Located in Victoria, Garfield sits 80 km from Melbourne CBD, around 1 hour 5 minutes by car. The town has 2,114 residents, a median age of 39, and a median household income of $87,204 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the middle range nationally. Population grew 18.4% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $330 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,800. The area shows high flood risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. 1 school sits within the town boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Garfield a good town?
Garfield scores a C (40/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit and safety.
Mixed results
1 school
Car-dependent
Walkability 18/100 · 79.7 km · 66 min drive to Melbourne
Around the state median
Median $750K
High flood risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 52/100 · Flood 91/100
Mid-range socio-economic
SEIFA decile 5/10 · median age 39 · 2,114 residents
Liveability Rating
40 / 100 · Ranked #573 in VICEach bar is Garfield'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 Garfield?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
40 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataGarfield's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $750,000, about 5% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$750,500
Based on 44 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 52 days — median across 24 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 26 sales $680K
- 4 bed 12 sales $838K
Units
$535,000
Based on 12 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 42 days — median across 6 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 5 sales $458K
- 3 bed 7 sales $600K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Garfield are currently listed at around $1.05 million on average. Based on 16 houses listed in the past six months.
$1.05M
16 houses listed in the last 6 months.
18 of the suburb's 706 dwellings (2.5%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Short-Stay Rentals
2 active Airbnb listings: 2 whole homes and 0 rooms. Whole homes are about 0.3% of the town'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 Garfield safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Garfield sits in the moderate band, with 75 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 36% on the prior year.
75 offences
36.4% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202519 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 2 of them fatal
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the town 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 Garfield, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 130 students in one school (avg 130)
Primary
Walkability
Garfield is very car-dependent on foot — at 18/100, nearly all errands require a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Garfield.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 4.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 3.0 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 2.8 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 17 min
- Span of service
- 19.8 hours
- Direct to CBD (peak)
- 40 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 Garfield.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 43%
- Premises covered
- 874
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 town alone — this town's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 6 small areas inside this town and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 3 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the town closely.
Garfield is home to about 2,100 residents, with a median age of 39, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $87,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
2,114
Median Age
39
Median Household Income
$87,204/yr
Census Median Rent
$330/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,800/mo
Avg Household Size
2.8
Median Personal Income
$38,636/yr
Unemployment Rate
4.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
7.4%
Total Dwellings
706
Owner-Occupier Rate
88.3%
Houses
94.6%
Rental Stress
19.7%
Mortgage Stress
24.8%
Work From Home
18.8%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 82.6%
- English Spoken at Home
- 90.4%
- Employment Rate
- 61.2%
- Completed Year 12
- 32.9%
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.
19 residents (0.9%) 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 1,995 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
3% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (30 of 1,020).
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 83%
- Other and special use 7%
- Residential 6%
- Infrastructure and transport 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 town 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 town: 27 homes
- Apartment and townhouse projects under construction 27 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.
Climate & Setting
from Powelltown Dnre, 27.3 kmHigh rainfall.
- Elevation
- 27 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 21.8 km
- Annual rainfall
- 1,350 mm
- 96 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
Elevation is the ground at the town 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 3814, 12 of 2,386 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.0% (25 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.6%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3814, 430 rooftop-solar systems totalling 3.1 MW have been installed since 2001, against 928 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 25 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 3814 in 2025-26, rank 213 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 15, in 2017-18.
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 $750,500 this is $500 above 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 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 town's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Wayne Farnham Liberal
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022* | Wayne Farnham LP | 51.7% | — | — |
| 2018 | Gary Blackwood LP | 51.7% | 42.7% | 57.3% |
| 2014 | Gary Blackwood LP | 55.2% | 38.7% | 61.3% |
* The 2022 poll here was replaced by a supplementary election on 28 January 2023; its result is shown.
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this town's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.
Looking at a specific address in Garfield?
Every figure above is a town 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 2,114 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 Garfield 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 Garfield
Is Garfield a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Garfield is moderate (52/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Garfield?
Garfield has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a high share of it (91/100). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Garfield a good place to live?
Garfield has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (40/100), 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 Garfield?
Garfield, VIC had a population of 2,114 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Garfield, VIC?
The postcode for Garfield, VIC is 3814.
How far is Garfield from Melbourne?
Garfield is 80 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 66 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Garfield?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Garfield was $87,204 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 Garfield?
There are too few current rental listings in Garfield for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $330, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Garfield?
The median age of residents in Garfield was 39 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Garfield?
There is 1 school inside the Garfield boundary: 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Garfield walkable?
Garfield scores 18/100 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 Garfield?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Garfield, Powelltown Dnre (27.3 km away), 1,350 mm of rain a year over 96 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Garfield?
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 Garfield belong to?
Garfield sits within the Cardinia local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Garfield?
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 Garfield?
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 Garfield in?
Garfield sits within the federal Division of La Trobe, currently held by Jason Wood (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
- 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.
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