Mount Dandenong - Olinda

Mount Dandenong - Olinda has shown very soft population growth performance across periods assessed by AreaSearch

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Mount Dandenong - Olinda's population is around 9,666 as of Feb 2026. This reflects a decrease of 40 people (0.4%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 9,706 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 9,609 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 26 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 118 persons per square kilometer, providing significant space per person and potential room for further development. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which contributed approximately 64.1% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch is utilising the VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023 with adjustments made employing a method of weighted aggregation of population growth from LGA to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are also applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. As we examine future population trends, lower quartile growth of Australian statistical areas is anticipated, with the area expected to grow by 230 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting an increase of 1.8% in total over the 17 years.

The level of residential development activity in Mount Dandenong - Olinda is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch

Mount Dandenong - Olinda has experienced around 6 dwellings receiving development approval per year, totalling 33 homes over the past 5 financial years. So far in FY-26, 5 approvals have been recorded. With population declining over recent years, development activity has been adequate in relative terms, which is a positive for buyers, while new properties are constructed at an average value of $689,000, demonstrating a developer focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties. Additionally, $1.7 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded this financial year, demonstrating the area's residential nature.

When measured against Greater Melbourne, Mount Dandenong - Olinda has significantly less development activity (83.0% below regional average per person). This constrained new construction usually reinforces demand and pricing for existing dwellings. This is likewise lower than nationally, reflecting market maturity and pointing to possible development constraints. Further, recent building activity consists entirely of detached houses, maintaining the area's traditional low density character with a focus on family homes appealing to those seeking space. The estimated count of 1403 people in the area per dwelling approval reflects its quiet, low activity development environment.

Looking ahead, Mount Dandenong - Olinda is expected to grow by 173 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). Present construction rates appear balanced with future demand, fostering steady market conditions without excessive price pressure.

Mount Dandenong - Olinda has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 44thth percentile nationally

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total, 26 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include Six Senses Resort And Spa At Burnham Beeches, Mount Dandenong Tourist Road Landslide Repair Works, Dandenong Ranges Environmental Protection Program, and Sherbrooke Children's Centre Services, with the list below detailing those likely to be of most relevance.

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

Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

AreaSearch analysis places Mount Dandenong - Olinda well above average for employment performance across multiple indicators

Mount Dandenong - Olinda has a well-educated workforce, with professional services showing strong representation, an unemployment rate of just 2.8%, and 1.7% in estimated employment growth over the past year. As of December 2025, 5,338 residents are in work while the unemployment rate is 2.0% below Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.8%, and workforce participation is somewhat below standard (68.3% compared to Greater Melbourne's 71.3%). Based on Census responses, a high 37.4% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

Employment among residents is concentrated in education & training, health care & social assistance, and professional & technical services. The area has a particular employment specialization in education & training, with an employment share 1.5 times the regional level. Conversely, transport, postal & warehousing shows lower representation at 2.8% versus the regional average of 5.2%. The area appears to offer limited employment opportunities locally, as indicated by the count of the Census working population versus the resident population.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, the 12-month period saw employment increasing by 1.7% alongside the labour force increasing by 1.5%, resulting in unemployment falling by 0.2 percentage points. This contrasts with Greater Melbourne, where employment rose by 2.4%, the labour force grew by 2.8%, and unemployment rose 0.3 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Mount Dandenong - Olinda. These projections, covering five and ten-year periods, have been mapped against the local employment profile to estimate growth patterns. While national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to Mount Dandenong - Olinda's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

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

The Mount Dandenong - Olinda SA2's income level is very high nationally according to the latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for FY-23. The Mount Dandenong - Olinda SA2's median income among taxpayers is $57,568 and the average income stands at $75,921, which compares to figures for Greater Melbourne's of $57,688 and $75,164 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.25% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $62,317 (median) and $82,184 (average) as of September 2025. Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes in Mount Dandenong - Olinda cluster around the 67th percentile nationally. Looking at income distribution, 31.5% of the population (3,044 individuals) fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 income range, consistent with broader trends across regional levels showing 32.8% in the same category. The substantial proportion of high earners (31.1% above $3,000/week) indicates strong economic capacity throughout Mount Dandenong - Olinda. After housing costs, residents retain 86.9% of income, reflecting strong purchasing power and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

