Caroline Springs
VICCaroline Springs is a declining suburb in VIC with 24,488 residents.
- SAL code
- 20500
- SA2
- 213041463
- Population
- 24,488
- LGA
- Melton
Caroline Springs, VIC had 24,488 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 1.4% decline over the last five years. The predominant age group is 5-14 years, and the median age sits at 35. Households are most often couples with children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $1,950 a month. Around 75.1% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned with a mortgage at 51.8%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 89.9% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 53 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
Caroline Springs, VIC at a glance
Caroline Springs is an established master-planned suburb ~25 km west of Melbourne CBD in the City of Melton. Built out from the late 1990s around a lake-and-town-centre core, it now reads as a maturing family suburb rather than a frontier estate. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market + lifestyle context.
For homebuyers
Caroline Springs feels different to the newer Melton estates around it — the streets are settled, the trees have grown in, and the Town Centre around Lake Caroline is a genuine destination rather than a placeholder shopping strip. Most stock is detached 3- and 4-bedroom houses on standard estate lots, with a growing pocket of townhouses near the centre. CS Square anchors retail; Watergardens (~10 min drive) and Highpoint (~20 min) cover the bigger shops. Caroline Springs station opened in 2017 and runs the Ballarat line into Southern Cross in ~35-40 minutes. Schools by name: Caroline Springs College (P-9), Mowbray College, and Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs all sit within the suburb. Western Freeway is ~5 min for car commuters. In short: a maturing, well-serviced family suburb that gives you outer-west affordability without the half-built feel of the newer corridor estates.
For investors
Caroline Springs is a steady mid-yield market with deep volume. Median house sale ~$680,000 against ~$520/week rent gives a ~3.97% gross yield; units ~$480,000 / $440/week ~4.77% (Your Investment Property May 2026). 12-month house growth ~+4.2%; quarterly ~+1.1%. Around 280 house and 60 unit sales in 12 months — easily the deepest pool in the corridor. Days-on-market ~28 (houses), ~32 (units). Vacancy ~1.6%.
Strengths
- Deep, liquid market — ~280 house sales in 12 months means easy entry and exit (Your Investment Property May 2026).
- Train line + freeway access — Caroline Springs station on the Ballarat line plus Western Fwy keeps the commute story intact.
- Established master-plan amenity — Lake Caroline, CS Square, multiple schools and sporting clubs already built; not promised.
- Tight vacancy ~1.6% with ~$520/week house rent supports reliable tenant demand.
Trade-offs
- Yields are mid-range (~4.0% houses) — not a cashflow play versus newer outer corridors.
- Capital growth has been modest (~+4% YoY) — the easy gains from the master-plan rollout are behind it.
- Heavy ongoing supply across Melton LGA (one of Victoria's top dwelling-approval councils in 2025) keeps a lid on rent growth.
- Dwelling mix is house-heavy — limited stratified stock for smaller-budget investors.
What's coming
City of Melton's 2025/26 Capital Works program includes upgrades around the Caroline Springs Town Centre and continued road and active-transport works along Caroline Springs Boulevard. The broader Melton Strategic Plan keeps pushing density into the established Town Centre while greenfield supply moves further west into Cobblebank, Strathtulloh and Aintree — gradually shifting Caroline Springs from frontier to mid-ring.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a settled outer-west family suburb with rail, retail and schools already in place. For investors: a deep, mid-yield market with steady rent and modest growth — volume over velocity.
Population
?24,488
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
-1.4%
3yr: +1.3% · 10yr: +2.7%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,134/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
35
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?6/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?4.4%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
8
6 primary, 5 secondary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?16
6 long day, 6 OSHC, 1 family
Parks & green space
?53
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?66
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?434
Melton · Feb 2026
Median House Sale Price
Source: Valuer-General Victoria (suburb-level quarterly medians).
→ Calculate stamp duty on this suburb's median price→ Estimate mortgage repayments
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from VIC police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Caroline Springs (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Caroline Springs suburb alone is ~24,488 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 3,136 to 20,934 over 24 years, averaging 8.2% per year.
Schools
8 in suburbSector
4 public · 4 private
Type
3 primary · 2 secondary · 3 K-12
Total enrolment
7,683
Avg per school
960
Government school catchment
Catchment data is not yet available for VIC.
Source when available: Victorian Department of Education / Vicmap School Zones.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Public housing 0.0%Almost entirely detached houses (89.9%), owner-occupied (75.1%), built for families (46% are 3 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
VIC 29%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
Source: VIC DTP Designated Bushfire Prone Area
As of Apr 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Flood risk
Source: VIC DTP Vicmap Planning Overlay (flood codes)
As of Apr 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Planning zones
10 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRZ1 | General Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 71.6% | 5.96 km² |
| CDZ1 | Comprehensive Development Zone Schedule 1Business | 15.3% | 1.27 km² |
| RGZ1 | Residential Growth Zone Schedule 1Residential | 9.1% | 0.76 km² |
| NRZ1 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 1.6% | 0.13 km² |
| TRZ2 | TRZ2Special use | 1.2% | 0.10 km² |
| PPRZ | Public Park and Recreation ZoneRecreation | 0.3% | 0.03 km² |
| UFZ | Urban Floodway ZoneWaterway | 0.2% | 0.02 km² |
| C2Z | Commercial 2 ZoneBusiness | 0.2% | 0.02 km² |
| RCZ3 | Rural Conservation Zone Schedule 3Rural | 0.1% | 0.01 km² |
| MUZ | Mixed Use ZoneResidential | 0.1% | 9,352 m² |
Source: VIC DTP Vicmap Planning Zones (ZONE_VIC/2026-04-29/08783d2926383881) · As of Apr 2026. Zone boundaries are amended periodically; verify the exact property with the relevant council before relying on permitted use.