Harcourt is in Mount Alexander LGA, VIC, postcode 3453, with population 1,038.
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.
Transport coverage adds a practical access signal.
Official vacancy is published at the Regional Victoria level, not per suburb. Shaded band marks a balanced market (2.5–3.5%).
Indicative cashflow is interest-only and excludes tax — use the calculator for a full projection. Turnover divides recorded sales by an estimated household count (population over average household size).
Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer · stability drivers signed (+ = steadier)
Relative grade across Australian suburbs, combining qp's capital-growth (multi-year CAGR + cycle timing), rental-yield, and stability (price volatility + cycle + affordability) metrics via a three-pillar property-scoring method with an imbalance penalty. Within-Australia relative, indicative only — not financial advice.
84% of homes here are owner-occupied and 13% rented, with 7% of landlords negatively geared.
84% 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.
New-loan repayment $3,418/mo vs median rent $2,145/mo (+59% · +$294/wk)
At 4.2%: $2,729/mo (-689) · at 6.2% (current): $3,418/mo · at 8.2%: $4,172/mo (+755)
Assumes a 20% deposit and a 30-year principal-and-interest loan at the current RBA new owner-occupier variable rate, against median weekly household income (ABS Census 2021). Stress bands follow the 30% / 45%-of-income thresholds used in ANZ-CoreLogic and AIHW reporting. Rent vs buy compares that repayment with the suburb's median advertised rent; it excludes rates, insurance, maintenance and deposit opportunity cost.
Alternatives are similar-priced suburbs (0.7–1.4x this suburb's median) in other council areas that exceed it on the named metric. Indicative — not financial advice.
This suburb 9.4x · VIC median 8.8x — less affordable than the VIC typical
Nationally · more affordable to buy than 61% of AU suburbs
This suburb 35% · VIC median 17%
Nationally · lighter rent burden than 3% of AU suburbs
Owners with a mortgage repay a median of $1,517/mo, while renters pay about $2,145/mo — renting runs $628/mo higher on these medians.
Serviceability line: a household needs about $2,629/wk to hold a new loan on the median house at 30% of income (20% deposit, 30-year P&I, current RBA rate).
At the median asking rent, about 58% of households here would spend more than 30% of income on rent (rent stress line: $1,650/wk income).
Getting to work: 72% drive, 0% public transport, 3% walk or cycle, 23% worked from home (2021 Census, taken during COVID-era work-from-home arrangements).
Top 76% most liveable of 4,565Australian suburbs.
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.
Development screen
The official state policy page could not be reliably re-verified automatically in the latest review. Treat this screen as preliminary and confirm the current planning and building requirements with the state source and local council.
Rental use: Review against the official Planning Victoria guidance and local building requirements before use.
Open official policy sourceSuburb share of occupied private dwellings recorded as separate houses.
7.2 pp above the state median
State median 80.5% · 693 valid suburbs
Broad suburb sampling only; the property zoning and overlays can differ.
Near the state median
State median 0.0% · 690 valid suburbs
Demand context only; it does not establish permission to rent a secondary dwelling.
9.6 pp below the state median
State median 22.2% · 693 valid suburbs
The staged suburb layer indicates a broad-area constraint that needs address-level checking. The staged suburb layer shows no mapped exposure; this is not a property-level clearance.
Approval pathway
This is an investigation sequence, not a guarantee that every step applies or that approval will be granted.
The current small second home position needs direct confirmation before relying on this screen.
Confirm zoning, lot controls, overlays, setbacks, site coverage and whether planning approval is required.
Confirm the building approval route after the design, site classifications, services and construction requirements are known.
Confirm long-term rental, short-stay or family-use rules separately from permission to construct the dwelling.
Property due diligence
Every check starts unconfirmed. Progress stays in this browser and suburb evidence never clears an address-level requirement.
Confirm title dimensions, usable site area and any minimum lot threshold.
Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.
Test setbacks, private open space, landscaping and maximum site coverage against a concept plan.
Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.
Check survey levels, soil classification, retaining needs and likely earthworks.
Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.
Obtain current property-level zoning, overlays and applicable planning controls.
Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.
Review the title for easements, covenants, restrictions and common property.
Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.
Locate assets and connection points, then confirm capacity, clearances and discharge requirements.
Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.
Confirm service routes, upgrade needs and whether separate metering is permitted or practical.
Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.
Test driveway width, gradients, turning, parking and emergency access requirements.
Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.
Order an address-level bushfire assessment and determine any BAL construction response.
Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.
Obtain property flood information and check floor levels, flow paths and drainage constraints.
Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.
Confirm site classifications that affect structural design, materials and durability.
Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.
Confirm exemption, complying pathway or permit requirements with the responsible authority.
Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.
Identify required survey, design, engineering, energy, certification and inspection evidence.
Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.
Confirm occupation, rental, short-stay and family-use rules plus insurance and tax implications.
Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.
Building due diligence
The National Construction Code is the baseline. Local hazards and site classifications can change the required structure, materials, fixings, insulation and detailing.
About 100.0% of the suburb is within Victoria's mapped Bushfire Prone Area.
May affect: External construction · Roof and wall systems · Openings, screens and decks
About 0.0% of the suburb intersects VIC LSIO.
May affect: Floor levels and drainage · Water-resistant assemblies · Material durability
Confirm the NCC climate zone used for the building design and energy provisions.
May affect: Insulation and glazing · Condensation control · Roof-space ventilation
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
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
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.
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.
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.
LGA-level official projection (Victoria in Future 2023, DTP). Indicative of the wider council area, not a suburb-level forecast.
ABS population projection (2022 base) for the Castlemaine Surrounds SA2 statistical area — the finest official projection grain available; suburb-level projections do not exist.
Harcourt (postcode 3453) is a close-knit residential community in Victoria within the Mount Alexander local government area. It is home to about 1,038 residents, with an older-leaning population and a median age of 46. Households earn a median income of $74K per year, with an average household size of 2.5 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement staying broadly stable across the broader catchment, with population growth running at +1.1% 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 professionals, technicians & trades, managers. Employment in the area leans toward healthcare and manufacturing. The top ancestries reported are English, Australian, Irish.
The median house price in Harcourt is $698,000, having softened modestly by 1.1% over the past year. The current median weekly rent is $495. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 3.7%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1,517.
Harcourt is served by 1 school, including 1 primary. The average ICSEA score is 1015, which is around the national average of 1,000. Public transport access includes 6 bus stops. The crime rate in the Mount Alexander LGA is moderate at 6,967 incidents per 100,000 population.
From an investment perspective, Harcourt shows a gross rental yield of approximately 3.7%, rated as moderate yield. Property prices are near the state median ($698K/$850K). The price-to-income ratio of 9.4x is considered moderate. House prices have moved -1.1% year-on-year. Population growth of +1.1% year-on-year points to stable demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.
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There is enough direct local evidence on Harcourt 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.
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.
Use current rent as a starting signal, not as a fixed underwriting truth.
Schools, transport, and hospitals are useful as presence signals, but they still have different source cadences.
Harcourt is in the Mount Alexander Local Government Area, VIC, postcode 3453. Council-level context for Mount Alexander LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.
The current median house price in Harcourt, VIC is $698K, based on the latest available sales data from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region.
The median weekly rent in Harcourt is $495/wk, based on the current market rent dataset. The current rent signal is rent context available.
Rent context available: Harcourt 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.
QuickProperty's investment signals for Harcourt show: Moderate Yield, Near Median, Moderate. These are computed from price, rent, income, and population data — not an opaque score.
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.
Property prices update quarterly. RBA macro indicators update with each deploy. Demographics are from Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA 2025.