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Suburb profile ·Baw Baw LGA · VIC ·3822

Darnum VIC 3822

Darnum is in Baw Baw LGA, VIC, postcode 3822, with population 759.

The read

Livability-led

The page has enough signal to be useful, but the story is mixed rather than decisive. Use compare mode to pressure-test it against stronger nearby options, then use the calculator if it still makes the shortlist.

What to check

Small local population makes the signal set more fragile.

Median house
No local house series
Median rent
$525/wk
Rent context available
D10 vs AU
Gross yield
Need rent + price
Population
759
759 local footprint
D8 vs AU
Schools
1
Matched school context
D1 vs AU
Drive to city
Not in commute dataset
Solar
187
9 added 12mo · 1MW

Price history

No price history available

Price series isn't recorded for this suburb. Census housing data is shown instead.

Median mortgage · mth$1,517
Median rent · wk$307

Rental vacancy rate

Rental vacancy rate · Regional Victoria
1.9%
Tight (landlord) market

Official vacancy is published at the Regional Victoria level, not per suburb. Shaded band marks a balanced market (2.5–3.5%).

Source: Homes Victoria Rental Report (DFFH) · Latest: Sep 2025
Investor profile

Who invests in Darnum

Owner-occupied 94%Rented 6%
Investor activityATO
Negatively geared5.5%
36 of 77 landlords
Avg rental loss$7,787/yr
Landlords (rental income)77
Reported capital gains51
The read

Owner-occupier stronghold

90% of homes here are owner-occupied and 6% rented, with 6% of landlords negatively geared.

Why it fits

90% owner-occupied — owner-occupiers hold longer and absorb rate shocks, supporting price stability.

ABS Census 2021 tenure (G37), ATO postcode rental statistics, and QuickProperty's investor-exposure index. Owner-occupied = owned outright + with a mortgage.

Affordability

30%
median weekly rent as a share of gross household income (the 30% rule)
Stretched

Owners with a mortgage repay a median of $1,517/mo, while renters pay about $2,275/mo — renting runs $758/mo higher on these medians.

Household income · yr
$91K
Median rent · wk
$525
Owner mortgage · mo
$1,517

Household income

$91K household · yr+10.2% vs VIC suburb median
Personal
$39K
Family
$100K
Household
$91K
Household income distribution (ABS Census 2021 · weekly)
Under $300
0
$300-649
17
$650-999
24
$1,000-1,499
43
$1,500-1,999
34
$2,000-2,999
51
$3,000-3,999
16
$4,000+
21

At the median asking rent, about 50% of households here would spend more than 30% of income on rent (rent stress line: $1,750/wk income).

Housing stock and tenure

Tenure (245 households)
Owned outright
40%
Owned with mortgage
50%
Rented
6%
Dwelling structure6.7% of dwellings unoccupied on census night
Separate house
87%
Townhouse / semi
13%
Flat / apartment
0%

Getting to work: 79% drive, 2% public transport, 2% walk or cycle, 19% worked from home (2021 Census, taken during COVID-era work-from-home arrangements).

Schools

Total1
Avg ICSEA1006
Students175
Government1
  • Darnum Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1006

Livability

21/ 100 livability index

Top 79% most liveable of 4,565Australian suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 21% of Australian suburbs
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access27
Public transport (3 stops)19
Schools & hospitals25

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

Suburb-level access-density index (not an address-level walk-time score), normalised within Australian suburbs. Method based on the Urban Liveability Index (Higgs et al. 2019) and Walk Score — three equal-weighted domains combined with an imbalance penalty.

Crime Year ending Mar 2026
5,066
7,909 per 100k
D8 vs AU

Crime

Rate · per 100k7,909
Total incidents5,066· Year ending Mar 2026
  • Assault52247%
  • Sexual Offences18717%
  • Robbery151%
  • Break And Enter38034%

Building due diligence

Construction requirements can change by location.

The National Construction Code is the baseline. Local hazards and site classifications can change the required structure, materials, fixings, insulation and detailing.

Known here

SUBURB CONTEXT

Bushfire-prone designation

Severe broad-area context

About 99.4% of the suburb is within Victoria's mapped Bushfire Prone Area.

May affect: External construction · Roof and wall systems · Openings, screens and decks

Flood and moisture context

No mapped flood exposure

About 0.0% of the suburb intersects VIC LSIO.

