Healesville

An assessment of population growth drivers in Healesville reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

The population of the Healesville statistical area (Lv2) is estimated at around 7,653 as of November 2025. This reflects an increase of 64 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 7,589 people. The change is inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of the resident population at 7,590 following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2024 and an additional 73 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 54 persons per square kilometer. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises the VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023, adjusted using a method of weighted aggregation of population growth from LGA to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on aggregated SA2-level projections, the Healesville (SA2) is expected to expand by 560 persons to 2041, reflecting a gain of 6.6% in total over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Healesville, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

Healesville has averaged approximately 29 new dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, from FY17 to FY21. This totals an estimated 147 homes. In the current financial year, FY26, 12 approvals have been recorded as of now. The population in Healesville has declined recently, yet housing supply has remained adequate relative to demand, resulting in a balanced market with good buyer choice.

New properties are constructed at an average expected construction cost value of $634,000, indicating that developers target the premium market segment with higher-end properties. This financial year has seen $21.1 million in commercial approvals, suggesting balanced commercial development activity. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Healesville shows comparable building activity per person, maintaining market balance consistent with the broader area.

The breakdown of new building activity is 77.0% detached dwellings and 23.0% attached dwellings, preserving the area's low density nature and attracting space-seeking buyers. As of now, there are an estimated 346 people in the area per dwelling approval. Future projections estimate Healesville to add 507 residents by 2041 (from AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate). With current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Healesville has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

Five projects have been identified by AreaSearch as potentially impacting the area. Key projects include Maroondah Highway & Don Road Interchange Upgrade, Yarra Valley Railway Heritage Line Restoration, The Memo Healesville Redevelopment, and Healesville Sanctuary Precinct Redevelopment (Stage 2).

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The employment landscape in Healesville shows performance that lags behind national averages across key labour market indicators

Healesville has a skilled workforce with the construction sector notably represented. Its unemployment rate was 4.5% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 1.0%.

As of September 2025, 3,682 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 4.5%, 0.2% below Greater Melbourne's rate. Workforce participation is lower at 57.0% compared to Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. Major employment sectors include construction, health care & social assistance, and manufacturing. Construction has a significant presence with an employment share 1.5 times the regional level, while professional & technical services have limited representation at 5.6%, compared to 10.1% regionally.

The area may offer limited local employment opportunities based on Census working population vs resident population data. In the past year, employment increased by 1.0% alongside a labour force increase of 0.3%, reducing the unemployment rate by 0.7 percentage points. This contrasts with Greater Melbourne's employment growth of 3.0%, labour force expansion of 3.3%, and unemployment rise of 0.3 percentage points. State-level data to 25-Nov-25 shows Victorian employment grew by 1.13% year-on-year, adding 41,950 jobs, with the state unemployment rate at 4.7%. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia project national growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Healesville's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.0% over five years and 12.7% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

Income figures position the area below 75% of locations analysed nationally by AreaSearch

The suburb of Healesville had a median taxpayer income of $46,524 and an average of $59,297 in the latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2023. This is lower than national averages, with Greater Melbourne's median income being $57,688 and average income $75,164. By September 2025, estimated incomes would be approximately $50,362 (median) and $64,189 (average), based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.25% since financial year 2023. According to the 2021 Census, household, family, and personal incomes in Healesville ranked modestly, between the 29th and 34th percentiles. Income brackets showed that 31.7% of the population (2,426 individuals) fell within the $1,500 - $2,999 range, similar to surrounding regions where 32.8% occupied this range. Housing affordability pressures were severe, with only 84.6% of income remaining, ranking at the 35th percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking placed it in the 5th decile.

Healesville is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Healesville's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 89.6% houses and 10.4% other dwellings. In contrast, Melbourne metro had 93.8% houses and 6.3% other dwellings. Home ownership in Healesville was at 41.2%, with mortgaged dwellings at 41.3% and rented ones at 17.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,733, lower than Melbourne metro's $1,950. The median weekly rent in Healesville was $350, compared to Melbourne metro's $380. Nationally, Healesville's mortgage repayments were below the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were less than the national figure of $375.

Healesville has a typical household mix, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 70.1% of all households, including 27.3% couples with children, 30.4% couples without children, and 11.9% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 29.9%, with lone person households at 27.8% and group households comprising 2.0%. The median household size is 2.4 people, smaller than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.7.

Educational outcomes in Healesville fall within the lower quartile nationally, indicating opportunities for improvement in qualification attainment

The area's university qualification rate is 22.8%, significantly lower than Greater Melbourne's average of 37.0%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 15.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (4.3%) and graduate diplomas (3.1%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 40.0% of residents aged 15+ holding them, including advanced diplomas (12.9%) and certificates (27.1%). Educational participation is high, with 26.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education.

This includes 9.4% in primary education, 7.3% in secondary education, and 3.3% pursuing tertiary education.

Transport servicing is low compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility

The analysis of public transport in Healesville indicates that there are currently 38 active transport stops operating within the area. These stops primarily serve bus routes. The service is provided by three individual routes which together facilitate a total of 389 weekly passenger trips.

The accessibility of these services is rated as moderate, with residents on average being located approximately 403 meters away from their nearest transport stop. Across all routes, the service frequency averages around 55 trips per day, translating to roughly 10 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Healesville is well below average with prevalence of common health conditions notable across both younger and older age cohorts

Health data indicates significant health challenges in Healesville, with common conditions prevalent across both younger and older age groups. Approximately 50% of Healesville's total population (~3,850 people) has private health cover, compared to Greater Melbourne's 53.1% and the national average of 55.7%. The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (10.8%) and mental health issues (9.9%).

Sixty-one point eight percent of residents report being completely free of medical ailments, compared to Greater Melbourne's 66.9%. Healesville has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 26.3% (2,012 people), compared to Greater Melbourne's 19.4%. Senior health outcomes present challenges broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

Healesville ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Healesville, as per the census data from 15th August 2016, showed a lower than average cultural diversity. The Australian-born population constituted 84.1%, with 90.0% being citizens and 95.1% speaking English exclusively at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 37.1%.

Buddhism, however, was slightly overrepresented at 1.2% compared to Greater Melbourne's 1.1%. The top three ancestral groups were English (33.0%), Australian (27.2%), and Irish (9.8%). Notably, Dutch ancestry was higher than the regional average at 2.8%, Scottish at 9.2%, and Hungarian at 0.3%.

Healesville hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The median age in Healesville is 46 years, which is notably higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 years and also exceeds the Australian median of 38 years. Compared to Greater Melbourne's average, the 75-84 age cohort is over-represented in Healesville at 10.2%, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 8.1%. Between the 2021 Census and present, the 75 to 84 age group has grown from 8.3% to 10.2% of Healesville's population, while the 35 to 44 cohort increased from 11.5% to 12.9%. Conversely, the 25 to 34 age group has declined from 10.2% to 8.1%, and the 55 to 64 age group dropped from 14.9% to 13.5%. Population forecasts for Healesville indicate substantial demographic changes by 2041. The 75 to 84 age cohort is projected to expand by 324 people (42%) from 780 to 1,105. The aging population trend is clear, with those aged 65 and above comprising 89% of the projected growth. Conversely, the 25 to 34 and 15 to 24 age cohorts are expected to experience population declines.