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Suburb profile ·Warrnambool LGA · VIC ·3280

Warrnambool VIC 3280

Warrnambool is in Warrnambool LGA, VIC, postcode 3280, with population 31,308.

The read

Income-first

Price, rent, or affordability signals are lining up without a clear local red flag, and the broader demand backdrop is at least supportive. Treat this as a suburb worth comparing seriously, then stress-test it in the calculator before making a conviction call.

$500/wk
Rising
+4.2% YoY
Dec 2020 → Sep 2025 · 20 periods
Homes Victoria · Sep 2025
$500
$350
Dec 2020Sep 2025
Why it fits

Gross yield screens at about 5.8%. Entry price sits in the lower-cost range for a first-pass screen. Population scale is large enough to avoid reading this as a tiny locality only.

Read full evidence → Compare suburb Run calculator
Median house
—
No local house series
Median rent
$500/wk
Income-stretched rent market
↑4.2%YoY D10 vs AU
Gross yield
—
Need rent + price
Population
31,308
31K local footprint
D10 vs AU
Schools
12
Matched school context
D10 vs AU
Drive to city
3h 23m
255.9 km to Melbourne CBD · free-flow
Solar
3,551
233 added 12mo · 24MW

Price history

House, unit and vacant land medians · ABS + state datasets

Rental vacancy rate

Official Homes Victoria (DFFH) figure · Regional Victoria grain
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

Derived from this suburb's own price, rent and income history
Rent stabilityvolatile — rents vary ±9.5% around trend

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 Warrnambool

Owner-occupied 69%Rented 31%
Investor activityATO
Negatively geared4%
844 of 2,083 landlords
Avg rental loss$6,271/yr
Landlords (rental income)2,083
Reported capital gains1,889
Investor exposure index(moderate vs national)71.7/100
The read

Mixed owner-renter market

67% of homes here are owner-occupied and 30% rented, with 4% of landlords negatively geared.

Why it fits

A balanced 67% owner-occupier / 30% renter mix.

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

Affordability

Buying & renting · ABS Census + state data
Buying
6.2x
median home price as a multiple of annual household income
Moderate
Renting
36%
median weekly rent as a share of gross household income (the 30% rule)
Stretched

Owners with a mortgage repay a median of $1,408/mo, while renters pay about $2,167/mo — renting runs $759/mo higher on these medians.

Median price
$449K
Household income · yr
$72K
Median rent · wk
$500
Owner mortgage · mo
$1,408

Household income

ABS Census · ATO
$72K household · yr-12.5% vs VIC suburb median
Personal
$39K
Family
$97K
Household
$72K
Household income distribution (ABS Census 2021 · weekly)
Under $300
460
$300-649
1,964
$650-999
1,883
$1,000-1,499
2,047
$1,500-1,999
1,360
$2,000-2,999
2,204
$3,000-3,999
997
$4,000+
836

At the median asking rent, about 58% of households here would spend more than 30% of income on rent (rent stress line: $1,667/wk income).

Median taxable income trend (ATO, 2018-19 – 2022-23)$46K → $55K

Housing stock and tenure

ABS Census 2021
Tenure (12,565 households)5.5% social housing
Owned outright
37%
Owned with mortgage
30%
Rented
30%
Dwelling structure8.2% of dwellings unoccupied on census night
Separate house
82%
Townhouse / semi
13%
Flat / apartment
5%

Getting to work: 82% drive, 1% public transport, 5% walk or cycle, 11% worked from home (2021 Census, taken during COVID-era work-from-home arrangements).

Schools

ACARA 2025
Total12
Avg ICSEA1005
Students6,267
Catholic4
Government7
Independent1
  • Warrnambool West Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 902
  • Warrnambool Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 963
  • Merrivale Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1018
  • Warrnambool East Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 994
  • Merri River SchoolSpecial · Government · ICSEA 921
  • Brauer Secondary CollegeSecondary · Government · ICSEA 982

Livability

OSM · GTFS · schools + hospitals
100/ 100 livability index

Top 1% most liveable of 4,565Australian suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 99% of Australian suburbs
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access98
Public transport (168 stops)99
Schools & hospitals99

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

Suburb-level access-density index (not an address-level walk-time score), normalised within Australian suburbs. Method based on the Urban Liveability Index (Higgs et al. 2019) and Walk Score — three equal-weighted domains combined with an imbalance penalty.