May affect: Floor levels and drainage · Water-resistant assemblies · Material durability

Check the property

ADDRESS + DESIGN

NCC climate zone

Check the property

Confirm the NCC climate zone used for the building design and energy provisions.

May affect: Insulation and glazing · Condensation control · Roof-space ventilation

Wind class and BAL

Site assessment required

A suburb layer cannot determine the site wind classification or Bushfire Attack Level.

May affect: Structure and tie-downs · Cladding and fixings · Openings and bushfire detailing

Corrosion and termite exposure

Check the property

Confirm marine or corrosive exposure and the applicable termite-management requirements.

May affect: Fasteners and connectors · Roofing and coatings · Termite management

This screen identifies investigation triggers, not building quality or property compliance. Confirm the address, design and current jurisdiction rules with the council, building surveyor or certifier, designer and engineer.

NCC 2022 Housing Provisions: how to use · NCC 2022 Volume Two and Housing Provisions

Bushfire-prone area

Designated ~99.4%
~99.4% of the suburb is within Victoria's designated Bushfire Prone Area

Share of the suburb within Victoria's gazetted Bushfire Prone Area (Vicmap, CC BY), point-sampled across the suburb. A Bushfire Prone Area is a planning designation that triggers the building code's bushfire construction provisions — it is not a graduated hazard rating or a property-level Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) assessment. Obtain a BAL assessment (AS 3959) for an individual property.

Flood exposure

No mapped exposure ~0.0%
~0.0% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood-hazard area

Estimated exposure to the official flood-hazard layer (VIC LSIO), point-sampled across the suburb. This shows how much of the suburb sits within mapped flood-planning areas — it is not a property-level flood certificate. Areas without a completed flood study may be unmapped. Check the local council's flood maps for an individual property.

Planning zones

Dominant zone Farming (FZ)
Rural / Green wedge 95% Residential 3% Public / Open space 2%
Residential density: Low

Land-use mix estimated by point-sampling the suburb against Vicmap Planning scheme-zone polygons (CC BY 4.0). This is a suburb-level snapshot of planning zones, not a parcel-level zoning certificate or development advice. Check the relevant planning scheme for an individual property.

Growth outlook · Baw Baw LGA

Dwellings
+40%
24,520 → 34,340
+9,820 dwellings
Population
+37.4%
57,580 → 79,130
Households
+41.9%
23,090 → 32,760

LGA-level official projection (Victoria in Future 2023, DTP). Indicative of the wider council area, not a suburb-level forecast.

Population outlook

23,775 people · 202231,583 by 2032 (+32.8%)

ABS population projection (2022 base) for the Warragul SA2 statistical area — the finest official projection grain available; suburb-level projections do not exist.

Full data detail Census · ATO · ABS · state datasets
Darnum VIC — Property Data and Demographics

Darnum is a small locality in Victoria within the Baw Baw local government area (postcode 3822). With a population of 759, the suburb has a settled mid-life population with a median age of 41. Households earn a median income of $91K per year, with an average household size of 2.9 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement into the broader catchment, with population growth running at +1.6% year-on-year at the LGA level. VIC employment has moved +0.8% year-on-year in the official ABS Labour Force trend series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. VIC also had 41 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 18 underway, and 24 in planning as at 2025-09-01, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are technicians & trades, managers, professionals. Employment in the area leans toward healthcare and agriculture. The top ancestries reported are Australian, English, Scottish.

The current median weekly rent is $525. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1,517.

Darnum is served by 1 school, including 1 primary. The average ICSEA score is 1006, which is around the national average of 1,000. Public transport access includes 3 bus stops. The crime rate in the Baw Baw LGA is moderate at 7,909 incidents per 100,000 population.

Looking at the investment signals, Population growth of +1.6% year-on-year points to stable demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.

