Epping (Vic.)
VICEpping (Vic.) is a declining suburb in VIC with 33,489 residents.
- SAL code
- 20878
- SA2
- 209041432
- Population
- 33,489
- LGA
- Whittlesea
Epping (Vic.), VIC had 33,489 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 3.8% decline over the last five years. The predominant age group is 35-44 years, and the median age sits at 35. Households are most often couples with children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $1,733 a month. Around 67.7% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned with a mortgage at 41.9%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 81.3% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 194 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
Epping (Vic.), VIC at a glance
Epping is an established outer-north Melbourne suburb ~18 km from the CBD in the City of Whittlesea, anchoring the council's designated regional centre. Stock spans older brick-veneer streets in the south to newer estate housing in the north, with Pacific Epping, the Northern Hospital and the Mernda-line train station forming a dense activity core. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
Epping does the suburban basics at scale. Pacific Epping is one of the larger shopping centres in Melbourne's north, and Costco, the Northern Hospital and the Epping Plaza homemaker precinct sit within the same walkable zone off Cooper Street. The Mernda-line train station (premium since 1998) gets you into the CBD without changing services, and the Hume Freeway is a few minutes west. Schooling is broad rather than boutique: St Monica's College, Epping Secondary College, Mill Park Secondary College and a clutch of primaries (Epping, Epping Views, Meadow Glen, Greenbrook). The community is genuinely multicultural, with long-standing Greek, Macedonian, Indian and Middle Eastern communities. Older streets in the south have the bigger lots; the north feeds into the Aurora and Lyndarum estates. In short: a practical, well-serviced outer-north suburb where amenity, hospital access and rail combine to do most of the heavy lifting.
For investors
Epping is a deep, mid-yield market. Median house price sits around $731,500 with a median rent of $550/week for a ~3.94% gross yield, while units run a tighter ~4.82% (Your Investment Property May 2026). Twelve-month house growth is +6.01%. Days-on-market 29 (houses) / 33 (units), and 453 house + 131 unit sales in the past 12 months (htag, January 2026) — comfortably one of the most liquid markets in the northern corridor.
Strengths
- Deep, liquid market — ~584 sales/yr across houses + units (htag January 2026) — easy to enter and exit.
- Anchor amenity stack: Pacific Epping, Northern Hospital, Costco and the Epping rail terminus all within ~1 km of each other.
- Steady mid-single-digit capital growth (+6.01% YoY houses, Your Investment Property May 2026) without speculative froth.
- Designated regional centre under the Epping Central Structure Plan — long-dated zoning support for density and jobs.
Trade-offs
- House yield ~3.94% (Your Investment Property May 2026) — modest cashflow versus other northern-corridor suburbs.
- Days-on-market 29 (houses) / 33 (units) is slower than the metro median — leasing and sales velocity less tight than inner-ring stock.
- Whittlesea LGA continues to release new estate supply across Wollert, Donnybrook and Mernda — competing greenfield product can cap rental growth.
- Stock is heterogeneous (1970s brick to 2010s estates) — comp analysis and condition due-diligence matter more than in uniform-vintage suburbs.
What's coming
City of Whittlesea's $117M 2025/26 capital works program flows into Epping via the Epping Central Structure Plan, with construction of Derby Meadows Preschool and Children's Centre proposed for 2026/27. The privately-led $2B New Epping precinct (Riverlee) is converting the former Cooper Street quarry into a mixed-use health, employment and housing district — the structural change to watch over the next 5-10 years.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a well-serviced outer-north suburb with rail, hospital and big-format retail at the doorstep. For investors: a liquid, mid-yield market with structural upside tied to the Epping Central regional-centre rezoning.
Population
?33,489
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
-3.8%
3yr: +3.1% · 10yr: -3.5%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$1,671/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
35
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?2/10
SA2 · more disadvantaged
Unemployment
?8.0%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
9
6 primary, 4 secondary
Hospitals
?1
Within suburb
Childcare services
?30
16 long day, 10 OSHC, 1 family
Parks & green space
?194
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?116
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?234
Whittlesea · Feb 2026
Median Weekly Rent
Based on rental bond lodgements recorded by the state government.
Median House Sale Price
Source: Valuer-General Victoria (suburb-level quarterly medians).
→ Calculate stamp duty on this suburb's median price→ Estimate mortgage repayments→ Calculate rental yield (price + median rent)
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from VIC police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Epping - South (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Epping (Vic.) suburb alone is ~33,489 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 8,556 to 8,322 over 24 years, averaging -0.1% per year.
Schools
10 in suburbSector
6 public · 4 private
Type
6 primary · 3 secondary · 1 K-12
Total enrolment
8,569
Avg per school
857
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 1.5%Almost entirely detached houses (81.3%), mixed tenure (67.7% own or mortgage), built for families (52% 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
30 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| IN1Z | Industrial 1 ZoneIndustrial | 14.4% | 5.08 km² |
| GRZ1 | General Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 10.8% | 3.81 km² |
| GRZ5 | General Residential Zone Schedule 5Residential | 9.7% | 3.43 km² |
| RCZ1 | Rural Conservation Zone Schedule 1Rural | 8.6% | 3.03 km² |
| ACZ1 | Activity Centre Zone Schedule 1Business | 7.7% | 2.70 km² |
| SUZ4 | Special Use Zone Schedule 4Special use | 7.2% | 2.55 km² |
| CDZ2 | Comprehensive Development Zone Schedule 2Business | 7.0% | 2.46 km² |
| CDZ4 | Comprehensive Development Zone Schedule 4Business | 5.9% | 2.09 km² |
| PCRZ | Public Conservation and Resource ZoneEnvironmental | 5.1% | 1.79 km² |
| TRZ2 | TRZ2Special use | 4.2% | 1.49 km² |
| PDZ1 | Priority Development Zone Schedule 1Business | 3.7% | 1.32 km² |
| UGZ3 | UGZ3Other | 2.8% | 1.00 km² |
| HCTZ2 | HCTZ2Other | 1.7% | 0.61 km² |
| UFZ | Urban Floodway ZoneWaterway | 1.7% | 0.60 km² |
| PUZ1 | Public Use Zone Schedule 1Special use | 1.0% | 0.36 km² |
| PUZ2 | Public Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 1.0% | 0.35 km² |
| FZ | Farming ZoneRural | 1.0% | 0.34 km² |
| TRZ1 | TRZ1Special use | 0.9% | 0.33 km² |
| SUZ2 | Special Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 0.9% | 0.33 km² |
| PPRZ | Public Park and Recreation ZoneRecreation | 0.9% | 0.31 km² |
| SUZ9 | Special Use Zone Schedule 9Special use | 0.8% | 0.27 km² |
| SUZ8 | Special Use Zone Schedule 8Special use | 0.7% | 0.25 km² |
| ACZ2 | Activity Centre Zone Schedule 2Business | 0.5% | 0.17 km² |
| MUZ | Mixed Use ZoneResidential | 0.4% | 0.14 km² |
| PUZ3 | Public Use Zone Schedule 3Special use | 0.3% | 0.11 km² |
| GRZ4 | General Residential Zone Schedule 4Residential | 0.3% | 0.10 km² |
| PUZ6 | Public Use Zone Schedule 6Special use | 0.2% | 0.08 km² |
| IN3Z | Industrial 3 ZoneIndustrial | 0.2% | 0.06 km² |
| TRZ3 | TRZ3Special use | 0.1% | 0.05 km² |
| GWZ | Green Wedge ZoneRural | 0.1% | 0.04 km² |
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.