Crime Year ending Mar 2026
3,538
9,649 per 100k
D9 vs AU

Crime

lga
Rate · per 100k9,649
Total incidents3,538· Year ending Mar 2026
  • Assault34850%
  • Sexual Offences19428%
  • Robbery61%
  • Break And Enter15322%

Development screen

Could a secondary dwelling be worth investigating?

Some supporting context
small second home screening context Medium broad constraint context

Policy position

Official source access limited

The official state policy page could not be reliably re-verified automatically in the latest review. Treat this screen as preliminary and confirm the current planning and building requirements with the state source and local council.

Rental use: Review against the official Planning Victoria guidance and local building requirements before use.

Open official policy source

Separate houses

75.3%

Suburb share of occupied private dwellings recorded as separate houses.

5.2 pp below the state median

State median 80.5% · 693 valid suburbs

Residential-zone context

0.0%

Broad suburb sampling only; the property zoning and overlays can differ.

Near the state median

State median 0.0% · 690 valid suburbs

Rental households

29.7%

Demand context only; it does not establish permission to rent a secondary dwelling.

7.5 pp above the state median

State median 22.2% · 693 valid suburbs

Mapped hazards

bushfire high

The staged suburb layer indicates a broad-area constraint that needs address-level checking. The staged suburb layer shows no mapped exposure; this is not a property-level clearance.

Approval pathway

Four checks, each with a different evidence threshold.

This is an investigation sequence, not a guarantee that every step applies or that approval will be granted.

  1. 01 Verify current source

    State policy position

    The current small second home position needs direct confirmation before relying on this screen.

  2. 02 Property dependent

    Planning pathway

    Confirm zoning, lot controls, overlays, setbacks, site coverage and whether planning approval is required.

  3. 03 Design dependent

    Building approval

    Confirm the building approval route after the design, site classifications, services and construction requirements are known.

  4. 04 Check separately

    Intended use

    Confirm long-term rental, short-stay or family-use rules separately from permission to construct the dwelling.

Property due diligence

Turn the suburb screen into a property checklist.

Every check starts unconfirmed. Progress stays in this browser and suburb evidence never clears an address-level requirement.

0evidence acquired
0evidence missing
0reviews due
0consultant questions

Active record: Warrnambool unnamed property

0/14checked
0issues found

Site controls

Lot area and dimensions

Confirm title dimensions, usable site area and any minimum lot threshold.

Status for Lot area and dimensions
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Setbacks and site coverage

Test setbacks, private open space, landscaping and maximum site coverage against a concept plan.

Status for Setbacks and site coverage
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Slope and ground conditions

Check survey levels, soil classification, retaining needs and likely earthworks.

Status for Slope and ground conditions
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Title and planning

Zoning and overlays

Obtain current property-level zoning, overlays and applicable planning controls.

Status for Zoning and overlays
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Title, easements and covenants

Review the title for easements, covenants, restrictions and common property.

Status for Title, easements and covenants
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Services and access

Sewer and stormwater

Locate assets and connection points, then confirm capacity, clearances and discharge requirements.

Status for Sewer and stormwater
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Power, water and metering

Confirm service routes, upgrade needs and whether separate metering is permitted or practical.

Status for Power, water and metering
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Vehicle access and parking

Test driveway width, gradients, turning, parking and emergency access requirements.

Status for Vehicle access and parking
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Construction constraints

Bushfire exposure

Order an address-level bushfire assessment and determine any BAL construction response.

Status for Bushfire exposure
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Flood and overland flow

Obtain property flood information and check floor levels, flow paths and drainage constraints.