Market & money
Investment signalsHeuristics
Pop. Growth+1.6%· Stable
Development+0%· Steady
InvestmentVIC
Mortgage · mth$1,517
Rent · wk(Census)$307
Market rent · wk(Sep 2025)$525
Population growth · Baw Baw LGAABS ERP
Population (2025)62,784
5-year growth+2.4% CAGR
YoY change+1.6%
20012025
Development · Baw Baw LGAABS Approvals
Approvals (2026)502
Houses 97%Units 3%
YoY change+0%
Employment · Baw Baw LGASALM
Unemployment (Dec-25)2.8%
YoY change-0.4pp
Dec-10Dec-25
Property investors · Postcode 3822ATO
Negatively geared5.5%
36 of filers
Avg rental loss$7,787/yr
Landlords (rental income)77
Reported capital gains51
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 21
Population759
Median age41
Household size2.9
HH income · wk$1,744
Personal income · wk$748
Persons / bedroom0.8
SEIFA indexABS
Advantage (IRSAD)5/10
Education (IEO)4/10
Economic (IER)7/10
Disadvantage (IRSD)5/10
Income momentumCensus 16→21
HH income · wk$1,281 → $1,744
Change+36.1%
vs VIC median+12.6 pp
Median rent+36.4%
gentrifyingvs VIC 2016–21
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations0
Cafes & dining2
TransportGTFS
Bus stops3
Hospitals · Baw Baw LGAAIHW
Public1
Private1
West Gippsland Healthcare Group [Warragul]public
Neerim District Health Serviceprivate
Aged care · Baw Baw LGAGEN
Facilities7
Residential places626
WARRAGUL COMMUNITY AGED CARE144 places
Baptcare Abbey Gardens Community123 places
Lyrebird Village98 places
Baptcare Amberlea Community91 places
Fairview Inc68 places
Andrews House51 places
+1 more in Baw Baw LGA
Childcare · Baw Baw LGAACECQA
Services56
Approved places3,101
Exceeding NQS8
Little Saints Early Learning Centre - Drouin Princes Way149 places
Journey Early Learning Centre Yarragon120 places
Little Saints Early Learning Centre Drouin120 places
Little Saints Early Learning Centre - Warragul116 places
Thrive Early Learning Centre Warragul116 places
Sparrow Early Learning Grant Street115 places
+50 more in Baw Baw LGA
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Darnum carries enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.

QuickProperty mixes release files, Census baselines, and matched local services on this page. Read the status panel before treating every metric as equally fresh.

PRICE POSTURE
Manual release files still matter here.

DataVic-discovered annual suburb price workbooks parsed into suburb prices. Quarterly VIC resources are discovered and cached, but not yet used as current-price anchors.

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using a state market dataset when available.

Use current rent as a starting signal, not as a fixed underwriting truth.

SERVICE POSTURE
Service coverage is matched locally, not inferred nationally.

Schools, transport, and hospitals are useful as presence signals, but they still have different source cadences.

Data status
Property prices
VIC Property Sales Report · DataVic-discovered annual suburb price workbooks parsed into suburb prices. Quarterly VIC resources are discovered and cached, but not yet used as current-price anchors.
medium stability · mixed acquisition · every update · quarterly
Missing
Market rent
Homes Victoria · Sep 2025 · State market dataset
medium stability · automated · every update · quarterly
Available
Crime
VIC Crime Statistics Agency · Year ending Mar 2026 · Area-level release dataset
Available
Schools
ACARA 2025 · 1 schools matched
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Hospitals
AIHW · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
GTFS feeds · 3 matched stops/stations
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Population growth
ABS ERP · 2025 · Annual estimate series
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Building approvals
ABS Building Approvals · 2026 · Annual release series
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Available means a direct local dataset is linked. Verify means coverage exists but freshness or precision is weaker, such as ABS price fallback, Census rent fallback, or low-confidence hospital matching.

Darnum FAQ

Common questions
  1. What LGA is Darnum in?

    Darnum is in the Baw Baw Local Government Area, VIC, postcode 3822. Council-level context for Baw Baw LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.

  2. What is the typical weekly rent in Darnum?

    The median weekly rent in Darnum is $525/wk, based on the current market rent dataset. The current rent signal is rent context available.

  3. What does the rent signal say about Darnum?

    Rent context available: Darnum has usable rent context. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates or modelling a purchase; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  4. Is Darnum a good investment?

    QuickProperty's investment signals for Darnum show: Stable, Steady. These are computed from price, rent, income, and population data — not an opaque score.

  5. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Darnum?

    Property prices come from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region. Demographics are from ABS Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA. Crime statistics are from state police agencies. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  6. How often is the Darnum data updated?

    Property prices update quarterly. RBA macro indicators update with each deploy. Demographics are from Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA 2025.