Gowanbrae
Statistical Area - sa2

Gowanbrae lies within the top quartile of areas nationally for population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Gowanbrae's population, according to AreaSearch's analysis, is approximately 3,189 as of Aug 2025. This marks an increase of 78 people, representing a growth of 2.5%, since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 3,111. The change was inferred from the estimated resident population of 3,189 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 4 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 2,098 persons per square kilometer, higher than the average across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration contributed approximately 54.7% of overall population gains during recent periods, driving primary growth for the area.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023, adjusted using weighted aggregation methods from LGA to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Future population projections indicate exceptional growth, placing Gowanbrae in the top 10 percent of national areas. The area is expected to grow by 1,290 persons to 2041 based on the latest population numbers, reflecting an increase of 40.5% over the 17-year period.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Gowanbrae according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Gowanbrae has seen approximately seven new homes approved annually. Development approval data is produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on a financial year basis, totalling 39 approvals across the past five financial years from FY20 to FY25, with zero approvals so far in FY26. On average, around 2.9 people per year have moved to the area for each new home constructed over these five financial years, indicating solid demand that supports property values. New homes are being built at an average expected construction cost value of $886,000, reflecting developers' focus on the premium market with high-end developments.

This financial year has seen $150,000 in commercial development approvals recorded, suggesting a predominantly residential focus. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Gowanbrae shows substantially reduced construction activity, at 84.0% below the regional average per person. This constrained new construction typically reinforces demand and pricing for existing dwellings, although development activity has picked up in recent periods. This level is also under the national average, indicating the area's established nature and suggesting potential planning limitations. Recent development in Gowanbrae has been entirely comprised of standalone homes, preserving the area's suburban nature with an emphasis on detached housing attracting space-seeking buyers.

Notably, developers are constructing more detached housing than the existing pattern implies (67.0% at Census), reflecting persistent strong demand for family homes. With around 1025 people per dwelling approval, Gowanbrae reflects a highly mature market. Population forecasts indicate Gowanbrae will gain 1,290 residents through to 2041. Should current construction levels persist, housing supply could lag population growth, likely intensifying buyer competition and underpinning price growth.

Gowanbrae has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 20% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified twelve projects likely affecting the area. Notable ones include Artisan Architects' 18-22 Howes Street Apartments, the 17-25 Earl Street Airport West Development, and both 19-21 Louis Street Airport West and 12 Howes Street Airport West Apartments. The following list details those most relevant.

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

Gowanbrae ranks among the top 25% of areas assessed nationally for overall employment performance

Gowanbrae has an educated workforce with strong professional services representation. The unemployment rate was 2.6% in the past year, with estimated employment growth of 4.5%.

As of June 2025, 1,945 residents were employed at a 2.1% lower unemployment rate than Greater Melbourne's 4.6%, while workforce participation was 66.7%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. Key industries include health care & social assistance, construction, and education & training. Transport, postal & warehousing had an employment share of 1.7 times the regional level. Health care & social assistance had limited presence at 11.8% compared to 14.2% regionally.

Employment opportunities locally appeared limited based on Census working population vs resident population counts. From June 2024 to June 2025, employment levels increased by 4.5%, labour force increased by 4.3%, and unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage points in Gowanbrae. Greater Melbourne saw employment growth of 3.5% and labour force growth of 4.0%, with a 0.5 percentage point rise in unemployment. By Sep-25, VIC's employment grew by 1.08% year-on-year, adding 39,880 jobs, with the state unemployment rate at 4.7%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 project growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Gowanbrae's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.4%% over five years and 13.2% over ten years, though these are simple weighted extrapolations for illustrative purposes only.