Status for Flood and overland flow
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Wind, corrosion and termite

Confirm site classifications that affect structural design, materials and durability.

Status for Wind, corrosion and termite
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Approval and use

Planning approval pathway

Confirm exemption, complying pathway or permit requirements with the responsible authority.

Status for Planning approval pathway
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Building approval and consultants

Identify required survey, design, engineering, energy, certification and inspection evidence.

Status for Building approval and consultants
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Rental and intended use

Confirm occupation, rental, short-stay and family-use rules plus insurance and tax implications.

Status for Rental and intended use
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Warrnambool, VIC 3280 · Local browser record

Investigation aid only. Confirm current planning, building, title, service and hazard requirements with qualified professionals and responsible authorities.

Building due diligence

Construction requirements can change by location.

2 broad-area layers staged

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

High broad-area context

About 60.5% 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 0.5% 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

Vicmap Bushfire Prone Area
Partly designated ~60.5%
~60.5% 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

VIC LSIO
No mapped exposure ~0.5%
~0.5% 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

Inside Airbnb
356
active listings · ~11.4 per 1,000 residents
91%
entire homes (vs private rooms)
50%
run by multi-listing operators
Investment view Estimated
$240
median nightly (entire home)
18%
estimated occupancy
$14,874
estimated annual revenue (gross)

Estimated short-let income is 0.6× the $26,000/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

Vicmap Planning
Dominant zone Farming (FZ)
Rural / Green wedge 43% Residential 30% Public / Open space 20% Industrial 4% Commercial / Mixed 3% Other 1%
Residential density: Standard · 1% growth-zoned (RGZ/UGZ)

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 · Warrnambool LGA

Victoria in Future 2023 · projection 2021–2036
Dwellings
+18.5%
16,030 → 19,000
+2,970 dwellings
Population
+8.9%
35,420 → 38,580
Households
+15.8%
15,020 → 17,400

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

Population outlook

ABS projection · Warrnambool - North SA2 area · 2022 base
22,575 people · 202225,069 by 2032 (+11.0%)

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

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

Warrnambool (postcode 3280) is a well-populated suburb in Victoria within the Warrnambool local government area. The area has roughly 31,308 residents and a settled mid-life population, with a median age of 42. Households earn a median income of $72K 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 +1.0% 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, labourers, community & personal service. Employment in the area leans toward healthcare and retail trade. The top ancestries reported are English, Australian, Irish.

Units have a median price of $449,000 (+7% YoY). The current median weekly rent is $500. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 5.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1,408.

Warrnambool is served by 12 schools, including 7 primary, 3 secondary, 1 combined, 1 special. The average ICSEA score is 1005, which is around the national average of 1,000. Public transport access includes 7 rail stations, 161 bus stops. Healthcare facilities include 1 public and 1 private hospitals. The crime rate in the Warrnambool LGA is higher than average at 9,649 incidents per 100,000 population.

