Hawthorn (Vic.)
VICHawthorn (Vic.) is a stable suburb in VIC with 22,322 residents.
- SAL code
- 21152
- SA2
- 207011520
- Population
- 22,322
Hawthorn (Vic.), VIC had 22,322 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 1.5% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 25-34 years, and the median age sits at 34. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $2,259 a month. Around 51.8% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being rented at 45.6%. Most dwellings are flats or apartments, making up 59.4% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 38 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
Hawthorn (Vic.), VIC at a glance
Hawthorn is a prestige inner-eastern Melbourne suburb ~6 km from the CBD in the City of Boroondara. The streetscape mixes substantial Victorian and Edwardian houses (Grace Park and surrounds) with a dense apartment overlay around Glenferrie Road and Swinburne University. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
Hawthorn is one of Melbourne's old-money inner suburbs reworked into a dual market: heritage houses on tree-lined streets behind Glenferrie Road, and a heavy apartment + student-housing layer around Swinburne University. Glenferrie Road carries the everyday shopping strip with two supermarkets, banks, and a long cafe + restaurant ribbon; Auburn Village and Camberwell Junction are minutes away. Trains are a defining feature — Glenferrie, Hawthorn and Auburn stations on the Belgrave/Lilydale line put the CBD ~10 minutes away, with services every 5-10 minutes through the day. School choice is unusually deep for a single suburb: Scotch College, Methodist Ladies' College (MLC), Xavier College and Erasmus, Bialik and Glenferrie Primary all sit in or beside the SAL. In short: a heritage inner-east address with elite-school access and a CBD-grade transport spine, priced accordingly.
For investors
Hawthorn is a two-speed market: a low-yield prestige house segment and a deep, liquid unit segment. Median house $2.85M against $995/week rent gives a ~1.78% gross yield; median unit $560K at $550/week works to ~4.95% (Your Investment Property + htag.com.au May 2026). 169 house and 366 unit sales in the 12 months to January 2026 — units dominate turnover ~2:1. Days-on-market 31 (houses); vacancy 1.3%. 12-month growth -6.56% houses, -3.03% units.
Strengths
- Deep, liquid unit market (~366 sales/yr) with ~4.95% gross yield (May 2026) — rare combination this close to the CBD.
- Tight vacancy at 1.3% supported by Swinburne student demand + young-professional renters along the Belgrave/Lilydale line.
- Scarcity-backed heritage house stock (Grace Park Estate Victorian / Edwardian) with land-value support over multi-cycle horizons.
- Three train stations + extensive tram coverage = structural CBD-commute premium that doesn't reset.
Trade-offs
- House yield ~1.78% (May 2026) — negative-cashflow at standard LVRs without a strong land-bank thesis.
- 12-month house values down ~6.56% (htag May 2026); the prestige segment is repricing through the rate cycle.
- Unit values down ~3.03% over 12 months and stock supply is heavy — Glenferrie Road towers + ongoing apartment build dilute scarcity for the unit segment.
- House days-on-market ~31 — slower than the metro median; transactions are negotiated, not auctioned through, in the current cycle.
What's coming
Boroondara's adopted 2025-26 budget commits $116.11M to capital works. Hawthorn-specific lines include the $28.10M Michael Tuck Stand and Glenferrie Oval revitalisation (heritage site rebuilt as a community + sport hub) and a $9.16M upgrade across the Hawthorn and Kew libraries. Both are multi-year programs with works staged into 2026-27.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: heritage streets, elite schools and a 10-minute CBD train at a top-of-market price point. For investors: a low-yield prestige house play paired with a deep, liquid, mid-yield unit market — pick your segment.
Population
?22,322
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+1.5%
3yr: +10.9% · 10yr: +5.8%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,145/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
34
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?10/10
SA2 · least disadvantaged
Unemployment
?4.5%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
8
6 primary, 3 secondary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?13
4 long day, 7 OSHC
Parks & green space
?38
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?70
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
No data for this suburb
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 — Hawthorn - South (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Hawthorn (Vic.) suburb alone is ~22,322 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 10,322 to 13,562 over 24 years, averaging 1.1% per year.
Schools
8 in suburbSector
3 public · 5 private
Type
4 primary · 1 secondary · 2 K-12 · 1 special
Total enrolment
4,896
Avg per school
612
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 0.4%Predominantly apartments (59.4%), mixed tenure (51.8% own or mortgage), built for families (40% are 2 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
VIC 29%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
This suburb falls outside every bushfire polygon mapped by the relevant authority. Always confirm at the property address — local conditions and unmapped overlays can still apply.
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. Source when available: Vicmap Planning — Bushfire Prone Area + Vicmap flood overlays.
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
19 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCTZ2 | HCTZ2Other | 34.9% | 2.05 km² |
| NRZ3 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 3Residential | 14.2% | 0.83 km² |
| PPRZ | Public Park and Recreation ZoneRecreation | 9.3% | 0.54 km² |
| HCTZ1 | HCTZ1Other | 8.5% | 0.50 km² |
| C1Z | Commercial 1 ZoneBusiness | 7.2% | 0.42 km² |
| GRZ3 | General Residential Zone Schedule 3Residential | 5.4% | 0.32 km² |
| TRZ2 | TRZ2Special use | 5.1% | 0.30 km² |
| SUZ2 | Special Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 4.5% | 0.26 km² |
| PUZ2 | Public Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 2.7% | 0.16 km² |
| GRZ2 | General Residential Zone Schedule 2Residential | 2.1% | 0.13 km² |
| RGZ1 | Residential Growth Zone Schedule 1Residential | 2.1% | 0.13 km² |
| TRZ1 | TRZ1Special use | 1.7% | 0.10 km² |
| C2Z | Commercial 2 ZoneBusiness | 0.5% | 0.03 km² |
| PUZ1 | Public Use Zone Schedule 1Special use | 0.5% | 0.03 km² |
| PUZ6 | Public Use Zone Schedule 6Special use | 0.4% | 0.02 km² |
| GRZ4 | General Residential Zone Schedule 4Residential | 0.3% | 0.02 km² |
| RGZ2 | Residential Growth Zone Schedule 2Residential | 0.3% | 0.02 km² |
| UFZ | Urban Floodway ZoneWaterway | 0.1% | 7,057 m² |
| MUZ | Mixed Use ZoneResidential | 0.1% | 6,934 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.