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Suburb profile ·Surf Coast LGA · VIC ·3231

Fairhaven VIC 3231

Fairhaven is in Surf Coast LGA, VIC, postcode 3231, with population 390.

The read

Premium-market

There are enough stretched or weaker signals here that you should assume trade-offs rather than a clean story. Use compare mode to see whether the downside is price, local quality, or weaker momentum before treating it as a target suburb.

$1.9M
+1.9% YoY
2014 → 2024 · 7 periods
ABS + state medians
$1.9M
$880K
2014 2024
Why it fits

Higher SEIFA context supports a stronger local-quality read.

What to check

Premium pricing raises the bar for yield, affordability, and downside checks. Gross yield looks low for an income-first use case. Small local population makes the signal set more fragile.

Median house
$1.9M
House median, latest period
1.9%YoY D9 vs AU
Median rent
$580/wk
Rent context available
D10 vs AU
Gross yield
1.6%
Low yield band
D3 vs AU
Population
40,265
40K via Surf Coast LGA · SAL undercount
Schools
No matched school data
Drive to city
Not in commute dataset
Solar
567
34 added 12mo · 3MW

Price history

Rental vacancy rate

Rental vacancy rate · Regional Victoria
1.9%
Tight (landlord) market

Official vacancy is published at the Regional Victoria level, not per suburb. Shaded band marks a balanced market (2.5–3.5%).

Source: Homes Victoria Rental Report (DFFH) · Latest: Sep 2025

Trend & investor depth

Indicative cashflow-$1,460/wk (-$75,940/yr) · interest-only @ 6.4%, 80% LVR
Value vs advantage+45% vs suburbs of similar SEIFA advantage (decile 10)

Indicative cashflow is interest-only and excludes tax — use the calculator for a full projection. Turnover divides recorded sales by an estimated household count (population over average household size).

Investor profile

Who invests in Fairhaven

Owner-occupied 95%Rented 5%
Investor activityATO
Negatively geared4.6%
47 of 162 landlords
Avg rental loss$12,680/yr
Landlords (rental income)162
Reported capital gains176
Investor exposure index(low vs national)38.7/100
The read

Owner-occupier stronghold

90% of homes here are owner-occupied and 5% rented, with 5% of landlords negatively geared.

Why it fits

90% owner-occupied — owner-occupiers hold longer and absorb rate shocks, supporting price stability.

What to check

Gross yield 1.6% is thin — returns here lean on capital growth, not cash flow.

ABS Census 2021 tenure (G37), ATO postcode rental statistics, and QuickProperty's investor-exposure index. Owner-occupied = owned outright + with a mortgage.

Mortgage affordability

108%
of household income to service a new loan
24.4 yrs
to save a 20% deposit
Severe
housing-stress band
Rent vs buyRenting cheaper

New-loan repayment $9,432/mo vs median rent $2,513/mo (+275% · +$1597/wk)

If rates move

At 4.2%: $7,531/mo (-1,901) · at 6.2% (current): $9,432/mo · at 8.2%: $11,515/mo (+2,083)

Assumes a 20% deposit and a 30-year principal-and-interest loan at the current RBA new owner-occupier variable rate, against median weekly household income (ABS Census 2021). Stress bands follow the 30% / 45%-of-income thresholds used in ANZ-CoreLogic and AIHW reporting. Rent vs buy compares that repayment with the suburb's median advertised rent; it excludes rates, insurance, maintenance and deposit opportunity cost.

Stronger alternatives nearby

Higher yield

similar price · cross-LGA

More affordable

lower price-to-income

Alternatives are similar-priced suburbs (0.7–1.4x this suburb's median) in other council areas that exceed it on the named metric. Indicative — not financial advice.

Affordability

Buying
18.3x
median home price as a multiple of annual household income
Stretched
Renting
29%
median weekly rent as a share of gross household income (the 30% rule)
Manageable

Owners with a mortgage repay a median of $1,993/mo, while renters pay about $2,513/mo — renting runs $520/mo higher on these medians.

