Bright - Mount Beauty
Statistical Area - sa2

Population growth drivers in Bright - Mount Beauty are strong compared to national averages based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Bright - Mount Beauty's population was around 9,028 as of Aug 2025. This shows an increase of 125 people since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 8,903. The change is inferred from ABS estimated resident population of 8,960 in June 2024 and 60 new addresses validated since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 2.1 persons per square kilometer. Bright - Mount Beauty's growth rate of 1.4% since census compares to the SA3 area's 3.6%, demonstrating competitive growth fundamentals. Overseas migration contributed approximately 89.3% of overall population gains recently.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered, AreaSearch utilises VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections from 2023 with adjustments made using weighted aggregation method from LGA to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Future population dynamics anticipate an increase just below the median of locations outside capital cities, expecting a growth of 552 persons to reach 9,580 by 2041 based on latest numbers, indicating a total increase of 5.3% over 17 years.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Bright - Mount Beauty when compared nationally

Mount Beauty recorded approximately 47 residential properties granted approval annually. Development approval data from the ABS is on a financial year basis: 238 homes over the past five financial years, from FY-21 to FY-25, with 8 approvals so far in FY-26. On average, 1.5 new residents per year per dwelling were constructed between FY-21 and FY-25, suggesting a balanced supply and demand. However, this moderated to 0.6 people per dwelling over the past two financial years. New properties are constructed at an average value of $963,000, indicating targeting of the premium market segment.

This financial year saw $4.7 million in commercial approvals, reflecting the area's primarily residential nature. Compared to Rest of Vic., Mount Beauty has around three-quarters the rate of new dwelling approvals per person and ranks among the 69th percentile nationally. Recent construction comprises 88.0% detached dwellings and 12.0% townhouses or apartments, maintaining low density character with a focus on family homes.

The location has approximately 196 people per dwelling approval, indicating a low density market. Population forecasts suggest Bright - Mount Beauty will gain 483 residents by 2041. With current construction levels, housing supply should meet demand adequately, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth exceeding current forecasts.

Bright - Mount Beauty has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 28thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified seven projects likely impacting this region. Key initiatives include Bright Valley, Alpine Shire Land Development Strategy 2024, The Great Valley Trail, and Porepunkah Roadworks and Rail Trail Reconstruction. The following list details those most relevant:.

Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.

Bright - Mount Beauty ranks among the top 25% of areas assessed nationally for overall employment performance

Bright Mount Beauty has a skilled workforce with prominent tourism and hospitality sectors. Its unemployment rate was 1.9% in June 2025, below Rest of Vic.'s 3.8%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 0.9%. As of June 2025, 4,815 residents were in work, with workforce participation similar to Rest of Vic.'s 57.4%. Key industries of employment among residents are accommodation & food (strongly specialized), health care & social assistance (limited presence), and education & training. While local employment opportunities exist, many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census data.

In the 12-month period ending June 2025, employment increased by 0.9% alongside labour force increasing by 1.5%, resulting in unemployment rising by 0.6 percentage points. This contrasts with Rest of Vic., where employment fell by 0.9%. State-level data to Sep-25 shows VIC employment grew by 1.08% year-on-year, with the state unemployment rate at 4.7%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 suggest Bright Mount Beauty's employment may increase by approximately 6.0%% over five years and 12.6% over ten years, based on industry-specific projections.

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

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows that income in Bright - Mount Beauty is below the national average. The median income is $44,915 and the average income is $57,971. This contrasts with Rest of Vic.'s figures where the median income is $48,741 and the average income is $60,693. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.11% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $49,456 (median) and $63,832 (average) as of March 2025. Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes all rank modestly in Bright - Mount Beauty, between the 29th and 42nd percentiles. Income brackets indicate that 30.2% of the population (2,726 individuals) fall within the $1,500 - $2,999 income range, which is similar to the metropolitan region where this cohort also represents 30.3%. Housing costs are manageable with 87.7% retained, but disposable income sits below average at the 34th percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 6th decile.

