Harkaway is a suburb in Victoria, 47 km from Melbourne CBD, around 50 minutes by car. Population is 1,011; the median age is 40 and the median household income is $145,860 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 20% nationally. The suburb grew 19.1% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $375 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,307. Harkaway is characterised by high bushfire risk. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Harkaway a good suburb?
Harkaway scores a B (56/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on community, weaker on transit and safety.
Mixed results
1 school
Car-dependent
Walkability 13/100 · 46.9 km · 50 min drive to Melbourne
Median available
Median $1.32M
High bushfire risk
Fire 77/100 · Crime 34/100 · Flood 35/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 10/10 · median age 40 · 1,011 residents
Liveability Rating
56 / 100 · Ranked #329 in VICEach bar is Harkaway'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 Harkaway?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
56 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataHarkaway's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $1.32 million, roughly 19% above where it sat a year earlier.
$1,322,500
45% above its 3 neighbours (median $910,000)
Based on 18 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 70 days — median across 4 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 9 sales $1.12M
- 5 bed 5 sales $2.85M
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Harkaway rent for around $2,000 a week on average, based on 3 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$2,000/wk
3 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025111 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 27% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3806.
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
2 active Airbnb listings: 2 whole homes and 0 rooms. Whole homes are about 0.6% 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 Harkaway safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Harkaway sits in the low band, with 25 incidents recorded in 2026 — up about 4% on the prior year.
25 offences
4.2% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20258 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
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 Harkaway, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 106 students in one school (avg 106)
Primary
Universities nearby
2.9% 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
Harkaway is very car-dependent on foot — at 13/100, 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 Harkaway.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 7%
- Premises covered
- 269
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
Casey: 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
Harkaway is home to about 1,000 residents, with a median age of 40, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $146,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.4%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,011
Median Age
40
Median Household Income
$145,860/yr
Census Median Rent
$375/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,307/mo
Avg Household Size
3.2
Median Personal Income
$53,352/yr
Unemployment Rate
2.4%
Unoccupied Dwellings
7.5%
Total Dwellings
293
Owner-Occupier Rate
93.7%
Houses
100.3%
Rental Stress
13.4%
Mortgage Stress
19.0%
Work From Home
29.3%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 79.5%
- English Spoken at Home
- 86.9%
- Employment Rate
- 66.5%
- Completed Year 12
- 45.6%
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.
7 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.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
5% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (28 of 528).
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 $1,767 a year through Casey based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 93%
- Residential 4%
- Infrastructure and transport 2%
- Parks and recreation 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: Casey
In the year to August 2026, 3,412 new dwellings were approved across Casey. That mix is 2,854 houses and 558 units. Approvals are down 14.8% on the same period a year earlier.
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, 14.2 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Dandenong, 12.0 kmModerate rainfall.
- Elevation
- 199 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 22.6 km
- Near high-voltage lines
- 2.9% of addresses
- 12 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- 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 3806, 729 of 41,272 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.5% (1,455 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 5.3%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3806, 8,850 rooftop-solar systems totalling 55.1 MW have been installed since 2001, against 17,782 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 847 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.
84 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3806 in 2025-26, rank 18 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 641, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
1 mortgage broker is registered in this suburb, 71 across postcode 3806.
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 $1,322,500 this is $572,500 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 Julian Hill Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Julian Hill | 64.6% | 35.4% | +9.3 |
| 2022 | Julian Hill | 56.6% | 43.4% | +0.7 |
| 2019 | Julian Hill | 64.2% | 35.9% | -0.1 |
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 Brad Battin Liberal
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Brad Battin LP | 50.1% | 45.3% | 54.7% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.
Looking at a specific address in Harkaway?
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 1,011 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.
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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
Compare Harkaway 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 Harkaway
Is Harkaway a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Harkaway is low (34/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Harkaway?
Harkaway has a high recorded bushfire history (77/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a low share of it (35/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Harkaway a good place to live?
Harkaway has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (56/100), 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 Harkaway?
Harkaway, VIC had a population of 1,011 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Harkaway, VIC?
The postcode for Harkaway, VIC is 3806.
How far is Harkaway from Melbourne?
Harkaway is 47 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 50 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Harkaway?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Harkaway was $145,860 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 Harkaway?
The median advertised rent in Harkaway is $2,000 a week for houses (3 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Harkaway?
The median age of residents in Harkaway was 40 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Harkaway at risk of bushfire?
Harkaway has a high recorded bushfire history (77/100). 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.
How are the schools in Harkaway?
There is 1 school inside the Harkaway boundary: 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Harkaway walkable?
Harkaway scores 13/100 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 Harkaway?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Harkaway (Dandenong) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 20.8 µg/m³. That puts Harkaway 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 Harkaway?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Harkaway, Dandenong (12 km away), 781 mm of rain a year over 105 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Harkaway?
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 Harkaway belong to?
Harkaway sits within the Casey local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Harkaway?
The average residential rates bill through Casey is $1,767 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Harkaway?
Across Casey, 3,412 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 14.8% 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 Harkaway in?
Harkaway sits within the federal Division of Bruce, currently held by Julian Hill (Australian Labor Party).
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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
- 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.
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