Median price
$1.93M
Household income · yr
$105K
Median rent · wk
$580
Owner mortgage · mo
$1,993
Gross yield
1.6%

Household income

$105K household · yr+27.8% vs VIC suburb median
Personal
$59K
Family
$142K
Household
$105K
Household income distribution (ABS Census 2021 · weekly)fewer than 24% could service the median house
Under $300
8
$300-649
13
$650-999
10
$1,000-1,499
20
$1,500-1,999
16
$2,000-2,999
25
$3,000-3,999
14
$4,000+
33

Serviceability line: a household needs about $7,255/wk to hold a new loan on the median house at 30% of income (20% deposit, 30-year P&I, current RBA rate).

At the median asking rent, about 46% of households here would spend more than 30% of income on rent (rent stress line: $1,933/wk income).

Housing stock and tenure

Tenure (160 households)
Owned outright
59%
Owned with mortgage
31%
Rented
5%
Dwelling structure69.0% of dwellings unoccupied on census night
Separate house
100%
Townhouse / semi
0%
Flat / apartment
0%

Getting to work: 46% drive, 0% public transport, 0% walk or cycle, 47% worked from home (2021 Census, taken during COVID-era work-from-home arrangements).

Crime Year ending Mar 2026
1,263
3,099 per 100k
D5 vs AU

Crime

Rate · per 100k3,099
Total incidents1,263· Year ending Mar 2026
  • Assault11252%
  • Sexual Offences4119%
  • Robbery52%
  • Break And Enter5727%

Building due diligence

Construction requirements can change by location.

The National Construction Code is the baseline. Local hazards and site classifications can change the required structure, materials, fixings, insulation and detailing.

Known here

SUBURB CONTEXT

Bushfire-prone designation

Severe broad-area context

About 100.0% of the suburb is within Victoria's mapped Bushfire Prone Area.

May affect: External construction · Roof and wall systems · Openings, screens and decks

Flood and moisture context

No mapped flood exposure

About 1.3% of the suburb intersects VIC LSIO.

May affect: Floor levels and drainage · Water-resistant assemblies · Material durability

Check the property

ADDRESS + DESIGN

NCC climate zone

Check the property

Confirm the NCC climate zone used for the building design and energy provisions.

May affect: Insulation and glazing · Condensation control · Roof-space ventilation

Wind class and BAL

Site assessment required

A suburb layer cannot determine the site wind classification or Bushfire Attack Level.

May affect: Structure and tie-downs · Cladding and fixings · Openings and bushfire detailing

Corrosion and termite exposure

Check the property

Confirm marine or corrosive exposure and the applicable termite-management requirements.

May affect: Fasteners and connectors · Roofing and coatings · Termite management

This screen identifies investigation triggers, not building quality or property compliance. Confirm the address, design and current jurisdiction rules with the council, building surveyor or certifier, designer and engineer.

NCC 2022 Housing Provisions: how to use · NCC 2022 Volume Two and Housing Provisions

Bushfire-prone area

Designated ~100.0%
~100.0% of the suburb is within Victoria's designated Bushfire Prone Area

Share of the suburb within Victoria's gazetted Bushfire Prone Area (Vicmap, CC BY), point-sampled across the suburb. A Bushfire Prone Area is a planning designation that triggers the building code's bushfire construction provisions — it is not a graduated hazard rating or a property-level Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) assessment. Obtain a BAL assessment (AS 3959) for an individual property.

Flood exposure

No mapped exposure ~1.3%
~1.3% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood-hazard area

Estimated exposure to the official flood-hazard layer (VIC LSIO), point-sampled across the suburb. This shows how much of the suburb sits within mapped flood-planning areas — it is not a property-level flood certificate. Areas without a completed flood study may be unmapped. Check the local council's flood maps for an individual property.

Short-term rentals

94
active listings · ~241.0 per 1,000 residents
98%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
79%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$477
median nightly (entire home)
2%
estimated occupancy
$2,496
estimated annual revenue (gross)

Estimated short-let income is 0.1× the $30,160/yr a long-term let would earn at the median rent — before management fees, cleaning, vacancy beyond the occupancy model, and short-stay regulation.

