Lower Plenty VIC 3093
Lower Plenty is a suburb in Victoria, 24 km from Melbourne CBD, around 34 minutes by car. Population is 3,962; the median age is 45 and the median household income is $112,320 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 20% nationally. Population grew 1.8% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $400 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,200. The area shows high flood risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Lower Plenty a good suburb?
Lower Plenty scores a A (68/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on community, weaker on prices and safety.
Mixed results
1 school
Some car dependence
Walkability 27/100 · 24.2 km · 34 min drive to Melbourne
Above the state median
Median $1.55M · Less affordable than 78% of VIC
High flood risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 41/100 · Flood 77/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 10/10 · median age 45 · 3,962 residents
Liveability Rating
68 / 100 · Ranked #171 in VICEach bar is Lower Plenty'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 Lower Plenty?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
68 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataLower Plenty's house market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $1.55 million, roughly 13% below where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$1,550,000
26% above its 6 neighbours (median $1,230,000)
Based on 71 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 34 days — median across 42 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 23 sales $1.15M
- 4 bed 32 sales $2.05M
- 5 bed 7 sales $2.25M
Units
$645,000
17% below its 5 neighbours (median $776,500)
Based on 39 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 27 days — median across 12 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 27 sales $606K
- 3 bed 11 sales $850K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Lower Plenty are currently listed at around $1.45 million on average. Based on 35 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$1.45M
35 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$620K
5 units listed in the last 6 months.
40 of the suburb's 1,468 dwellings (2.7%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Lower Plenty rent for around $620 a week on average, based on 9 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$620/wk
9 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
11 rentals advertised against an estimated 222 rented homes (5.0%) in the last 6 months.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$620/week ($32,000 a year) on a $1.45 million median
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
5 active Airbnb listings: 4 whole homes and 1 room. Whole homes are about 0.3% 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 Lower Plenty safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Lower Plenty sits in the moderate band, with 124 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 23% on the prior year.
124 offences
22.8% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202513 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 Lower Plenty, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 95 students in one school (avg 95)
Primary
Universities nearby
- 6.7 kmMelbourne (Bundoora) CampusLa Trobe University · 223 courses
- 6.7 kmBundoora Campus, Plenty Road, Bundoora Vic 3083Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology · 111 courses
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
Lower Plenty is car-dependent on foot — at 27/100, 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 Lower Plenty.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 72.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 60.6 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 38.1 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 18.7 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 Lower Plenty.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 17%
- Premises covered
- 1,739
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
Banyule: 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 4 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Lower Plenty is home to about 4,000 residents, with a median age of 45, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $112,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.9%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
3,962
Median Age
45
Median Household Income
$112,320/yr
Census Median Rent
$400/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,200/mo
Avg Household Size
2.5
Median Personal Income
$49,660/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.9%
Unoccupied Dwellings
6.1%
Total Dwellings
1,468
Owner-Occupier Rate
84.9%
Houses
75.4%
Rental Stress
18.5%
Mortgage Stress
23.5%
Work From Home
38.2%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 78.8%
- English Spoken at Home
- 84.0%
- Employment Rate
- 59.1%
- Completed Year 12
- 54.4%
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.
54 residents (1.4%) 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 3,771 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 (301 of 1,952).
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 1,004 people work here; 1,952 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.5 jobs per working resident. At least 46% 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 $1,787 a year through Banyule based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 44%
- Environmental 22%
- Parks and recreation 17%
- Other and special use 14%
- Infrastructure and transport 3%
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: Banyule
In the year to August 2026, 722 new dwellings were approved across Banyule. That mix is 246 houses and 476 units. Approvals are down 75.1% on the same period a year earlier.
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 3.9 µg/m³ in 2025 — below the WHO 2021 annual guideline (5 µg/m³).
From the Macleod monitoring station, 5.5 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Essendon Airport, 18.5 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 53 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 18.7 km
- Near high-voltage lines
- 7.6% of addresses
- 146 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 534 mm
- 85 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 26.7°C
- 13 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 6.5°C
- 2 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 3093, 62 of 3,136 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.3% (71 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 4.2%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3093, 463 rooftop-solar systems totalling 3.8 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,558 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 46 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.
2 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3093 in 2025-26, rank 176 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 27, in 2009-10.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
2 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb.
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 $1,550,000 this is $800,000 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 Kate Thwaites Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Kate Thwaites | 62.9% | 37.1% | +0.7 |
| 2022 | Kate Thwaites | 62.4% | 37.6% | -6.5 |
| 2019 | Kate Thwaites | 56.6% | 43.4% | -1.0 |
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 Vicki Ward Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Vicki Ward ALP | 59.0% | 59.0% | 41.0% |
| 2018 | Vicki Ward ALP | 59.1% | 59.1% | 40.9% |
| 2014 | Vicki Ward ALP | 52.7% | 52.7% | 47.3% |
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 Lower Plenty?
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 3,962 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.
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
Eltham VIC 3095
Templestowe VIC 3106
Templestowe Lower VIC 3107
Montmorency VIC 3094
Viewbank VIC 3084
Yallambie VIC 3085
Compare Lower Plenty 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 Lower Plenty
Is Lower Plenty a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Lower Plenty is moderate (41/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Lower Plenty?
Lower Plenty has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a high share of it (77/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Lower Plenty a good place to live?
Lower Plenty has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of A (68/100), 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 Lower Plenty?
Lower Plenty, VIC had a population of 3,962 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Lower Plenty, VIC?
The postcode for Lower Plenty, VIC is 3093.
How far is Lower Plenty from Melbourne?
Lower Plenty is 24 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 34 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Lower Plenty?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Lower Plenty was $112,320 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 Lower Plenty?
The median advertised rent in Lower Plenty is $620 a week for houses (9 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Lower Plenty?
The median age of residents in Lower Plenty was 45 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Lower Plenty?
There is 1 school inside the Lower Plenty boundary: 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Lower Plenty walkable?
Lower Plenty scores 27/100 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 air quality in Lower Plenty?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Lower Plenty (Macleod) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 3.9 µg/m³. That puts Lower Plenty below the WHO annual guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Lower Plenty?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Lower Plenty, Essendon Airport (18.5 km away), summer days average 26.7°C, winter nights 6.5°C, 534 mm of rain a year over 85 rainy days, and 13 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Lower Plenty?
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 Lower Plenty belong to?
Lower Plenty sits within the Banyule local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Lower Plenty?
The average residential rates bill through Banyule is $1,787 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Lower Plenty?
Across Banyule, 722 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 75.1% 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 Lower Plenty in?
Lower Plenty sits within the federal Division of Jagajaga, currently held by Kate Thwaites (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.