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Suburb Insights · VIC 3889

Bemm River, VIC 3889 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Bemm River is a regional centre in Victoria, Australia, with a population of approximately 72, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 349 km from the Melbourne CBD, Bemm River is a regional area in Victoria. The median household income is $36,920 per year.

Investment Score

27 / 100 Weak

Household earnings in Bemm River are below the state average, which may affect long-term capital growth. Regional positioning means lower entry costs but potentially longer hold periods for capital gains.

Location

Melbourne
Bemm River
Victoria · 3889
349 km from Melbourne CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
3889

Official Australia Post postcode for Bemm River. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
72

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$220/wk

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

Median household income
$36,920/yr

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

Distance to CBD
349 km

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

Lifestyle & Amenities

Schools nearby
1

Estimated 1 school within or near this suburb.

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Parks & green spaces
1

Estimated 1 park and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$1,190/mo

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

Home type
32% houses

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

Investment Insight

Bemm River is a smaller community of 72 — about 1% of the Victoria suburb median (7,416) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Bemm River's median household income of $36,920/year is 61% 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. Rent of $220/week (80% coverage of the $1,190/month median mortgage) leaves a gap of roughly $237/month that a typical investor bridges with negative gearing, depreciation and capital growth. Bemm River is 349 km from Melbourne, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand. Only 32% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 78% state median), so this is a unit-heavy market where body-corporate decisions and strata supply meaningfully shape investor returns.

Bemm River vs Victoria Median

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

MetricBemm RiverVIC medianΔ vs state
Population727,416-99%
Median household income$36,920/yr$95,160/yr-61%
Median rent (weekly)$220$380-42%
Median mortgage (monthly)$1,190$1,950-39%
Distance to CBD349 km32 km+991%
Separate houses32%78%-46pp

Investor Checklist

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

Investment Strategy

Buy & Hold

Limited buy-and-hold upside: a small population of 72 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider Victoria market over full cycles.

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Rental Yield

Moderate rental coverage: rent of $220/week covers 80% of a $1,190/month mortgage, leaving a $237/month gap that an investor bridges with equity, depreciation and tax benefits.

Renovation / Flip

Only 32% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 78% VIC median) — this is a unit and townhouse market, where cosmetic flips struggle against body-corporate restrictions, thinner after-reno uplift and competing new supply.

Risk Factors

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30-year projections for Bemm River

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Low Rental Demand: Low Investor Sentiment: Low

Capital-growth expectations for Bemm River are modest for 2026 — incomes 61% below the VIC median of $95,160 and a population of 72 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~80% of the typical mortgage ($953/month rent vs $1,190/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 27/100 places Bemm River 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 Bemm River a good suburb for investment?

Bemm River scores 27/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a weak rating. That score is driven by a population of 72, median household income of $36,920/year and median weekly rent of $220. 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 Bemm River?

The main demand drivers in Bemm River are a median household income of $36,920/year, a dwelling mix that is 32% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 1 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 Bemm River?

Bemm River has a usual resident population of approximately 72, compared with a Victoria suburb median of 7,416 — placing it in the lower 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 Bemm River from the Melbourne CBD?

Bemm River sits 349 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 Bemm River?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $220 in Bemm River, equating to approximately $11,440/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 Bemm River?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Bemm River is $1,190, or approximately $14,280/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 Bemm River cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $220 works out to $953/month, covering 80% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,190/month. That leaves a $237/month shortfall (around $2,844/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 Bemm River?

The main risks are a thin buyer pool (72 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,190 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($36,920 vs $95,160 state median), a unit-heavy dwelling mix (32% houses) where body-corporate costs and apartment supply affect resale, 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 Bemm River 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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