · Top 19% in VIC
Walkable and central
Walkability 92/100 · 10.7 km · 22 min drive to Melbourne
Above the state median
Median $2M · Less affordable than 97% of VIC
Moderate crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 69/100 · Flood 32/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 10/10 · median age 38 · 10,887 residents
Liveability Rating
86 / 100 · Ranked #19 in VICEach bar is Elsternwick's rank among VIC suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
How do you rate the liveability in Elsternwick?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
86 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median Unit Price
Public listings dataElsternwick's unit market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $622,000, about 4% above where it sat a year earlier.
Units
$621,500
In line with its 8 neighbours (median $621,750)
Based on 168 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 20 days — median across 78 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 41 sales $385K
- 2 bed 100 sales $644K
- 3 bed 25 sales $1.24M
Houses
$2,000,000
4% above its 8 neighbours (median $1,921,500)
Based on 91 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 25 days — median across 43 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 6 sales $1.12M
- 3 bed 46 sales $1.79M
- 4 bed 27 sales $2.4M
- 5 bed 9 sales $2.95M
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Elsternwick are currently listed at around $2.2 million on average. Based on 41 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$2.2M
41 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$702K
66 units listed in the last 6 months.
107 of the suburb's 4,534 dwellings (2.4%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Elsternwick rent for around $1,000 a week on average, based on 20 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$1,000/wk
25% below its 6 neighbours (median $1,325/wk)
20 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$642/wk
In line with its 7 neighbours (median $635/wk)
58 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
78 rentals advertised against an estimated 1,795 rented homes (4.3%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025112 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 27% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3185.
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$1,000/week ($52,000 a year) on a $2.2 million median
$642/week ($33,000 a year) on a $702,000 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.
Short-Stay Rentals
30 active Airbnb listings: 28 whole homes and 2 rooms. Whole homes are about 0.5% of the suburb's homes.
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 Elsternwick safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Elsternwick sits in the moderate band, with 661 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 15% on the prior year.
661 offences
15.1% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202543 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
Seven schools serve Elsternwick, and results are mixed — some outperforming peer-suburb schools, some below. Adass Israel School and Sholem Aleichem College lead the pack.
- • 1,384 students across 4 schools (avg 346)
- • Sectors: 6 Independent, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 932-1168, median 1144 (well above the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Leibler Yavneh College (559 students)
Primary
Combined
Universities nearby
- 3.1 kmMonash CaulfieldMonash University · 198 courses
- 7.1 kmHawthorn Campus John Street Hawthorn Swinburne UniversitySwinburne University of Technology · 402 courses
- 7.4 kmMelbourne C.Q.U CampusCentral Queensland University · 59 courses
3.1% of residents here are full-time university students aged 15–24.
Distance is measured to the suburb centre. A campus nearby does not by itself mean a student rental market — most suburbs within a few kilometres of one have a student share close to the national norm, and the figure above is what tells them apart.
Walkability
Elsternwick is exceptionally walkable on foot — at 92/100, daily errands don't require a car at all. Within the suburb there are 2 supermarkets, 3 parks and 19 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Elsternwick.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 221.8 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 193.6 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 136.2 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 19.5 hours
- Direct to CBD (peak)
- 8 min wait
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 Elsternwick.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 4%
- Premises covered
- 5,640
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
Glen Eira: 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 27 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.
Elsternwick is home to about 10,900 residents, with a median age of 38, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $115,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.5%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
10,887
Median Age
38
Median Household Income
$114,868/yr
Census Median Rent
$441/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,400/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$62,712/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.5%
Unoccupied Dwellings
12.8%
Total Dwellings
4,534
Owner-Occupier Rate
60.4%
Houses
38.2%
Rental Stress
20.0%
Mortgage Stress
25.1%
Work From Home
51.5%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
22 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 16 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 1,747 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 67.3%
- English Spoken at Home
- 76.9%
- Employment Rate
- 67%
- Completed Year 12
- 65.1%
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.
624 residents (5.7%) 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.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 10,327 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
29% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (1,732 of 6,051).
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 suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 4,580 people work here; 6,051 employed residents live here.