Active Airbnb listings point-mapped to this suburb from Inside Airbnb (CC BY 4.0). Occupancy and revenue are estimates from Inside Airbnb's San Francisco model (review-rate proxy, minimum-stay assumption, occupancy capped at 70%) — they are gross, indicative, and not a guarantee of returns. Short-stay letting is subject to state and local regulation.

Planning zones

Dominant zone Rural Conservation (RCZ)
Rural / Green wedge 55% Public / Open space 34% Residential 10%
Residential density: Standard

Land-use mix estimated by point-sampling the suburb against Vicmap Planning scheme-zone polygons (CC BY 4.0). This is a suburb-level snapshot of planning zones, not a parcel-level zoning certificate or development advice. Check the relevant planning scheme for an individual property.

Growth outlook · Surf Coast LGA

Dwellings
+27.8%
20,680 → 26,430
+5,750 dwellings
Population
+27.6%
37,620 → 48,010
Households
+34%
14,650 → 19,630

LGA-level official projection (Victoria in Future 2023, DTP). Indicative of the wider council area, not a suburb-level forecast.

Population outlook

6,270 people · 20226,359 by 2032 (+1.4%)

ABS population projection (2022 base) for the Lorne - Anglesea SA2 statistical area — the finest official projection grain available; suburb-level projections do not exist.

Full data detail Census · ATO · ABS · state datasets
Fairhaven VIC — Property Data and Demographics

Fairhaven (postcode 3231) is a quiet locality in Victoria within the Surf Coast local government area. The area has roughly 390 residents and a predominantly older resident base, with a median age of 56. Households earn a median income of $105K per year, with an average household size of 2.3 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement staying broadly stable across the broader catchment, with population growth running at +1.1% year-on-year at the LGA level. VIC employment has moved +0.8% year-on-year in the official ABS Labour Force trend series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. VIC also had 41 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 18 underway, and 24 in planning as at 2025-09-01, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are professionals, managers, technicians & trades. Employment in the area leans toward education and construction. The top ancestries reported are English, Australian, Scottish.

Median house prices in Fairhaven stand at $1.9 million, having edged higher by 1.9% over the last twelve months. The current median weekly rent is $580. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 1.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1,993.

Public transport access includes 2 bus stops. The crime rate in the Surf Coast LGA is below average at 3,099 incidents per 100,000 population.

Looking at the investment signals, The gross rental yield works out to roughly 1.6%, which reads as low yield. Property prices are above the state median ($1.9M/$850K), placing it in the premium segment. The price-to-income ratio of 18.3x is considered stretched. House prices have moved +1.9% year-on-year. Population growth of +1.1% year-on-year points to stable demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.

