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Suburb Insights · VIC 3121

Burnley, VIC 3121 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Burnley is a well-established middle-ring suburb of Melbourne, Australia, with a population of approximately 794, making it a boutique locality. Located 5 km from the Melbourne CBD, Burnley is a middle ring area in Victoria. The median household income is $125,996 per year.

Investment Score

74 / 100 Good

Above-average earnings in Burnley support sustained property values. Its proximity to the CBD adds a strong location premium.

Location

Melbourne
Burnley
Victoria · 3121
5 km from Melbourne CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
3121

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

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Population
794

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$440/wk

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

Median household income
$125,996/yr

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

Distance to CBD
5 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
$2,200/mo

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

Home type
17% houses

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

Investment Insight

Burnley is a smaller community of 794 — about 11% of the Victoria suburb median (7,416) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Median household income of $125,996/year runs 32% above the Victoria suburb median of $95,160, indicating strong purchasing power and the type of demographic profile that tends to sustain premium property prices through market cycles. Rent of $440/week (87% coverage of the $2,200/month median mortgage) leaves a gap of roughly $293/month that a typical investor bridges with negative gearing, depreciation and capital growth. At 5 km from the Melbourne CBD, Burnley sits inside the high-demand inner ring — properties here compete directly with the city's employment, transport and amenity networks. Only 17% 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.

Burnley vs Victoria Median

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

MetricBurnleyVIC medianΔ vs state
Population7947,416-89%
Median household income$125,996/yr$95,160/yr+32%
Median rent (weekly)$440$380+16%
Median mortgage (monthly)$2,200$1,950+13%
Distance to CBD5 km32 km-84%
Separate houses17%78%-61pp

Investor Checklist

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

Investment Strategy

Buy & Hold

Strong buy-and-hold fundamentals: household incomes run 32% above the Victoria suburb median ($125,996 vs $95,160), and the 5 km CBD distance keeps this suburb in the primary demand zone. In Victoria, suburbs with this profile have historically clustered in the upper tercile of 10-year capital growth.

Rental Yield

Strong rental coverage: $440/week (~$1,907/month) covers 87% of the $2,200/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $293/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.

Renovation / Flip

Only 17% 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

Run the numbers on a Burnley property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Burnley

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Strong Rental Demand: Low Investor Sentiment: Strong

Burnley enters 2026 with a demographic tailwind — household incomes 32% above the Victoria suburb median of $95,160 and a population of 794 give it the depth and purchasing power to outperform the wider VIC market over the next 12–18 months. Rental coverage runs at ~87% of the typical mortgage ($1,907/month rent vs $2,200/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 74/100 places Burnley in the upper-middle tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is constructive heading into the second half of 2026.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Burnley a good suburb for investment?

Burnley scores 74/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a good rating. That score is driven by a population of 794, median household income of $125,996/year and median weekly rent of $440. 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 Burnley?

The main demand drivers in Burnley are proximity to Melbourne (5 km), an above-state-median household income of $125,996/year, a dwelling mix that is 17% 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 Burnley?

Burnley has a usual resident population of approximately 794, 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 Burnley from the Melbourne CBD?

Burnley sits 5 km straight-line from the Melbourne CBD. This is inner-ring territory — pricing competes directly with established Melbourne employment nodes.

What is the median rent in Burnley?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $440 in Burnley, equating to approximately $22,880/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 Burnley?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Burnley is $2,200, or approximately $26,400/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 Burnley cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $440 works out to $1,907/month, covering 87% of the median mortgage repayment of $2,200/month. That leaves a $293/month shortfall (around $3,516/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 Burnley?

The main risks are a thin buyer pool (794 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $2,200 median mortgage, a unit-heavy dwelling mix (17% 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 Burnley 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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