Paynesville VIC 3880
Paynesville is a town in Victoria, 293 km from Melbourne CBD, around 3 hours 35 minutes by car. Population is 3,636; the median age is 62 and the median household income is $51,324 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The town grew 4.5% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $310 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,225. Paynesville is characterised by high flood risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. 1 school sits within the town boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Paynesville a good town?
Paynesville scores a C (33/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on safety.
Mixed results
1 school
Some car dependence
Walkability 31/100 · 293.2 km · 215 min drive to Melbourne
Around the state median
Median $550K · Cheaper than 84% of VIC
High flood risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 51/100 · Flood 85/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 3/10 · median age 62 · 3,636 residents
Liveability Rating
33 / 100 · Ranked #672 in VICEach bar is Paynesville'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 Paynesville?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
33 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataPaynesville's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $550,000, about 2% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$550,000
14% below its 4 neighbours (median $642,500)
Based on 193 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 44 days — median across 72 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 16 sales $425K
- 3 bed 118 sales $548K
- 4 bed 55 sales $649K
Land
$209,000
Based on 40 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 165 days — median across 25 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Paynesville are currently listed at around $728,000 on average. Based on 112 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$728K
112 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$485K
20 units listed in the last 6 months.
132 of the suburb's 1,669 dwellings (7.9%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Paynesville rent for around $535 a week on average, based on 27 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$535/wk
27 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$418/wk
4 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
31 rentals advertised against an estimated 362 rented homes (8.6%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 202598 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 31% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3880.
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$535/week ($28,000 a year) on a $728,000 median
$418/week ($22,000 a year) on a $485,000 median
Based on a small sample (4 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 Paynesville safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Paynesville sits in the moderate band, with 125 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 15% on the prior year.
125 offences
14.7% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20251 crash
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
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
One school serve Paynesville, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 89 students in one school (avg 89)
Primary
Walkability
Paynesville is car-dependent on foot — at 31/100, most errands require a car. Within the town there are 1 supermarket, 3 parks and 9 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Paynesville.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 1.8 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 1.3 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 0.2 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1.5 min
- Span of service
- 8.9 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 Paynesville.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 50%
- Premises covered
- 2,626
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
East Gippsland: 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 11 small areas inside this town and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 5 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this town rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Paynesville is home to about 3,600 residents, with a median age of 62 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $51,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
3,636
Median Age
62
Median Household Income
$51,324/yr
Census Median Rent
$310/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,225/mo
Avg Household Size
2.0
Median Personal Income
$29,172/yr
Unemployment Rate
5.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
30.0%
Total Dwellings
1,669
Owner-Occupier Rate
78.3%
Houses
85.9%
Rental Stress
31.4%
Mortgage Stress
28.6%
Work From Home
16.2%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
8 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 4 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 353 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 78.6%
- English Spoken at Home
- 93.7%
- Employment Rate
- 36.2%
- Completed Year 12
- 35.5%
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.
13.0% of residents (459) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (411).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 3,540 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 (6 of 1,182).
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 $1,807 a year through East Gippsland based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 56%
- Parks and recreation 40%
- Infrastructure and transport 2%
- Commercial 1%
- Industrial 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: East Gippsland
In the year to August 2026, 386 new dwellings were approved across East Gippsland. That mix is 362 houses and 24 units. Approvals are up 50.0% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Registered Aboriginal Party for this area is Gunaikurnai Land and Waters 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 Bairnsdale Airport, 13.2 kmModerate rainfall — warm summers, cold winters with occasional frost.
- Elevation
- 16 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 7.8 km
- 4.5 km to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 620 mm
- 82 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 25.5°C
- 8 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 4.5°C
- 7 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.
EV adoption
In postcode 3880, 17 of 4,283 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.6% (67 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.0%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3880, 1,212 rooftop-solar systems totalling 6.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 2,699 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 106 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.
1 first-home grant was paid in postcode 3880 in 2025-26, rank 213 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 19, in 2000-01.
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 $550,000 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 Darren Chester The Nationals
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Darren Chester | 30.6% | 69.4% | +1.2 |
| 2022 | Darren Chester | 29.4% | 70.6% | +3.9 |
| 2019 | Darren Chester | 33.3% | 66.7% | -1.5 |
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 Tim Bull The Nationals
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Tim Bull NP | 63.3% | 26.1% | 73.9% |
| 2018 | Tim Bull NP | 56.7% | 32.4% | 67.6% |
| 2014 | Tim Bull NP | 60.4% | 32.1% | 67.9% |
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 Paynesville?
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 3,636 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 Paynesville 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 Paynesville
Is Paynesville a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Paynesville is moderate (51/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Paynesville?
Paynesville has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a high share of it (85/100). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Paynesville a good place to live?
Paynesville has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (33/100), 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 Paynesville?
Paynesville, VIC had a population of 3,636 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Paynesville, VIC?
The postcode for Paynesville, VIC is 3880.
How far is Paynesville from Melbourne?
Paynesville is 293 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 215 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Paynesville?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Paynesville was $51,324 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 Paynesville?
The median advertised rent in Paynesville is $535 a week for houses (27 listings) and $418 a week for units (4 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Paynesville?
The median age of residents in Paynesville was 62 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Paynesville?
There is 1 school inside the Paynesville boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Paynesville walkable?
Paynesville scores 31/100 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 Paynesville?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Paynesville, Bairnsdale Airport (13.2 km away), summer days average 25.5°C, winter nights 4.5°C, 620 mm of rain a year over 82 rainy days, and 8 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Paynesville?
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 Paynesville belong to?
Paynesville sits within the East Gippsland local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Paynesville?
The average residential rates bill through East Gippsland is $1,807 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Paynesville?
Across East Gippsland, 386 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 50.0% 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 Paynesville in?
Paynesville sits within the federal Division of Gippsland, currently held by Darren Chester (The Nationals).
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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.