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

Dwelling structure within Mount Dandenong - Olinda, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 99.1% houses and 0.9% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), in comparison to Melbourne metro's 67.9% houses and 32.1% other dwellings. Meanwhile, the level of home ownership within Mount Dandenong - Olinda was well beyond that of Melbourne metro, at 39.8%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (51.8%) or rented (8.5%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was above the Melbourne metro average at $2,028, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $400, compared to Melbourne metro's $2,000 and $390. Nationally, Mount Dandenong - Olinda's mortgage repayments are higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are exceeding the national figure of $375.

Mount Dandenong - Olinda features high concentrations of family households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households dominate at 77.9% of all households, comprising 35.9% couples with children, 32.6% couples without children, and 8.9% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 22.1%, with lone person households at 20.2% and group households comprising 1.9% of the total. The median household size of 2.6 people matches the Greater Melbourne average.

Mount Dandenong - Olinda shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Educational attainment in Mount Dandenong - Olinda significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 38.5% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 23.8% in the SA3 area and 30.4% in Australia. This substantial educational advantage positions the area strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees lead at 23.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (9.5%) and graduate diplomas (5.7%). Trade and technical skills feature prominently, with 33.3% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials, including advanced diplomas (13.6%) and certificates (19.7%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 27.9% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.7% in primary education, 8.0% in secondary education, and 4.8% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 135 active transport stops operating within Mount Dandenong - Olinda, comprising a mix of buses. These stops are serviced by 15 individual routes, collectively providing 1,935 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as moderate, with residents typically located 402 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward; the car remains the dominant mode at 90%. Vehicle ownership averages 1.8 per dwelling, which is above the regional average. A high 37.4% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 276 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 14 weekly trips per individual stop. The accompanying map shows the 100 nearest stops to the location centrepoint.

Mount Dandenong - Olinda's residents are extremely healthy with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Mount Dandenong - Olinda, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. Both young and old age cohorts show a low prevalence of common health conditions, and the rate of private health cover is very high at approximately 57% of the total population (~5,470 people).

The most common medical conditions in the area were found to be mental health issues and arthritis, impacting 9.0% and 8.9% of residents, respectively, while 67.1% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 72.6% across Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among the working-age population are broadly typical. The area has 23.6% of residents aged 65 and over (2,281 people), which is higher than the 15.1% in Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, with national rankings even higher than those of the general population.

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

Mount Dandenong - Olinda is below average in terms of cultural diversity, with 80.9% of its population born in Australia, 91.1% being citizens, and 93.0% speaking English only at home. The main religion in Mount Dandenong - Olinda is Christianity, which makes up 31.7% of the population. However, the most apparent overrepresentation is in Judaism, which comprises 0.6% of the population, compared to 1.0% across Greater Melbourne.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Mount Dandenong - Olinda are English, comprising 30.9% of the population, which is substantially higher than the regional average of 20.1%, Australian, comprising 24.5% of the population, which is substantially higher than the regional average of 18.4%, and Scottish, comprising 9.9% of the population. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: Dutch is notably overrepresented at 2.8% of Mount Dandenong - Olinda (vs 1.2% regionally), Hungarian at 0.5% (vs 0.3%) and Polish at 1.1% (vs 0.8%).

Mount Dandenong - Olinda hosts a notably older demographic compared to the national average

The 45-year median age in Mount Dandenong - Olinda is significantly above Greater Melbourne's average of 37 and similarly considerably older than Australia's 38 years. Relative to Greater Melbourne, Mount Dandenong - Olinda has a higher concentration of 65 - 74 residents (14.0%) but fewer 25 - 34 year-olds (5.8%). Following the 2021 Census, the 75 to 84 age group has grown from 5.3% to 7.8% of the population. Conversely, the 25 to 34 cohort has declined from 8.4% to 5.8%. Looking ahead to 2041, demographic projections reveal significant shifts in Mount Dandenong - Olinda's age structure. Leading the demographic shift, the 85+ group will grow by 160% (269 people), reaching 439 from 169. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 77% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, both the 0 to 4 and 65 to 74 age groups will see reduced numbers.