Income analysis reveals strong economic positioning, with the area outperforming 60% of locations assessed nationally by AreaSearch

Gowanbrae median taxpayer income was $52,540 with an average of $61,447 according to latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2022. This is lower than national averages, contrasting with Greater Melbourne's median income of $54,892 and average of $73,761. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.11% since financial year 2022, estimated current incomes are approximately $57,852 (median) and $67,659 (average) as of March 2025. Census data shows household, family and personal incomes in Gowanbrae cluster around the 73rd percentile nationally. The dominant income bracket is $1,500 - 2,999 with 28.9% of residents (921 people). This aligns with regional trends where this cohort represents 32.8%. A substantial proportion of high earners (34.5% above $3,000/week) indicates strong economic capacity in Gowanbrae. Housing accounts for 14.1% of income while strong earnings rank residents within the 78th percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

Gowanbrae displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Gowanbrae's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, consisted of 66.8% houses and 33.2% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Melbourne metro's figures of 62.8% houses and 37.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in Gowanbrae stood at 32.8%, with mortgaged dwellings at 52.2% and rented ones at 14.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,000, aligning with the Melbourne metro average, while the median weekly rent figure was $423, compared to Melbourne metro's $2,000 and $381 respectively. Nationally, Gowanbrae's mortgage repayments exceeded the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially higher than the national figure of $375.

Gowanbrae has a typical household mix, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 76.2% of all households, including 40.8% couples with children, 23.3% couples without children, and 11.3% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 23.8%, with lone person households at 22.2% and group households comprising 1.4%. The median household size is 2.7 people, larger than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.6.

Gowanbrae performs slightly above the national average for education, showing competitive qualification levels and steady academic outcomes

Educational qualifications in Gowanbrae trail regional benchmarks. 29.1% of residents aged 15+ hold university degrees, compared to Greater Melbourne's 37.0%. Bachelor degrees lead at 20.1%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.1%) and graduate diplomas (2.9%). Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 31.1% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (12.6%) and certificates (18.5%).

Educational participation is high, with 29.4% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.9% in secondary education, 9.5% in primary education, and 5.0% pursuing tertiary education. Educational facilities appear to be located outside immediate catchment boundaries, requiring families to access schools in neighboring areas.

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

Gowanbrae has 17 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 8 different routes that together facilitate 1,945 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is deemed excellent, with residents on average being located just 102 meters from the nearest stop.

On a daily basis, there are an average of 277 bus trips across all routes, which equates to approximately 114 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Gowanbrae is notably higher than the national average with prevalence of common health conditions low among the general population though higher than the nation's average across older, at risk cohorts

Gowanbrae shows better-than-average health outcomes with a low prevalence of common health conditions among its general population, but this rate is higher among older, at-risk cohorts compared to national averages.

Approximately 51% (~1613 people) of the total population has private health cover. The most prevalent medical conditions are asthma and arthritis, affecting 8.2% and 7.2% of residents respectively, while 72.6% reported being completely free from medical ailments, compared to 72.2% in Greater Melbourne. The area has 18.7% (595 people) of residents aged 65 and over, which is higher than the 14.0% seen in Greater Melbourne.

Gowanbrae was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets in Australia, upon assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Gowanbrae's population was found to be more culturally diverse than most local markets, with 25.4% born overseas and 30.1% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion in Gowanbrae, comprising 61.1% of its population, compared to 43.9% across Greater Melbourne. The top three ancestry groups were English (18.3%), Australian (18.0%), and Italian (13.9%).

Notably, Croatian (1.7%) was overrepresented in Gowanbrae compared to the regional average of 0.7%. Similarly, Maltese stood at 2.9% versus a regional average of 1.7%, and Sri Lankan at 1.3% compared to 0.6%.

Gowanbrae's population is slightly older than the national pattern

Gowanbrae has a median age of 40, which is slightly higher than Greater Melbourne's figure of 37 and Australia's median age of 38. Compared to the Greater Melbourne average, Gowanbrae has an over-representation of the 75-84 age group (8.2%) and an under-representation of the 25-34 age group (11.6%). Between 2021 and present, the 75-84 age group grew from 6.6% to 8.2%, while the 15-24 cohort increased from 12.6% to 14.1%. Conversely, the 5-14 cohort decreased from 14.0% to 11.5%, and the 45-54 group dropped from 15.7% to 14.5%. By 2041, demographic modeling projects significant changes in Gowanbrae's age profile, with the 75-84 age cohort expected to grow by 221 people (an 84% increase) from 263 to 485.