Market & money
Investment signalsHeuristics
Rental Yield1.6% Low Yield
Price vs State$1.9M/$850K Above Median
Affordability18.3x Stretched
Price Momentum+1.9%· Stable
Pop. Growth+1.1%· Stable
Development+0%· Steady
InvestmentVIC
Mortgage · mth$1,993
Rent · wk(Census)$340
Market rent · wk(Sep 2025)$580
Gross yield0.9%
Price / income18.3x
Sales vol (latest Q)(2025-Q4)2
Population growth · Surf Coast LGAABS ERP
Population (2025)40,265
5-year growth+2.4% CAGR
YoY change+1.1%
20012025
Development · Surf Coast LGAABS Approvals
Approvals (2026)254
Houses 89%Units 11%
YoY change+0%
Employment · Surf Coast LGASALM
Unemployment (Dec-25)1.7%
YoY change+0.1pp
Dec-10Dec-25
Property investors · Postcode 3231ATO
Negatively geared4.6%
47 of filers
Avg rental loss$12,680/yr
Landlords (rental income)162
Reported capital gains176
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 21
Population390
Median age56
Household size2.3
HH income · wk$2,023
Personal income · wk$1,143
Persons / bedroom0.7
SEIFA indexABS
Advantage (IRSAD)10/10
Education (IEO)10/10
Economic (IER)9/10
Disadvantage (IRSD)10/10
Income momentumCensus 16→21
HH income · wk$1,355 → $2,023
Change+49.3%
vs VIC median+25.8 pp
Median rent+6.9%
gentrifyingvs VIC 2016–21
Area & amenity
TransportGTFS
Bus stops2
Hospitals · Surf Coast LGAAIHW
Public2
Private0
Hesse Rural Health Service [Winchelsea]public
Lorne Community Hospitalpublic
Aged care · Surf Coast LGAGEN
Facilities6
Residential places429
Ocean Mist Aged Care120 places
Villa Maria Catholic Homes Star of the Sea Aged Care Residence96 places
Calvary Elouera75 places
Calvary Cordelia Grove60 places
Hesse Rural Health Service Nursing Home56 places
Lorne Nursing Home22 places
Childcare · Surf Coast LGAACECQA
Services28
Approved places2,084
Exceeding NQS7
Torquay College Outside School Hours Care150 places
Childs Play Torquay141 places
Torquay Early Learning Centre134 places
Only About Children Torquay130 places
YMCA Torquay Coast Primary School OSHC120 places
Busy Bees at Torquay114 places
+22 more in Surf Coast LGA
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Fairhaven carries enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.

QuickProperty mixes release files, Census baselines, and matched local services on this page. Read the status panel before treating every metric as equally fresh.

PRICE POSTURE
Manual release files still matter here.

DataVic-discovered annual suburb price workbooks parsed into suburb prices. Quarterly VIC resources are discovered and cached, but not yet used as current-price anchors.

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using a state market dataset when available.

Use current rent as a starting signal, not as a fixed underwriting truth.

SERVICE POSTURE
Service coverage is matched locally, not inferred nationally.

Schools, transport, and hospitals are useful as presence signals, but they still have different source cadences.

Data status
Property prices
VIC Property Sales Report · 2025-Q4 · DataVic-discovered annual suburb price workbooks parsed into suburb prices. Quarterly VIC resources are discovered and cached, but not yet used as current-price anchors.
medium stability · mixed acquisition · every update · quarterly
Available
Market rent
Homes Victoria · Sep 2025 · State market dataset
medium stability · automated · every update · quarterly
Available
Crime
VIC Crime Statistics Agency · Year ending Mar 2026 · Area-level release dataset
Available
Schools
ACARA 2025 · No local school matches exposed
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Missing
Hospitals
AIHW · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
GTFS feeds · 2 matched stops/stations
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Population growth
ABS ERP · 2025 · Annual estimate series
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Building approvals
ABS Building Approvals · 2026 · Annual release series
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Available means a direct local dataset is linked. Verify means coverage exists but freshness or precision is weaker, such as ABS price fallback, Census rent fallback, or low-confidence hospital matching.

Fairhaven FAQ

Common questions
  1. What LGA is Fairhaven in?

    Fairhaven is in the Surf Coast Local Government Area, VIC, postcode 3231. Council-level context for Surf Coast LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.

  2. What is the median house price in Fairhaven?

    The current median house price in Fairhaven, VIC is $1.9M, based on the latest available sales data from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region.

  3. What is the typical weekly rent in Fairhaven?

    The median weekly rent in Fairhaven is $580/wk, based on the current market rent dataset. The current rent signal is rent context available.

  4. What does the rent signal say about Fairhaven?

    Rent context available: Fairhaven has usable rent context. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates or modelling a purchase; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  5. Is Fairhaven a good investment?

    QuickProperty's investment signals for Fairhaven show: Low Yield, Above Median, Stretched. These are computed from price, rent, income, and population data — not an opaque score.

  6. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Fairhaven?

    Property prices come from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region. Demographics are from ABS Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA. Crime statistics are from state police agencies. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  7. How often is the Fairhaven data updated?

    Property prices update quarterly. RBA macro indicators update with each deploy. Demographics are from Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA 2025.