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Suburb Insights · VIC 3496

Red Cliffs, VIC 3496 Property Profile

ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026

Suburb Overview

Red Cliffs is a regional centre in Victoria, Australia, with a population of approximately 5,294, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 457 km from the Melbourne CBD, Red Cliffs is a regional area in Victoria. The median household income is $67,080 per year.

Investment Score

41 / 100 Moderate

Household earnings in Red Cliffs 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
Red Cliffs
Victoria · 3496
457 km from Melbourne CBD
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Key Indicators

Postcode
3496

Official Australia Post postcode for Red Cliffs. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.

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Population
5,294

Usual resident population at the most recent census.

Median weekly rent
$240/wk

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

Median household income
$67,080/yr

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

Distance to CBD
457 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
2

Estimated 2 parks and green spaces near this suburb.

Median monthly mortgage
$1,083/mo

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

Home type
84% houses

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

Why People Like Living in Red Cliffs

Who Red Cliffs 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.
  • Solid transport links into employment hubs.

Cons

  • Long distance to the CBD (457 km) — plan for commute time or local employment.
  • Fewer schools inside the suburb itself — verify catchments for neighbouring areas.

Investment Insight

Red Cliffs is a smaller community of 5,294 — about 71% of the Victoria suburb median (7,416) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Red Cliffs's median household income of $67,080/year is 30% 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 $240 equates to $1,040/month — about 96% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,083/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. Red Cliffs is 457 km from Melbourne, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.

Investment Tip

Regional property can deliver strong cash-flow yields but liquidity is tighter — plan for longer hold periods and verify local employment stability. Local rents consume roughly 19% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.

Red Cliffs vs Victoria Median

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

MetricRed CliffsVIC medianΔ vs state
Population5,2947,416-29%
Median household income$67,080/yr$95,160/yr-30%
Median rent (weekly)$240$380-37%
Median mortgage (monthly)$1,083$1,950-44%
Distance to CBD457 km32 km+1328%
Separate houses84%78%+6pp

Investor Checklist

Pre-inspection briefing for Red Cliffs — 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 30% below the VIC median ($67,080 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: $240/week (~$1,040/month) covers 96% of the $1,083/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $43/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.

⚠️
Renovation / Flip

With 84% houses in a 5,294-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 Red Cliffs property

Full Property Analysis

30-year projections for Red Cliffs

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2026 Outlook

Growth: Low Rental Demand: Moderate Investor Sentiment: Low

Capital-growth expectations for Red Cliffs are modest for 2026 — incomes 30% below the VIC median of $95,160 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~96% of the typical mortgage ($1,040/month rent vs $1,083/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 41/100 places Red Cliffs in the mid 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 Red Cliffs a good suburb for investment?

Red Cliffs scores 41/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 5,294, median household income of $67,080/year and median weekly rent of $240. 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 Red Cliffs?

The main demand drivers in Red Cliffs are a median household income of $67,080/year, a dwelling mix that is 84% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 2 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 Red Cliffs?

Red Cliffs has a usual resident population of approximately 5,294, 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 Red Cliffs from the Melbourne CBD?

Red Cliffs sits 457 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 Red Cliffs?

The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $240 in Red Cliffs, equating to approximately $12,480/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 Red Cliffs?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Red Cliffs is $1,083, or approximately $12,996/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 Red Cliffs cash-flow positive for investors?

A median weekly rent of $240 works out to $1,040/month, covering 96% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,083/month. That leaves a $43/month shortfall (around $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 Red Cliffs?

The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,083 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($67,080 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 Red Cliffs 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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