Upper Ferntree Gully VIC 3156
Located in Victoria, Upper Ferntree Gully sits 42 km from Melbourne CBD, around 44 minutes by car. The suburb has 3,417 residents, a median age of 41, and a median household income of $106,028 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 40% nationally. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $369 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,000. Upper Ferntree Gully is characterised by high bushfire risk and high crime risk. All 1 school within the suburb boundary rank above the state average, and walkability is high.
Is Upper Ferntree Gully a good suburb?
Upper Ferntree Gully scores a C (46/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, prices, and community, weaker on safety.
Mixed results
1 school · 1 above peer schools
Very walkable
Walkability 73/100 · 41.5 km · 44 min drive to Melbourne
More affordable than most
Median $905K
High bushfire risk
Fire 85/100 · Crime 68/100 · Flood 41/100
Advantaged
SEIFA decile 8/10 · median age 41 · 3,417 residents
Liveability Rating
46 / 100 · Ranked #491 in VICEach bar is Upper Ferntree Gully'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 Upper Ferntree Gully?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
46 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataUpper Ferntree Gully's house market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $905,000, 0.7% below where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$905,000
3% below its 3 neighbours (median $933,000)
Based on 90 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 24 days — median across 32 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 38 sales $848K
- 4 bed 40 sales $942K
- 5 bed 8 sales $1.26M
Units
$523,000
Based on 18 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 10 days — median across 4 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 15 sales $503K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Upper Ferntree Gully are currently listed at around $910,000 on average. Based on 11 houses listed in the past six months.
$910K
11 houses listed in the last 6 months.
13 of the suburb's 1,234 dwellings (1.1%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Upper Ferntree Gully rent for around $750 a week on average, based on 3 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$750/wk
3 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
4 rentals advertised against an estimated 176 rented homes (2.3%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025111 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 27% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3156.
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$750/week ($39,000 a year) on a $910,000 median
Based on a small sample (3 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
7 active Airbnb listings: 7 whole homes and 0 rooms. Whole homes are about 0.5% 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 Upper Ferntree Gully safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Upper Ferntree Gully sits in the moderate band, with 226 incidents recorded in 2026 — up about 3% on the prior year.
226 offences
3.2% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202516 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 2 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.
Schools
One school serve Upper Ferntree Gully, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance. Upper Ferntree Gully Primary School leads the pack.
- • 80 students in one school (avg 80)
Primary
Walkability
Upper Ferntree Gully is very walkable on foot — at 73/100, most daily errands can be done on foot. Within the suburb there are 1 supermarket, 4 parks and 9 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Upper Ferntree Gully.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 53.5 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 42.7 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 25.1 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 20.6 hours
- Direct to CBD (peak)
- 9 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 Upper Ferntree Gully.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 2%
- Premises covered
- 1,537
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
Knox: 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.
Upper Ferntree Gully is home to about 3,400 residents, with a median age of 41, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $106,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.3%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
3,417
Median Age
41
Median Household Income
$106,028/yr
Census Median Rent
$369/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,000/mo
Avg Household Size
2.6
Median Personal Income
$44,044/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.3%
Unoccupied Dwellings
4.6%
Total Dwellings
1,234
Owner-Occupier Rate
85.7%
Houses
96.1%
Rental Stress
18.1%
Mortgage Stress
22.6%
Work From Home
30.9%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 77.2%
- English Spoken at Home
- 87.9%
- Employment Rate
- 64.2%
- Completed Year 12
- 47.5%
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.
35 residents (1.0%) 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 3,230 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
9% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (168 of 1,815).
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 1,887 people work here; 1,815 employed residents live here.
Roughly as many jobs as working residents (1.0 per resident). At least 2% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.
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 $1,732 a year through Knox based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 60%
- Rural and farming 13%
- Infrastructure and transport 13%
- Parks and recreation 11%
- Commercial 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: Knox
In the year to August 2026, 577 new dwellings were approved across Knox. That mix is 344 houses and 233 units. Approvals are down 13.5% 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
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 6.3 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 20.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.98 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 3 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Dandenong monitoring station, 13.7 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Scoresby Research Institute, 5.6 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 161 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 23.1 km
- Annual rainfall
- 777 mm
- 105 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 26.9°C
- 10 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 6.3°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.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
1 facility within 5 km- 0.6 kmHospitals (Except Psychiatric Hospitals)Top reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
EV adoption
In postcode 3156, 365 of 31,344 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.7% (841 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.8%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3156, 5,394 rooftop-solar systems totalling 32.3 MW have been installed since 2001, against 14,451 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 339 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 3156 in 2025-26, rank 176 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 326, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
15 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 3156.
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 $905,000 this is $155,000 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 Mary Doyle Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mary Doyle | 53.4% | 46.6% | +6.0 |
| 2022 | Alan Tudge | 47.2% | 52.8% | -7.3 |
| 2019 | Alan Tudge | 39.9% | 60.1% | +2.7 |
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 Daniela De Martino Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Daniela De Martino ALP | 57.5% | 57.5% | 42.5% |
| 2018 | James Merlino ALP | 58.6% | 58.6% | 41.4% |
| 2014 | James Merlino ALP | 55.0% | 55.0% | 45.0% |
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 Upper Ferntree Gully?
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 3,417 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
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
Compare Upper Ferntree Gully 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 Upper Ferntree Gully
Is Upper Ferntree Gully a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Upper Ferntree Gully is moderate (68/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Upper Ferntree Gully?
Upper Ferntree Gully has a high recorded bushfire history (85/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (41/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Upper Ferntree Gully a good place to live?
Upper Ferntree Gully has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (46/100), 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 Upper Ferntree Gully?
Upper Ferntree Gully, VIC had a population of 3,417 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Upper Ferntree Gully, VIC?
The postcode for Upper Ferntree Gully, VIC is 3156.
How far is Upper Ferntree Gully from Melbourne?
Upper Ferntree Gully is 42 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 44 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Upper Ferntree Gully?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Upper Ferntree Gully was $106,028 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 Upper Ferntree Gully?
The median advertised rent in Upper Ferntree Gully is $750 a week for houses (3 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Upper Ferntree Gully?
The median age of residents in Upper Ferntree Gully was 41 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Upper Ferntree Gully at risk of bushfire?
Upper Ferntree Gully has a high recorded bushfire history (85/100). 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 Upper Ferntree Gully?
There is 1 school inside the Upper Ferntree Gully boundary: 1 above similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Upper Ferntree Gully walkable?
Upper Ferntree Gully scores 73/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very 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 Upper Ferntree Gully?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Upper Ferntree Gully (Dandenong) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 20.8 µg/m³. That puts Upper Ferntree Gully 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 Upper Ferntree Gully?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Upper Ferntree Gully, Scoresby Research Institute (5.6 km away), summer days average 26.9°C, winter nights 6.3°C, 777 mm of rain a year over 105 rainy days, and 10 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Upper Ferntree Gully?
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 Upper Ferntree Gully belong to?
Upper Ferntree Gully sits within the Knox local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Upper Ferntree Gully?
The average residential rates bill through Knox is $1,732 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Upper Ferntree Gully?
Across Knox, 577 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 13.5% 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 Upper Ferntree Gully in?
Upper Ferntree Gully sits within the federal Division of Aston, currently held by Mary Doyle (Australian Labor Party).
Search another suburb or address
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.
Was the information on this page useful to you?
Thanks! Anything we could improve?
We hate spam as much as you do — we'll never use your email for marketing, and we might not be able to reply to everyone.
Thanks for your feedback! 🙏
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.