Located in Victoria, Koo Wee Rup sits 72 km from Melbourne CBD, around 1 hour by car. The suburb has 4,047 residents, a median age of 34, and a median household income of $92,664 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the lower-middle tier nationally. Population grew 13.1% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $320 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,811. The area shows high flood risk and high crime risk. 3 schools sit within the suburb boundary, and walkability is moderate.
Is Koo Wee Rup a good suburb?
Koo Wee Rup scores a D (25/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on schools and safety.
Below the state average
3 schools · Bottom 10% in VIC
Some car dependence
Walkability 45/100 · 71.9 km · 60 min drive to Melbourne
Around the state median
Median $725K
High crime risk
Fire 15/100 · Crime 72/100 · Flood 99/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 3/10 · median age 34 · 4,047 residents
Liveability Rating
25 / 100 · Ranked #780 in VICEach bar is Koo Wee Rup's rank among VIC suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
How do you rate the liveability in Koo Wee Rup?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
25 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataKoo Wee Rup's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $725,000, about 6% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$725,000
Based on 107 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 43 days — median across 62 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 41 sales $656K
- 4 bed 52 sales $760K
- 5 bed 5 sales $822K
- 6 bed 5 sales $850K
Units
$502,500
Based on 10 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 66 days — median across 4 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 7 sales $484K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Koo Wee Rup are currently listed at around $788,000 on average. Based on 41 houses listed in the past six months.
$788K
41 houses listed in the last 6 months.
42 of the suburb's 1,389 dwellings (3.0%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Koo Wee Rup rent for around $660 a week on average, based on 7 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$660/wk
7 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
9 rentals advertised against an estimated 258 rented homes (3.5%) in the last 6 months.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$660/week ($34,000 a year) on a $788,000 median
Based on a small sample (7 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
3 active Airbnb listings: 1 whole home 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 Koo Wee Rup safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Koo Wee Rup sits in the high band, with 258 incidents recorded in 2026 — down about 2% on the prior year.
258 offences
1.5% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202539 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 4 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.
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1992–2025Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 4.8 km
- Rate
- -0.52 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -30.4 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
Three schools serve Koo Wee Rup, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 1,363 students across 3 schools (avg 454)
- • Sectors: 2 Government, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 964-1013, median 972 (below the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Koo Wee Rup Secondary College (846 students)
Primary
Secondary
Walkability
Koo Wee Rup is car-dependent on foot — at 45/100, most 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.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Koo Wee Rup.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 4.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 3.0 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 1.4 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 3 min
- Span of service
- 15.4 hours
- Direct to CBD (peak)
- 588 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 Koo Wee Rup.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 60%
- Premises covered
- 1,814
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 suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 9 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.
Koo Wee Rup is home to about 4,000 residents, with a median age of 34, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $93,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.8%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
4,047
Median Age
34
Median Household Income
$92,664/yr
Census Median Rent
$320/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,811/mo
Avg Household Size
2.7
Median Personal Income
$42,068/yr
Unemployment Rate
2.8%
Unoccupied Dwellings
6.3%
Total Dwellings
1,389
Owner-Occupier Rate
81.4%
Houses
90.1%
Rental Stress
18.0%
Mortgage Stress
23.5%
Work From Home
13.8%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
25 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 0 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 251 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 83.9%
- English Spoken at Home
- 90.6%
- Employment Rate
- 64.4%
- Completed Year 12
- 29.5%
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.
27 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.
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 3,740 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
2% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (36 of 2,013).
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 38%
- Other and special use 37%
- Environmental 10%
- Infrastructure and transport 7%
- Parks and recreation 3%
- Residential 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 suburb 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 suburb: 169 homes
- Lots in approved subdivisions, not yet titled 74 homes
- Projects firmly planned 13 homes
- Projects likely to go ahead 21 homes
- Projects possible in the longer term 61 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 Frankston Beach, 32.9 kmwarm summers — mild winters.
- Elevation
- 6 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 4.7 km
- Annual rainfall
- —
- Summer max (Jan)
- 24.5°C
- 4 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 8.3°C
- 0 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
1 facility within 5 km- 1.9 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · n-Hexane · Toluene (methylbenzene)
EV adoption
In postcode 3981, 15 of 4,921 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.0% (51 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.3%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3981, 1,016 rooftop-solar systems totalling 7.9 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,989 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 54 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.
10 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3981 in 2025-26, rank 91 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 56, in 2009-10.
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 $725,000 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 2026-10-27 — 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 suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Jordan Crugnale Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Jordan Crugnale ALP | 50.2% | 50.2% | 49.8% |
| 2018 | Jordan Crugnale ALP | 52.4% | 52.4% | 47.6% |
| 2014 | Brian Paynter LP | 54.5% | 45.5% | 54.5% |
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 Koo Wee Rup?
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 4,047 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 Koo Wee Rup 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 Koo Wee Rup
Is Koo Wee Rup a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Koo Wee Rup is high (72/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Koo Wee Rup?
Koo Wee Rup has a low recorded bushfire history (15/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a high share of it (99/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Koo Wee Rup a good place to live?
Koo Wee Rup has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (25/100), 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 Koo Wee Rup?
Koo Wee Rup, VIC had a population of 4,047 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Koo Wee Rup, VIC?
The postcode for Koo Wee Rup, VIC is 3981.
How far is Koo Wee Rup from Melbourne?
Koo Wee Rup is 72 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 60 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Koo Wee Rup?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Koo Wee Rup was $92,664 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 Koo Wee Rup?
The median advertised rent in Koo Wee Rup is $660 a week for houses (7 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Koo Wee Rup?
The median age of residents in Koo Wee Rup was 34 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Koo Wee Rup at risk of bushfire?
Koo Wee Rup has a low recorded bushfire history (15/100). 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 Koo Wee Rup?
There are 3 schools inside the Koo Wee Rup boundary: 1 at and 2 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Koo Wee Rup walkable?
Koo Wee Rup scores 45/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it 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 Koo Wee Rup?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Koo Wee Rup, Frankston Beach (32.9 km away), summer days average 24.5°C, winter nights 8.3°C, and 4 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Koo Wee Rup?
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 Koo Wee Rup belong to?
Koo Wee Rup sits within the Cardinia local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Koo Wee Rup?
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 Koo Wee Rup?
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 Koo Wee Rup in?
Koo Wee Rup 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.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.