Hillside sits 28 km from Melbourne CBD in Victoria, around 33 minutes by car. Census data records 17,331 residents with a median age of 36 and a median household income of $113,880 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 40% nationally. The suburb grew 1.6% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $380 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,900. Hillside is characterised by high flood risk and high bushfire risk. Of 3 schools within the suburb boundary, 2 rank above the state average, and walkability is high.
Is Hillside a good suburb?
Hillside scores a B (60/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on schools, transit, and community.
Above the state average
3 schools · 2 above peer schools · Top 7% in VIC
Very walkable
Walkability 77/100 · 28.1 km · 33 min drive to Melbourne
Median available
Median $825K
Moderate bushfire risk
Fire 61/100 · Crime 36/100 · Flood 70/100
Advantaged
SEIFA decile 7/10 · median age 36 · 17,331 residents
Liveability Rating
60 / 100 · Ranked #280 in VICEach bar is Hillside's rank among VIC suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
How do you rate the liveability in Hillside?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
60 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataHillside's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $825,000, about 4% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$825,000
12% above its 4 neighbours (median $737,500)
Based on 236 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 26 days — median across 128 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 92 sales $738K
- 4 bed 104 sales $885K
- 5 bed 29 sales $1.05M
Units
$600,000
Based on 29 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 24 days — median across 19 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 8 sales $509K
- 3 bed 20 sales $615K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Hillside are currently listed at around $832,000 on average. Based on 88 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$832K
88 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$548K
12 units listed in the last 6 months.
100 of the suburb's 5,346 dwellings (1.9%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Hillside rent for around $550 a week on average, based on 35 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$550/wk
6% above its 4 neighbours (median $520/wk)
35 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$500/wk
5 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
40 rentals advertised against an estimated 802 rented homes (5.0%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025133 Acceptable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 23% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3037.
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$550/week ($29,000 a year) on a $832,000 median
$500/week ($26,000 a year) on a $548,000 median
Based on a small sample (5 listings) — indicative only.
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
6 active Airbnb listings: 4 whole homes and 2 rooms. Whole homes are about 0.1% 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 Hillside safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Hillside sits in the low band, with 454 incidents recorded in 2026 — up about 2% on the prior year.
454 offences
2.0% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202531 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.
Aircraft Noise
ANEF Contour Details
Noticeable aircraft noise
Schools
Three schools serve Hillside, and results are mixed — some outperforming peer-suburb schools, some below. Cana Catholic Primary School and Sydenham - Hillside Primary School-Hillside Campus lead the pack.
- • 1,003 students across 2 schools (avg 502)
- • Sectors: 2 Government, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 1012-1039, median 1014 (around the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Cana Catholic Primary School (508 students)
Primary
Walkability
Hillside is very walkable on foot — at 77/100, most daily errands can be done on foot. Within the suburb there are 2 supermarkets, 25 parks and 4 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Hillside.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 134.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 108.6 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 93.8 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 18.0 hours
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 Hillside.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 56%
- Premises covered
- 5,864
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
Melton: 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 40 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 7 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Hillside is home to about 17,300 residents, with a median age of 36, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $114,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.4%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
17,331
Median Age
36
Median Household Income
$113,880/yr
Census Median Rent
$380/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,900/mo
Avg Household Size
3.2
Median Personal Income
$41,860/yr
Unemployment Rate
5.4%
Unoccupied Dwellings
3.4%
Total Dwellings
5,346
Owner-Occupier Rate
85.0%
Houses
88.0%
Rental Stress
17.4%
Mortgage Stress
20.0%
Work From Home
24.1%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 66.7%
- English Spoken at Home
- 61.5%
- Employment Rate
- 65.7%
- Completed Year 12
- 48.5%
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.
466 residents (2.7%) 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 16,414 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
15% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (1,356 of 9,171).
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 1,817 people work here; 9,171 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.2 jobs per working resident. At least 78% 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 $1,779 a year through Melton based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 84%
- Rural and farming 9%
- Infrastructure and transport 5%
- 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: Melton
In the year to August 2026, 4,602 new dwellings were approved across Melton. That mix is 3,953 houses and 649 units. Approvals are up 5.1% on the same period a year earlier.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this suburb: 29 homes
- Land zoned for housing, not yet subdivided 29 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 Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation (appointed 2008).
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
CLEANPM2.5 averaged 4.4 µg/m³ in 2025 — below the WHO 2021 annual guideline (5 µg/m³).
Days over the limit in 2025: ozone 0.
From the Melton monitoring station, 15.5 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Melbourne Airport, 8.5 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 135 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 21.4 km
- Near high-voltage lines
- 1.1% of addresses
- 68 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 518 mm
- 81 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 26.7°C
- 12 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 6.0°C
- 1 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
2 facilities within 5 km- 2.1 km
- 4.1 km
EV adoption
In postcode 3037, 286 of 36,158 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.0% (1,088 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.8%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3037, 6,363 rooftop-solar systems totalling 36.6 MW have been installed since 2001, against 16,375 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 307 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.
11 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3037 in 2025-26, rank 82 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 649, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
11 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 28 across postcode 3037.
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 $825,000 this is $75,000 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 2026-10-26 — 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 Sam Rae Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Sam Rae | 57.6% | 42.4% | +0.0 |
| 2022 | Sam Rae | 57.6% | 42.4% | +2.6 |
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 Natalie Hutchins Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Natalie Hutchins ALP | 51.9% | 58.7% | 41.3% |
| 2018 | Natalie Hutchins ALP | 60.9% | 67.9% | 32.1% |
| 2014 | Natalie Hutchins ALP | 57.4% | 66.3% | 33.7% |
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 Hillside?
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 17,331 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 Hillside 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 Hillside
Is Hillside a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Hillside is low (36/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Hillside?
Hillside has a moderate recorded bushfire history (61/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a high share of it (70/100). Part of it sits inside an aircraft noise contour. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Hillside a good place to live?
Hillside has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (60/100), 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 Hillside?
Hillside, VIC had a population of 17,331 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Hillside, VIC?
The postcode for Hillside, VIC is 3037.
How far is Hillside from Melbourne?
Hillside is 28 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 33 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Hillside?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Hillside was $113,880 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 Hillside?
The median advertised rent in Hillside is $550 a week for houses (35 listings) and $500 a week for units (5 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Hillside?
The median age of residents in Hillside was 36 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Hillside at risk of bushfire?
Hillside has a moderate recorded bushfire history (61/100). 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 Hillside?
There are 3 schools inside the Hillside boundary: 2 above and 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Hillside walkable?
Hillside scores 77/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very 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 Hillside?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Hillside (Melton) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 4.4 µg/m³. That puts Hillside below the WHO annual guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Hillside?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Hillside, Melbourne Airport (8.5 km away), summer days average 26.7°C, winter nights 6°C, 518 mm of rain a year over 81 rainy days, and 12 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Hillside?
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 Hillside belong to?
Hillside sits within the Melton local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Hillside?
The average residential rates bill through Melton is $1,779 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Hillside?
Across Melton, 4,602 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 5.1% 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 Hillside in?
Hillside sits within the federal Division of Hawke, currently held by Sam Rae (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
- 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.