On the investment side, Gross rental yield sits at around 5.8% (high yield). Property prices sit below the state median ($449K/$850K), which can point to relative value. The price-to-income ratio of 6.2x is considered moderate. House prices have moved +7.0% year-on-year. Population growth of +1.0% 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 Yield5.8%↑ High Yield
Price vs State$449K/$850K↑ Below Median
Affordability6.2x· Moderate
Price Momentum+7.0%↑ Rising
Pop. Growth+1.0%· Stable
Development+0%· Steady
InvestmentVIC
Mortgage · mth$1,408
Rent · wk(Census)$290
Market rent · wk(Sep 2025)$500
Gross yield3.4%
Price / income6.2x
Sales vol (latest Q)(2025-Q4)25
Population growth · Warrnambool LGAABS ERP
Population (2025)36,255
5-year growth+0.5% CAGR
YoY change+1%
20012025
Development · Warrnambool LGAABS Approvals
Approvals (2026)364
Houses 84%Units 16%
YoY change+0%
Employment · Warrnambool LGASALM
Unemployment (Dec-25)2%
YoY change+0pp
Dec-10Dec-25
Property investors · Postcode 3280ATO
Negatively geared4%
844 of filers
Avg rental loss$6,271/yr
Landlords (rental income)2,083
Reported capital gains1,889
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 21
Population31,308
Median age42
Household size2.3
HH income · wk$1,385
Personal income · wk$749
Persons / bedroom0.7
IncomeATO 22-23
Median income$55,031
Mean income$63,722
Earners15,412
YoY change+6.2%
SEIFA indexABS
Advantage (IRSAD)4/10
Education (IEO)4/10
Economic (IER)3/10
Disadvantage (IRSD)4/10
Income momentumCensus 16→21
HH income · wk$1,145 → $1,385
Change+21%
vs VIC median-2.5 pp
Median rent+16%
stablevs VIC 2016–21
Top occupationsCensus
Professionals3,119Labourers2,119Community & Personal Service2,038Technicians & Trades2,025Managers1,628
Top industriesCensus
Healthcare3,007Retail Trade1,773Education1,474Manufacturing1,343Construction1,232
Top ancestryCensus
English12,828Australian12,085Irish5,932Scottish3,944German1,281
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets9
Pharmacies3
GP / clinics4
Fuel stations13
Cafes & dining64
aldi2
coles3
iga1
woolworths2
TransportGTFS
Rail stations7
Bus stops161
Sherwood Park Station
Sherwood Park Station/Aitken Dr
Warrnambool Station
Warrnambool Station/Merri St
Hospitals · Warrnambool LGAAIHW
Public1
Private1
South West Healthcare [Warrnambool]public · in suburb
St John of God Warrnambool Hospitalprivate · in suburb
Aged care · Warrnambool LGAGEN
Facilities6
Residential places429
Mercy Place Warrnambool120 places · in suburb
Lyndoch Hostel115 places · in suburb
Warrnambool Riverside Care Community84 places · in suburb
Lyndoch Nursing Home65 places · in suburb
Warrnambool Place Care Community45 places · in suburb
South West Healthcare Transition Care ProgramTransition Care · in suburb
Childcare · Warrnambool LGAACECQA
Services32
Approved places1,766
Exceeding NQS4
Story House Early Learning Warrnambool162 places · in suburb
Bright Start Childcare & Early Learning Centre Warrnambool148 places · in suburb
Warrnambool City Council OSHC Service - Vacation Care105 places · in suburb
Florence Collins Childrens Services Complex103 places · in suburb
North Edge Early Learning103 places · in suburb
Warrnambool City Council OSHC After School Care90 places · in suburb
+26 more in Warrnambool LGA
Nearby in Warrnambool LGA4
Allansford$540K · 1,410Dennington$615K · 1,994Woodford · 436Bushfield · 596
Tax calculatorsaustax.tools
Stamp Duty CalculatorVIC ↗Land Tax CalculatorVIC ↗Capital Gains Tax↗Depreciation Calculator↗Investment Property Tax↗
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Warrnambool has 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 · 12 schools matched
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Hospitals
AIHW · 2 hospitals matched
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Transport
GTFS feeds · 168 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.

Warrnambool FAQ

Common questions
  1. What LGA is Warrnambool in?

    Warrnambool is in the Warrnambool Local Government Area, VIC, postcode 3280. Council-level context for Warrnambool LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.

  2. What is the typical weekly rent in Warrnambool?

    The median weekly rent in Warrnambool is $500/wk, based on the current market rent dataset. The current rent signal is income-stretched rent market.

  3. What does the rent signal say about Warrnambool?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 47% of annual income. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates or modelling a purchase; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  4. Is Warrnambool a good investment?

    QuickProperty's investment signals for Warrnambool show: High Yield, Below Median, Moderate. These are computed from price, rent, income, and population data — not an opaque score.

  5. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Warrnambool?

    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.

  6. How often is the Warrnambool 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.