Isabella Plains ACT 2905
Located in Australian Capital Territory, Isabella Plains sits 26 km from Canberra CBD, around 28 minutes by car. The suburb has 4,329 residents, a median age of 36, and a median household income of $110,812 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 40% nationally. Population fell 1.7% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $450 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,880. The area shows high bushfire risk. 2 schools sit within the suburb boundary, and walkability is moderate.
Is Isabella Plains a good suburb?
Isabella Plains scores a D (16/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit and community, weaker on safety.
Mixed results
2 schools
Very walkable
Walkability 61/100 · 25.5 km · 28 min drive to Canberra
Median available
Median $856K
High bushfire risk
Fire 90/100 · Crime 26/100 · Flood 57/100
Advantaged
SEIFA decile 8/10 · median age 36 · 4,329 residents
Liveability Rating
16 / 100 · Ranked #103 in ACTEach bar is Isabella Plains's rank among ACT 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 Isabella Plains?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
16 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataIsabella Plains's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $856,000, about 10% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$856,000
7% below its 7 neighbours (median $917,516)
Based on 90 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 20 days — median across 36 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 58 sales $810K
- 4 bed 24 sales $945K
- 5 bed 7 sales $1.02M
Units
$690,500
Based on 16 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 16 sales $690K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Isabella Plains are currently listed at around $779,000 on average. Based on 25 houses listed in the past six months.
$779K
25 houses listed in the last 6 months.
26 of the suburb's 1,613 dwellings (1.6%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Isabella Plains rent for around $800 a week on average, based on 5 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$800/wk
5 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
5 rentals advertised against an estimated 326 rented homes (1.5%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025131 Acceptable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 23% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2905.
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$800/week ($42,000 a year) on a $779,000 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.
Is Isabella Plains safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Isabella Plains sits in the low band, with 18 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 14% on the prior year.
18 offences
14.3% since 2024Crime Trend
Schools
Two schools serve Isabella Plains, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 2,157 students across 2 schools (avg 1,078)
- • Sectors: 1 Government, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 1052-1068, median 1060 (above the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: St Mary MacKillop College (2,088 students)
Primary
Secondary
Walkability
Isabella Plains is somewhat walkable on foot — at 61/100, a short cluster of errands work on foot but most trips still benefit from a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Isabella Plains.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 52.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 44.7 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 22.2 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 17.5 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 Isabella Plains.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 4%
- Premises covered
- 1,619
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
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 12 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 5 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Isabella Plains is home to about 4,300 residents, with a median age of 36, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $111,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.4%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
4,329
Median Age
36
Median Household Income
$110,812/yr
Census Median Rent
$450/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,880/mo
Avg Household Size
2.6
Median Personal Income
$56,368/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.4%
Unoccupied Dwellings
4.2%
Total Dwellings
1,613
Owner-Occupier Rate
79.8%
Houses
75.1%
Rental Stress
21.1%
Mortgage Stress
20.4%
Work From Home
9.8%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
38 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 5 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 311 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 74.5%
- English Spoken at Home
- 76.9%
- Employment Rate
- 66.5%
- Completed Year 12
- 49.0%
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.
122 residents (2.8%) 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 4,021 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 (331 of 2,276).
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 405 people work here; 2,276 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.2 jobs per working resident. At least 82% 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 $3,105 a year through Unincorporated ACT based on 2026 figures.
Building Approvals: Unincorporated ACT
In the year to August 2026, 3,750 new dwellings were approved across Unincorporated ACT. That mix is 813 houses and 2,937 units. Approvals are down 47.7% on the same period a year earlier.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 7.3 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 9 days exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 11.9 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.32 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 1 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Monash monitoring station, 1.1 km away. ACT Health publishes these readings unverified, so they may still be revised.
Climate & Setting
from Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS, 1.1 kmModerate rainfall — warm summers, frosty winters.
- Elevation
- 596 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Annual rainfall
- 686 mm
- 67 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 28.2°C
- 8 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 0.9°C
- 61 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.
