North Wonthaggi VIC 3995
North Wonthaggi is a town in Victoria, 135 km from Melbourne CBD, around 1 hour 45 minutes by car. Population is 3,475; the median age is 42 and the median household income is $60,424 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The town grew 23.8% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $300 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,300. North Wonthaggi is characterised by high flood risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. Walkability is low.
Is North Wonthaggi a good town?
North Wonthaggi scores a C (32/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit and community.
Car-dependent
Walkability 4/100 · 134.7 km · 107 min drive to Melbourne
Around the state median
Median $590K · Cheaper than 76% of VIC
Moderate crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 55/100 · Flood 64/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 42 · 3,475 residents
Liveability Rating
32 / 100 · Ranked #683 in VICEach bar is North Wonthaggi'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 North Wonthaggi?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
32 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataNorth Wonthaggi's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $590,000, about 8% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$590,000
15% above its 3 neighbours (median $515,000)
Based on 158 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 44 days — median across 89 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 10 sales $353K
- 3 bed 73 sales $510K
- 4 bed 70 sales $644K
Land
$285,000
Based on 14 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 330 days — median across 6 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in North Wonthaggi are currently listed at around $638,000 on average. Based on 52 houses listed in the past six months.
$638K
52 houses listed in the last 6 months.
53 of the suburb's 1,358 dwellings (3.9%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in North Wonthaggi rent for around $550 a week on average, based on 9 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$550/wk
9 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
9 rentals advertised against an estimated 281 rented homes (3.2%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025104 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 29% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3995.
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 $638,000 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.
Is North Wonthaggi safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in North Wonthaggi sits in the moderate band, with 132 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 15% on the prior year.
132 offences
14.8% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–2025No crash in North Wonthaggi killed anyone or put anyone in hospital in 2021–2025.
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the town carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Schools
Walkability
North Wonthaggi is very car-dependent on foot — at 4/100, 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.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside North Wonthaggi.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 3.5 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 2.6 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 0.4 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 2 min
- Span of service
- 17.1 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 North Wonthaggi.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 62%
- Premises covered
- 1,897
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
Bass Coast: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this town alone — this town's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 7 small areas inside this town and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 4 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this town rank well above the average and parts well below it.
North Wonthaggi is home to about 3,500 residents, with a median age of 42, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $60,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.8%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
3,475
Median Age
42
Median Household Income
$60,424/yr
Census Median Rent
$300/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,300/mo
Avg Household Size
2.4
Median Personal Income
$30,368/yr
Unemployment Rate
4.8%
Unoccupied Dwellings
8.1%
Total Dwellings
1,358
Owner-Occupier Rate
79.3%
Houses
98.7%
Rental Stress
25.8%
Mortgage Stress
25.8%
Work From Home
8.9%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
40 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 9 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 275 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 81.1%
- English Spoken at Home
- 89.0%
- Employment Rate
- 50.9%
- Completed Year 12
- 32.3%
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.
33 residents (0.9%) 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.
13.6% of residents (446) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (421).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 3,290 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
1% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (15 of 1,456).
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 town against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 421 people work here; 1,456 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.3 jobs per working resident. At least 47% of employed residents must work outside the town.
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 $1,727 a year through Bass Coast based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 57%
- Residential 39%
- Parks and recreation 3%
- Infrastructure and transport 1%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the town around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Bass Coast
In the year to August 2026, 393 new dwellings were approved across Bass Coast. That mix is 369 houses and 24 units.
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 Wonthaggi, 3.2 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 27 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 6.0 km
- Annual rainfall
- 906 mm
- 119 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 24.6°C
- 6 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 6.9°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the town 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- 3.4 kmSewerage and Drainage ServicesTop reported: Total Nitrogen · Total Phosphorus · Ammonia (total)
EV adoption
In postcode 3995, 98 of 10,900 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.4% (266 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.3%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3995, 2,897 rooftop-solar systems totalling 17.9 MW have been installed since 2001, against 6,214 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 226 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.
16 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3995 in 2025-26, rank 59 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 102, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
5 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 3995.
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 $590,000 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 Mary Aldred Liberal
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mary Aldred | 45.9% | 54.1% | -1.2 |
| 2022 | Russell Broadbent | 47.1% | 52.9% | -4.0 |
| 2019 | Russell Broadbent | 42.6% | 57.4% | -0.1 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact town'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 town's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.
Looking at a specific address in North Wonthaggi?
Every figure above is a town 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 3,475 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 North Wonthaggi 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 North Wonthaggi
Is North Wonthaggi a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in North Wonthaggi is moderate (55/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect North Wonthaggi?
North Wonthaggi has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (64/100). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is North Wonthaggi a good place to live?
North Wonthaggi has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (32/100), 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 North Wonthaggi?
North Wonthaggi, VIC had a population of 3,475 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for North Wonthaggi, VIC?
The postcode for North Wonthaggi, VIC is 3995.
How far is North Wonthaggi from Melbourne?
North Wonthaggi is 135 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 107 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in North Wonthaggi?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in North Wonthaggi was $60,424 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 North Wonthaggi?
The median advertised rent in North Wonthaggi is $550 a week for houses (9 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in North Wonthaggi?
The median age of residents in North Wonthaggi was 42 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is North Wonthaggi walkable?
North Wonthaggi scores 4/100 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 weather like in North Wonthaggi?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to North Wonthaggi, Wonthaggi (3.2 km away), summer days average 24.6°C, winter nights 6.9°C, 906 mm of rain a year over 119 rainy days, and 6 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in North Wonthaggi?
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 North Wonthaggi belong to?
North Wonthaggi sits within the Bass Coast local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in North Wonthaggi?
The average residential rates bill through Bass Coast is $1,727 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near North Wonthaggi?
Across Bass Coast, 393 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is North Wonthaggi in?
North Wonthaggi sits within the federal Division of Monash, currently held by Mary Aldred (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
- 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.