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

Bright-Mount Beauty's dwellings, as per the latest Census, were 92.1% houses and 7.9% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Non-Metro Vic.'s 91.6% houses and 8.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Bright-Mount Beauty was 47.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 32.3% and rented ones at 20.0%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,500, higher than Non-Metro Vic.'s average but below the national figure of $1,863. Median weekly rent in Bright-Mount Beauty was $298, lower than Non-Metro Vic.'s $280 and significantly below the national average of $375.

Bright - Mount Beauty has a typical household mix, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households account for 67.8% of all households, including 24.5% couples with children, 35.3% couples without children, and 7.5% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 32.2%, with lone person households at 29.3% and group households comprising 2.9% of the total. The median household size is 2.3 people, which is smaller than the Rest of Vic average of 2.4.

The educational profile of Bright - Mount Beauty exceeds national averages, with above-average qualification levels and academic performance metrics

The area's university qualification rate is 28.8% among residents aged 15+, exceeding the SA4 region average of 19.8% and the SA3 area average of 21.1%. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 19.0%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (5.3%) and graduate diplomas (4.5%). Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 39.9% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications – advanced diplomas comprise 12.8% and certificates make up 27.1%.

Educational participation is high, with 28.0% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.8% in primary education, 8.8% in secondary education, and 3.5% pursuing tertiary education. There are 13 schools serving 1,068 students in the area. Bright - Mount Beauty demonstrates typical Australian school conditions with balanced educational opportunities (ICSEA: 1044). The educational mix includes 7 primary, 2 secondary, and 4 K-12 schools. School places per 100 residents are 11.8, below the regional average of 17.6, suggesting some students may attend schools in adjacent areas. Note: where schools show 'n/a' for enrolments, please refer to the parent campus.

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

Bright-Mount Beauty has 15 active public transport stops. These are served by buses along five different routes. Together, these routes facilitate 96 weekly passenger trips.

The accessibility of this service is rated as limited, with residents being an average of 1472 meters away from the nearest stop. Service frequency averages 13 trips per day across all routes, which translates to approximately six weekly trips per individual stop.

Bright - Mount Beauty's residents are healthier than average in comparison to broader Australia with a fairly standard level of common health conditions seen across both young and old age cohorts

Bright - Mount Beauty's health data shows positive outcomes for residents with common health conditions across young and old age cohorts. Approximately 49% (~4,414 people) have private health cover, lower than the national average of 55.3%.

The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (9.1%) and mental health issues (7.4%). About 68.5% declare no medical ailments, higher than Rest of Vic.'s 64.1%. The area has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 23.5% (2,125 people) compared to Rest of Vic.'s 20.7%. Senior health outcomes are strong and better than the general population in health metrics.

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

Bright-Mount Beauty's cultural diversity was found to be below average, with 86.9% of its population being Australian citizens, born in Australia on 84.4%, and speaking English only at home on 94.2%. The predominant religion was Christianity, comprising 36.8% of the population as of a specific date. Notably, Judaism was found to be overrepresented, with 0.1% of the population compared to the regional average of 0.1%.

Regarding ancestry, the top three groups were English at 31.3%, Australian at 28.1%, and Irish at 9.6%. There were also notable differences in the representation of Dutch (2.0% vs regional 1.6%), Scottish (8.9% vs 8.3%), and German (4.6% vs 4.8%) groups.

Bright - Mount Beauty hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

Bright-Mount Beauty has a median age of 46, which is slightly higher than Victoria's figure of 43 and significantly higher than Australia's norm of 38. The age group of 45-54 shows strong representation at 13.6%, compared to the Rest of Vic., while the 5-14 cohort is less prevalent at 10.0%. Post-2021 Census data indicates that the 35 to 44 age group has grown from 11.7% to 13.6%, and the 25 to 34 cohort increased from 10.0% to 11.6%. Conversely, the 55 to 64 cohort has declined from 15.6% to 13.7%, and the 5-14 group dropped from 11.3% to 10.0%. By 2041, Bright-Mount Beauty is expected to see notable shifts in its age composition, with the 25 to 34 group projected to grow by 33% (339 people), reaching 1,383 from 1,043. Meanwhile, the 75 to 84 and 15 to 24 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.