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Suburb Insights · VIC 3875

Bairnsdale, VIC 3875 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Bairnsdale is a regional centre in Victoria, Australia, with a population of approximately 7,905, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 230 km from the Melbourne CBD, Bairnsdale is a regional area in Victoria. The median household income is $57,252 per year.

Investment Score

37 / 100 Weak

Bairnsdale's income profile suggests a value-oriented market with competitive purchase prices. As a regional location, growth prospects depend on local economic conditions and infrastructure investment.

Location

Melbourne
Bairnsdale
Victoria · 3875
230 km from Melbourne CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
3875

Official Australia Post postcode for Bairnsdale. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
7,905

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$270/wk

Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.

Median household income
$57,252/yr

Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.

Distance to CBD
230 km

Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.

Lifestyle & Amenities

Schools nearby
2

Estimated 2 schools within or near this suburb.

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Parks & green spaces
3

Estimated 3 parks and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$1,192/mo

Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.

Home type
76% houses

Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.

Why People Like Living in Bairnsdale

Who Bairnsdale Suits

👨‍👩‍👧FamiliesSchool count or dwelling mix is lighter here.
📊InvestorsRent covers a solid share of the median mortgage.
🏡First-home buyersEntry costs sit at or below the Victoria median.
💼ProfessionalsLonger commute to the CBD.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Rent sits within an affordable share of local incomes, supporting tenant demand.
  • Mortgage costs are lower than the Victoria median, improving cash-flow margins.
  • Local parks and reserves (around 3) add to liveability.
  • Solid transport links into employment hubs.

Cons

  • Long distance to the CBD (230 km) — plan for commute time or local employment.
  • Traffic can build during peak hours, especially on arterial roads.

Investment Insight

7,905 residents places Bairnsdale squarely in the middle of the Victoria suburb size distribution (state median 7,416), with market depth comparable to most VIC localities. Bairnsdale's median household income of $57,252/year is 40% below the Victoria suburb median ($95,160) — this is an affordability play where returns lean on yield and patient capital growth rather than demographic premium. Median weekly rent of $270 equates to $1,170/month — about 98% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,192/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. Bairnsdale is 230 km from Melbourne, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.

Investment Tip

This suburb suits yield-focused investors who are comfortable with lower liquidity. Employment concentration and local population trends matter more here than in metro markets. Local rents consume roughly 25% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.

Bairnsdale vs Victoria Median

How Bairnsdale stacks up against the median of all Victoria suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Bairnsdale sits above the state median; negative means below.

MetricBairnsdaleVIC medianΔ vs state
Population7,9057,416+7%
Median household income$57,252/yr$95,160/yr-40%
Median rent (weekly)$270$380-29%
Median mortgage (monthly)$1,192$1,950-39%
Distance to CBD230 km32 km+619%
Separate houses76%78%-2pp

Investor Checklist

Pre-inspection briefing for Bairnsdale — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.

Investment Strategy

Buy & Hold

Limited buy-and-hold upside: household incomes 40% below the VIC median ($57,252 vs $95,160) means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider Victoria market over full cycles.

Rental Yield

Strong rental coverage: $270/week (~$1,170/month) covers 98% of the $1,192/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $22/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.

⚠️
Renovation / Flip

With 76% houses in a 7,905-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.

Risk Factors

Run the numbers on a Bairnsdale property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Bairnsdale

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Low Rental Demand: Moderate Investor Sentiment: Low

Capital-growth expectations for Bairnsdale are modest for 2026 — incomes 40% below the VIC median of $95,160 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~98% of the typical mortgage ($1,170/month rent vs $1,192/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 37/100 places Bairnsdale in the lower tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is cautious heading into the second half of 2026.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bairnsdale a good suburb for investment?

Bairnsdale scores 37/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a weak rating. That score is driven by a population of 7,905, median household income of $57,252/year and median weekly rent of $270. Whether it fits your portfolio depends on whether you are targeting cash flow, capital growth, or a value-add renovation — all three are scored with suburb-specific numbers elsewhere on this page.

What drives property demand in Bairnsdale?

The main demand drivers in Bairnsdale are a median household income of $57,252/year, a dwelling mix that is 76% separate houses, roughly 2 schools and 3 parks within the catchment. Together these shape both owner-occupier and tenant demand and are the factors we weight most heavily in the suburb's investment score.

What is the population of Bairnsdale?

Bairnsdale has a usual resident population of approximately 7,905, compared with a Victoria suburb median of 7,416 — placing it in the upper half of the state's suburbs by size. Population is the clearest proxy for market depth: more residents mean more transactions and typically a shorter average days-on-market on resale.

How far is Bairnsdale from the Melbourne CBD?

Bairnsdale sits 230 km straight-line from the Melbourne CBD. This is a regional market where CBD distance is only indicative — local industry diversity and commute alternatives matter more.

What is the median rent in Bairnsdale?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $270 in Bairnsdale, equating to approximately $14,040/year in gross rental income (state median $380/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.

What is the typical mortgage repayment in Bairnsdale?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Bairnsdale is $1,192, or approximately $14,304/year (vs $1,950/month state median). Stress-test your own borrowing at rates 1–2 percentage points above today's to make sure you can still service the loan through an RBA tightening cycle.

Is Bairnsdale cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $270 works out to $1,170/month, covering 98% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,192/month. That leaves a $22/month shortfall (around $264/year before tax benefits), so a typical owner-occupier-priced property here is negatively geared. Actual cash flow depends on your deposit, loan terms, ownership costs and marginal tax rate — run the full numbers in our rental yield calculator.

What are the main risks of investing in Bairnsdale?

The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,192 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($57,252 vs $95,160 state median), the broader Victoria market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.

How we built this Bairnsdale profile

Every number on this page comes from the ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Australia Post postcode reference data, and OpenStreetMap amenity tiles. The investment score, strategy verdicts, and comparison table are computed deterministically from those inputs — no opinion, no estimation. See our full methodology and the data sources and licences for the formulas we use.

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