Watsonia North VIC 3087
Located in Victoria, Watsonia North sits 23 km from Melbourne CBD, around 36 minutes by car. The suburb has 3,799 residents, a median age of 41, and a median household income of $107,588 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 20% nationally. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $401 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,050. Watsonia North is characterised by no recorded bushfire exposure. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is moderate.
Is Watsonia North a good suburb?
Watsonia North scores a A (76/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on community.
Mixed results
1 school
Somewhat walkable
Walkability 59/100 · 22.8 km · 36 min drive to Melbourne
Around the state median
Median $928K
Moderate crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 43/100 · Flood 29/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 9/10 · median age 41 · 3,799 residents
Liveability Rating
76 / 100 · Ranked #92 in VICEach bar is Watsonia North'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 Watsonia North?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
76 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataWatsonia North's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $928,000, about 6% above where it sat a year earlier.
$927,500
6% above its 3 neighbours (median $875,000)
Based on 80 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 25 days — median across 25 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 47 sales $895K
- 4 bed 23 sales $1.1M
- 5 bed 8 sales $1.15M
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Watsonia North are currently listed at around $938,000 on average. Based on 8 houses listed in the past six months.
$938K
8 houses listed in the last 6 months.
8 of the suburb's 1,368 dwellings (0.6%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Watsonia North rent for around $725 a week on average, based on 8 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$725/wk
8 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
8 rentals advertised against an estimated 172 rented homes (4.7%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025121 Acceptable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 25% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3087.
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$725/week ($38,000 a year) on a $938,000 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.
Short-Stay Rentals
4 active Airbnb listings: 4 whole homes and 0 rooms. 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 Watsonia North safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Watsonia North sits in the moderate band, with 118 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 39% on the prior year.
118 offences
38.8% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20258 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 Watsonia North, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 541 students in one school (avg 541)
Primary
Universities nearby
- 2.3 kmMelbourne (Bundoora) CampusLa Trobe University · 223 courses
- 2.3 kmBundoora Campus, Plenty Road, Bundoora Vic 3083Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology · 111 courses
2.1% 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
Watsonia North is somewhat walkable on foot — at 59/100, a short cluster of errands work on foot but most trips still benefit from a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Watsonia North.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 60.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 58.8 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 35.1 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 18.2 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 Watsonia North.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 1,459
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 10 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 3 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the suburb closely.
Watsonia North is home to about 3,800 residents, with a median age of 41, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $108,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.8%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
3,799
Median Age
41
Median Household Income
$107,588/yr
Census Median Rent
$401/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,050/mo
Avg Household Size
2.7
Median Personal Income
$43,160/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.8%
Unoccupied Dwellings
4.0%
Total Dwellings
1,368
Owner-Occupier Rate
87.4%
Houses
98.2%
Rental Stress
19.4%
Mortgage Stress
22.9%
Work From Home
34.9%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
11 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 6 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 170 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 75.9%
- English Spoken at Home
- 78.0%
- Employment Rate
- 61.6%
- Completed Year 12
- 50.0%
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.
58 residents (1.5%) 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 3,576 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
17% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (324 of 1,920).
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 329 people work here; 1,920 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.2 jobs per working resident. At least 83% 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 80%
- Infrastructure and transport 10%
- Parks and recreation 9%
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.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this suburb: 10 homes
- Projects likely to go ahead 10 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 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, 3.8 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Essendon Airport, 16.1 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 72 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 20.7 km
- 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.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
3 facilities within 5 km- 3.7 kmHigher EducationTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5)
- 3.8 kmCheese and Other Dairy Product ManufacturingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 4.4 kmPolymer Film and Sheet Packaging Material ManufacturingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Ethanol · Ethyl acetate
EV adoption
In postcode 3087, 78 of 6,141 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.3% (140 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.6%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3087, 960 rooftop-solar systems totalling 5.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 3,672 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 65 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.
0 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3087 in 2025-26. The most was 82, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
2 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 7 across postcode 3087.
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 $927,500 this is $177,500 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 2026-10-27 — 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 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 Colin Brooks Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Colin Brooks ALP | 50.4% | 62.7% | 37.3% |
| 2018 | Colin Brooks ALP | 56.2% | 67.4% | 32.6% |
| 2014 | Colin Brooks ALP | 52.6% | 62.2% | 37.8% |
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 Watsonia North?
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 3,799 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
Compare Watsonia North 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 Watsonia North
Is Watsonia North a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Watsonia North is moderate (43/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Watsonia North?
Watsonia North has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a low share of it (29/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Watsonia North a good place to live?
Watsonia North has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of A (76/100), 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 Watsonia North?
Watsonia North, VIC had a population of 3,799 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Watsonia North, VIC?
The postcode for Watsonia North, VIC is 3087.
How far is Watsonia North from Melbourne?
Watsonia North is 23 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 36 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Watsonia North?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Watsonia North was $107,588 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 Watsonia North?
The median advertised rent in Watsonia North is $725 a week for houses (8 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Watsonia North?
The median age of residents in Watsonia North was 41 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Watsonia North?
There is 1 school inside the Watsonia North boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Watsonia North walkable?
Watsonia North scores 59/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it somewhat 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 Watsonia North?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Watsonia North (Macleod) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 3.9 µg/m³. That puts Watsonia North below the WHO annual guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Watsonia North?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Watsonia North, Essendon Airport (16.1 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 Watsonia North?
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 Watsonia North belong to?
Watsonia North sits within the Banyule local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Watsonia North?
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 Watsonia North?
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 Watsonia North in?
Watsonia North 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.