EV adoption
In postcode 2905, 296 of 21,259 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.6% (772 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 5.0%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2905, 5,022 rooftop-solar systems totalling 35.1 MW have been installed since 2001, against 10,736 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 280 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
FY2026-27No First Home Owner Grant is available in this state — the scheme has been replaced with a separate stamp-duty concession.
The Home Buyer Concession Scheme (HBCS) instead provides a stamp-duty reduction of up to ~$34,000 for eligible buyers under the income threshold.
Mortgage repayments
2 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2905.
Conveyance 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 ACT Revenue Office
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 David Smith Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | David Smith | 69.3% | 30.7% | +6.3 |
| 2022 | David Smith | 63.0% | 37.0% | -5.4 |
| 2019 | David Smith | 57.5% | 42.5% | +1.3 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Elected at the 2024 election:
- Mark Parton Canberra Liberals
- Deborah Morris Canberra Liberals
- Caitlin Tough ACT Labor
- Taimus Werner-Gibbings ACT Labor
- Laura Nuttall The ACT Greens
Next election: 21 October 2028.
| Year | Seats won |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 Canberra Liberals · 2 ACT Labor · 1 The ACT Greens |
| 2020 | 2 Australian Labor Party · 2 Canberra Liberals · 1 ACT Greens |
A vacancy here is filled by a recount of the original votes, not a by-election, so a member listed may since have been replaced. Boundaries were last redrawn in 2023. Results: Elections ACT.
Looking at a specific address in Isabella Plains?
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 4,329 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 Highest-yielding Canberra suburbs (houses)
- #7 in Canberra suburbs where the most Malayalam is spoken at home
- #11 in Canberra suburbs where the most Filipino is spoken at home
- #13 in Canberra suburbs with the largest Sikh community
- #14 in Canberra suburbs where the most Punjabi is spoken at home
Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Canberra 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. Canberra suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
Gordon ACT 2906
Calwell ACT 2905
Monash ACT 2904
Greenway ACT 2900
Bonython ACT 2905
Gowrie ACT 2904
Compare Isabella Plains to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other ACT suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Isabella Plains
Is Isabella Plains a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Isabella Plains is low (26/100, ranked against other ACT suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Isabella Plains?
Isabella Plains has a high recorded bushfire history (90/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (57/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Isabella Plains a good place to live?
Isabella Plains has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (16/100), ranked against other ACT 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 Isabella Plains?
Isabella Plains, ACT had a population of 4,329 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Isabella Plains, ACT?
The postcode for Isabella Plains, ACT is 2905.
How far is Isabella Plains from Canberra?
Isabella Plains is 26 km from Canberra CBD by road, about 28 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Isabella Plains?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Isabella Plains was $110,812 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 Isabella Plains?
The median advertised rent in Isabella Plains is $800 a week for houses (5 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Isabella Plains?
The median age of residents in Isabella Plains was 36 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Isabella Plains at risk of bushfire?
Isabella Plains has a high recorded bushfire history (90/100). 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 Isabella Plains?
There are 2 schools inside the Isabella Plains boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Isabella Plains walkable?
Isabella Plains scores 61/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it somewhat 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 Isabella Plains?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Isabella Plains (Monash) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 7.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 11.9 µg/m³. That puts Isabella Plains 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 Isabella Plains?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Isabella Plains, Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS (1.1 km away), summer days average 28.2°C, winter nights 0.9°C, 686 mm of rain a year over 67 rainy days, and 8 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
What first-home buyer assistance is available in Isabella Plains?
ACT does not have a First Home Owner Grant — the scheme was replaced with the Home Buyer Concession Scheme, a stamp-duty reduction for eligible first-home buyers under the income threshold. Confirm eligibility with the ACT Revenue Office before signing a contract.
What council does Isabella Plains belong to?
Isabella Plains sits within the Unincorporated ACT local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Isabella Plains?
The average residential rates bill through Unincorporated ACT is $3,105 a year (2026). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Isabella Plains?
Across Unincorporated ACT, 3,750 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 47.7% 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 Isabella Plains in?
Isabella Plains sits within the federal Division of Bean, currently held by David Smith (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 2026–27
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2024
- 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.