Roughly as many jobs as working residents (0.8 per resident). At least 22% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
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 $1,577 a year through Glen Eira based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 87%
- Commercial 7%
- Infrastructure and transport 5%
- Parks and recreation 1%
Rezoned since Oct 2025
- Neighbourhood Residential Zone → Housing Choice and Transport Zone · GC285, Jul 2026 146.3 ha
- Residential Growth Zone → Housing Choice and Transport Zone · GC285, Jul 2026 24.2 ha
- General Residential Zone → Housing Choice and Transport Zone · GC285, Jul 2026 5.0 ha
- Residential Growth Zone → Mixed Use Zone · GC285, Jul 2026 1.7 ha
and 4 smaller changes
Proposed rezonings
- Housing Choice and Transport Zone → Residential Growth Zone · C256glen, exhibited Feb 2025 2.6 ha
and 1 smaller change
Land in this suburb 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 suburb around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Glen Eira
In the year to August 2026, 617 new dwellings were approved across Glen Eira. That mix is 221 houses and 396 units. Approvals are down 68.9% on the same period a year earlier.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this suburb: 459 homes
- Apartment and townhouse projects under construction 19 homes
- Projects firmly planned 267 homes
- Projects likely to go ahead 148 homes
- Projects possible in the longer term 25 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 7.6 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.
From the Brighton monitoring station, 3.2 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Moorabbin Airport, 13.1 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 30 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 2.0 km
- 3.0 km to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 644 mm
- 94 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 26.0°C
- 10 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 6.9°C
- 2 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
8 facilities within 5 km- 0.9 kmHospitals (Except Psychiatric Hospitals)Top reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5)
- 2.0 km
- 3.0 km
- 3.4 kmHigher EducationTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5)
- 3.5 kmHospitals (Except Psychiatric Hospitals)Top reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
EV adoption
In postcode 3185, 245 of 9,254 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 5.2% (482 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 7.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3185, 831 rooftop-solar systems totalling 5.3 MW have been installed since 2001, against 6,425 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 74 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 3185 in 2025-26. The most was 109, in 2007-08.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
10 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 11 across postcode 3185.
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 $621,500 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 2026-10-26 — 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 Tim Wilson Liberal
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Tim Wilson | 46.0% | 54.0% | -0.2 |
| 2022 | Zoe Daniel | 45.2% | 54.8% | -3.0 |
| 2019 | Tim Wilson | 42.2% | 57.8% | -4.9 |
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 David Southwick Liberal
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | David Southwick LP | 52.1% | 47.9% | 52.1% |
| 2018 | David Southwick LP | 50.3% | 49.7% | 50.3% |
| 2014 | David Southwick LP | 51.7% | 45.1% | 54.9% |
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 Elsternwick?
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 10,887 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
- #5 in Melbourne suburbs with the largest Jewish community
- #11 in Best Melbourne suburbs for good private high schools
- #11 in Where the South African community lives in Melbourne
- #12 in Best Melbourne suburbs for good private primary schools
- #13 in Melbourne suburbs with the highest EV adoption today
Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Melbourne There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Melbourne suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
Brighton VIC 3186
Caulfield North VIC 3161
Elwood VIC 3184
St Kilda East VIC 3183
Caulfield South VIC 3162
Caulfield VIC 3162
Compare Elsternwick 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 Elsternwick
Is Elsternwick a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Elsternwick is moderate (69/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Elsternwick?
Elsternwick has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a low share of it (32/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Elsternwick a good place to live?
Elsternwick has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of A+ (86/100), 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 Elsternwick?
Elsternwick, VIC had a population of 10,887 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Elsternwick, VIC?
The postcode for Elsternwick, VIC is 3185.
How far is Elsternwick from Melbourne?
Elsternwick is 11 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 22 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Elsternwick?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Elsternwick was $114,868 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 Elsternwick?
The median advertised rent in Elsternwick is $1,000 a week for houses (20 listings) and $642 a week for units (58 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Elsternwick?
The median age of residents in Elsternwick was 38 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Elsternwick?
There are 7 schools inside the Elsternwick boundary: 3 above and 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Elsternwick walkable?
Elsternwick scores 92/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it exceptionally walkable. 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 Elsternwick?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Elsternwick (Brighton) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 7.6 µg/m³. That puts Elsternwick 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 Elsternwick?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Elsternwick, Moorabbin Airport (13.1 km away), summer days average 26°C, winter nights 6.9°C, 644 mm of rain a year over 94 rainy days, and 10 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Elsternwick?
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 Elsternwick belong to?
Elsternwick sits within the Glen Eira local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Elsternwick?
The average residential rates bill through Glen Eira is $1,577 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Elsternwick?
Across Glen Eira, 617 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 68.9% 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 Elsternwick in?
Elsternwick sits within the federal Division of Goldstein, currently held by Tim Wilson (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
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- 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.