Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek
Statistical Area - sa2

Population growth drivers in Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek are strong compared to national averages based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

As of August 2025, Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek's population is approximately 15,026, reflecting a growth of 609 people since the 2021 Census. The 2021 Census recorded a population of 14,417 in the area. This increase is inferred from ABS estimates: Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek's population was 14,803 as of June 2024 and there were an additional 119 validated new addresses since the Census date. The population density ratio is around 560 persons per square kilometer. Since the 2021 census, Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek's growth rate (4.2%) exceeded that of its SA3 area (2.3%), positioning it as a regional growth leader. Natural growth contributed approximately 61.7% to overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch uses 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 from 2023, adjusting them using weighted aggregation methods to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for the years 2032 to 2041. Based on these projections, Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek is expected to have an above median population growth, increasing by approximately 3,041 persons by 2041, reflecting an overall increase of around 18.8% over the 17-year period.

AreaSearch analysis of residential development drivers sees Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek recording a relatively average level of approval activity when compared to local markets analysed countrywide

Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek has received approximately 62 dwelling approvals annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics provides this data on a financial year basis, totalling 312 approvals from FY-21 to FY-25, with 4 already recorded in FY-26. On average, each new dwelling constructed over these years has accommodated one new resident. This pace indicates that new supply is meeting or exceeding demand, offering ample buyer choice and room for population growth beyond current forecasts.

The average expected construction cost of new dwellings is $714,000, suggesting developers target the premium market segment with higher-end properties. Commercial development approvals in FY-26 have reached $11.5 million, demonstrating steady commercial investment activity. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek experiences 78.0% more building activity per capita. This high level of activity provides buyers with ample choice, although there has been a recent slowdown in construction pace.

Recent developments consist of 82.0% standalone homes and 18.0% medium to high-density housing, preserving the area's traditional low-density character focused on family homes. The estimated population density is 392 people per dwelling approval, reflecting its quiet and relatively inactive development environment. Looking ahead, Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek is projected to grow by 2,818 residents by 2041. Current development patterns appear well-suited to meet future needs, supporting steady market conditions without extreme price pressure.

Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 20 projects that could impact the region. Notable initiatives include Diamond Creek Outdoor Pool Upgrade, Eltham Major Activity Centre, Diamond Creek Community Infrastructure Master Plan, and Nillumbik Waste Management Facility Upgrade. The following list outlines those most relevant.

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

The exceptional employment performance in Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek places it among Australia's strongest labour markets

Wattle Glen-Diamond Creek has an unemployment rate of 1.5% as of June 2025, with estimated employment growth of 1.3% over the past year. The area's workforce participation is 71.9%, exceeding Greater Melbourne's 64.1%.

Key employment sectors include construction, health care & social assistance, and education & training. Construction stands out with an employment share of 1.6 times the regional level. However, professional & technical services are under-represented at 7.4% compared to Greater Melbourne's 10.1%. Over the year ending June 2025, employment increased by 1.3%, while labour force grew by 1.5%, leading to a slight rise in unemployment rate of 0.1 percentage points.

In contrast, Greater Melbourne saw higher growth rates and an increase in unemployment rate of 0.5 percentage points. State-level data shows Victoria's employment grew by 1.08% year-on-year as of Sep-25, with an unemployment rate of 4.7%. National forecasts from May 2025 project total employment to grow by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Wattle Glen-Diamond Creek's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.7% over five years and 13.6% over ten years, assuming constant population projections for illustrative purposes.

Income metrics indicate excellent economic conditions, with the area achieving higher performance than 75% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch

Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek had a very high national income level according to ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for the financial year 2022. The median income among taxpayers was $59,268, and the average income stood at $74,699. This compares to Greater Melbourne's figures of $54,892 and $73,761 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.11% since financial year 2022, estimates for March 2025 would be approximately $65,260 (median) and $82,251 (average). Census data reveals household incomes ranked at the 91st percentile with a weekly income of $2,496. The largest segment comprised 33.3% earning between $1,500 to $2,999 weekly, with 5,003 residents in this bracket, similar to the metropolitan region where 32.8% occupied this bracket. Economic strength was evident through 39.0% of households achieving high weekly earnings exceeding $3,000. After housing costs, residents retained 87.6% of their income, indicating strong purchasing power and placing the area's SEIFA income ranking in the 8th decile.

Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Dwelling structure in Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 95.0% houses and 5.0% other dwellings. In comparison, Melbourne metro had 93.9% houses and 6.0% other dwellings. Home ownership in Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek was 36.7%, with mortgaged dwellings at 53.8% and rented dwellings at 9.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,167, aligning with Melbourne metro's average. Median weekly rent was $429, compared to Melbourne metro's $431. Nationally, Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek's mortgage repayments were higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek features high concentrations of family households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households constitute 84.7% of all households, including 47.4% couples with children, 25.8% couples without children, and 10.8% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 15.3%, with lone person households accounting for 14.3% and group households making up 0.9%. The median household size is 2.9 people, which aligns with the Greater Melbourne average.

Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Wattle Glen-Diamond Creek has a university degree holders' percentage of 28.9% among residents aged 15+, compared to Greater Melbourne's 37.0%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 19.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (5.5%) and graduate diplomas (4.1%). Vocational credentials are held by 36.7% of residents aged 15+, with advanced diplomas at 12.5% and certificates at 24.2%. Current formal education participation is high at 29.7%, including 9.5% in primary, 8.9% in secondary, and 5.3% in tertiary education.

The five schools in Wattle Glen-Diamond Creek have a combined enrollment of 1,838 students. The region has above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1058). Educational provision is balanced with four primary and one secondary school serving distinct age groups.

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

Public transport analysis reveals that as of May 2021, there are 48 active transport stops operating within Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek. These stops offer a mix of train and bus services. They are serviced by 9 individual routes which collectively provide 6,617 weekly passenger trips.

Transport accessibility is rated as good with residents typically located 307 meters from the nearest transport stop. Service frequency averages 945 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 137 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek is notably higher than the national average with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek shows better-than-average health results, with both younger and older age groups having low rates of common health issues. Approximately 56% (~8489 people) have private health cover, higher than Greater Melbourne's 60.1%.

The most frequent conditions are mental health problems (8.0%) and asthma (7.8%), while 71.0% report no medical ailments, close to Greater Melbourne's 70.6%. The area has a lower proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 15.8% (2369 people), compared to Greater Melbourne's 19.2%. Senior health outcomes are above average, mirroring the general population's health profile.

Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Wattle Glen-Diamond Creek showed lower cultural diversity, with 85.1% born in Australia, 94.0% citizens, and 91.5% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the dominant religion at 45.7%. Judaism's population was slightly higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 0.1%.

Top ancestry groups were English (28.7%), Australian (26.9%), and Irish (9.5%). Notably, Macedonian (0.9%) and Italian (6.5%) groups had higher representation compared to regional averages of 0.7% and 6.2%, respectively. Maltese representation was also slightly higher at 1.2%.

Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The median age in Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek is 39 years, slightly higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 years and very close to the national average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Melbourne, the 55-64 age cohort is notably over-represented at 14.0% locally, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 9.8%. According to post-2021 Census data, the 75-84 age group has increased from 3.8% to 5.2% of the population, while the 25-34 cohort has declined from 11.3% to 9.8%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate significant demographic changes in Wattle Glen - Diamond Creek. The 75-84 age group is projected to grow by 79% (627 people), reaching 1,416 from 788. This growth is part of a wider trend of demographic aging, with residents aged 65 and older representing 53% of the anticipated population growth. Conversely, the 0-4 age group is projected to decline by 51 people.