Balwyn
Boroondara council · default-weight liveability
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Area-level read for Balwyn - uses this area's centre point, so it is approximate. Drop a pin on the map for an exact-address check.
In brief
Balwyn, in Boroondara, is an established middle-suburban area. Among Greater Melbourne areas it ranks strongly for low hazard exposure, public transport and safety. Housing is mostly owner-occupied (about 26% of homes rented). This describes the wider area, not any single property, and is context - not advice.
Score breakdown · default weights
Below average · Lower rent burden than 39% of Greater Melbourne
Above average · Better public transport access than 75% of Greater Melbourne
Above average · Safer than 70% of Greater Melbourne
Above average · Better health access than 68% of Greater Melbourne
Excellent · Lower bushfire & flood exposure than 84% of Greater Melbourne
Around average · About average for schools in Greater Melbourne
Around average · About average for the local economy in Greater Melbourne
Explore context (never in the score)
Key facts
Trends over time - context only, never in the score
Resident population
Source: ABS ERP by SA2 — full annual series (2001–2023) · context only - not in the score.
Affordability trend (medians)
Source: ABS Census 2021 Time Series Profile (C21_T02_SA2) · ratio of medians (cost / income), not a 30%-stress share · context only - not in the score.
Sources & licences (12)
- Rent-to-income ratio — ABS Census 2021 median weekly rent ÷ ABS Data by Region equivalised household income
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: 2021Fetched: 2026-05-29
- PTV GTFS Schedule — metropolitan train, tram, bus (DTP)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: rolling schedule exportFetched: 2026-06-11
- VCSA Recorded offences — suburb (Table 03) + LGA fallback (Table 02)
- Licence: CC BY 3.0 AUPeriod: 2025 (latest year in export)Fetched: 2026-06-11
- Vicmap / MapShare — general hospitals (Emergency Services FOI)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Victoria)Period: currentFetched: 2026-05-29
- OpenStreetMap — GP/clinic points (Overpass; hospital fallback only)
- Licence: ODbL — attribute OSMPeriod: currentFetched: 2026-06-24
- Modified Monash Model 2023 - health-access remoteness (MM1-7) by SA1, rolled up to SA2 (Dept of Health and Aged Care)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: 2023 (published Mar 2025)Fetched: 2026-06-13
- Vicmap Planning — Bushfire Prone Area (regulatory overlay)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Victoria)Period: currentFetched: 2026-05-29
- Vicplan — Land Subject to Inundation overlay (LSIO; SBO unavailable from API)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Victoria)Period: currentFetched: 2026-06-14
- OpenStreetMap — schools within 2 km (Overpass)
- Licence: ODbL — attribute OSMPeriod: currentFetched: 2026-06-24
- ABS Census 2021 — children enrolled in preschool (SA2)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: 2021Fetched: 2026-06-01
- ABS Data by Region — median equivalised household income (weekly)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: 2021Fetched: 2026-05-29
- ABS Census 2016 — labour force (employed, participation) by SA2
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: 2016Fetched: 2026-06-01
Areas like Balwyn
Closest peers by how their domain percentiles line up - not by price or a single score.
- Bentleigh - McKinnonGlen EiraBoth strong in Hazards, Transport, Safety94%alike
- Box Hill NorthWhitehorseBoth strong in Hazards, Transport, Health92%alike
- Brighton EastBayside (Vic.)Both strong in Hazards, Health, Transport91%alike
- Mount Waverley - NorthMonashBoth strong in Hazards, Safety, Health90%alike
- Blackburn SouthWhitehorseBoth strong in Hazards, Health, Safety89%alike
- WatsoniaBanyuleBoth strong in Hazards, Transport, Health89%alike
Not relocation or financial advice. The composite score is a percentile rank within Greater Melbourne presented as an optional lens - a data-access tool, not a definitive ranking of places. Context metrics are never folded into the locked seven-domain composite.