Horsham
VICHorsham is a declining suburb in VIC with 15,134 residents.
- SAL code
- 21206
- SA2
- 215011388
- Population
- 15,134
- LGA
- Horsham
Horsham, VIC had 15,134 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area roughly steady over the last five years. The predominant age group is 25-34 years, and the median age sits at 40. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $1,187 a month. Around 66.8% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned outright at 36.1%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 88.8% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 29 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
Horsham, VIC at a glance
Horsham is the Wimmera's regional capital, ~300 km north-west of Melbourne on a bend in the Wimmera River, and the administrative + retail hub for a wide farming catchment. Housing skews to detached homes on generous lots with affordable entry pricing relative to coastal regional Vic. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle, and council context they don't.
For homebuyers
Horsham reads as a self-contained regional centre rather than a satellite of anywhere. The housing stock is dominated by detached three- and four-bedroom homes on standard-to-large blocks, with newer estates on the city's fringe and older weatherboard + brick stock closer to the Wimmera River. Daily life centres on Horsham Plaza and Horsham Gateway for shopping, with Firebrace Street as the traditional retail spine. Sawyer Park and the Wimmera River corridor are the main green-and-blue anchors, supported by the aquatic centre, indoor stadium, and a deep football-netball league culture. Horsham College and Horsham Primary anchor the public school side; Holy Trinity Lutheran is the notable independent option. There is no passenger rail — the V/Line coach to Ballarat-Melbourne is the long-haul commute proxy, so most workers travel locally. In short: a practical, full-service regional city if you want space, affordability and amenity in one package, with the trade-off that Melbourne is a half-day away.
For investors
Horsham is an affordable yield play with surprising recent growth. Median house sale $439,000 against $450/week rent puts gross yield around 5.24% (units ~5.36% on $372,500 / $355) per Your Investment Property (May 2026). 12-month house growth was +14.03% and units +16.41% — strong catch-up rather than speculative. Volume is real: 361 house sales and 55 unit sales in the past 12 months, with houses spending ~31 days on market and vacancy at 1.14% (htag, 2026).
Strengths
- Yields meaningfully above metro Vic — ~5.24% gross on houses, ~5.36% on units (Your Investment Property May 2026).
- Tight rental market with vacancy at 1.14% and only ~1.16 months of inventory on the sales side (htag 2026).
- Strong 12-month capital growth (~+14% houses, ~+16% units) on an affordable entry base under $450k median.
- Genuine sales depth for a regional centre — 361 house + 55 unit transactions in the past year supports exit liquidity.
Trade-offs
- ~300 km from Melbourne with no passenger rail — tenant pool is local-economy-dependent (agriculture, health, education, retail).
- Days-on-market of ~31 for houses is healthy but well off metro tightness — pricing matters on resale.
- Recent double-digit growth has pulled forward some affordability runway; sustainable growth projections sit closer to single digits.
- Stock is heavily weighted to detached houses — limited stratified product for diversified portfolios.
What's coming
Horsham Rural City Council adopted a $20.2m capital works program for 2025/26, with >$7m for roads and street works and $2.8m for industrial estate development. Active projects include the $3.2m City Oval netball pavilion (Locks Constructions, ready for the 2026 WFNL season), Apex Island Boardwalk, and Firebrace Street public amenity upgrades. Council enters 2026 debt-free with ~$28m cash on hand.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: an affordable, full-service regional city with river, parks and proper schools at its core. For investors: a higher-yield, lower-entry regional play backed by tight vacancy — not a metro-style growth story.
Population
?15,134
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
-0.4%
3yr: -0.1% · 10yr: +3.2%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$1,294/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
40
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?4/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?1.5%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
7
4 primary, 3 secondary
Hospitals
?1
Within suburb
Childcare services
?13
6 long day, 1 OSHC, 1 family
Parks & green space
?29
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?121
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?5
Horsham · 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 — Horsham (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Horsham suburb alone is ~15,134 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 14,767 to 16,882 over 24 years, averaging 0.6% per year.
Schools
7 in suburbSector
4 public · 3 private
Type
3 primary · 2 secondary · 1 K-12 · 1 special
Total enrolment
3,349
Avg per school
478
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 4.5%Almost entirely detached houses (88.8%), mixed tenure (66.8% own or mortgage), built for families (53% 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
21 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRZ1 | General Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 38.2% | 9.09 km² |
| FZ | Farming ZoneRural | 21.9% | 5.22 km² |
| IN1Z | Industrial 1 ZoneIndustrial | 9.0% | 2.15 km² |
| PPRZ | Public Park and Recreation ZoneRecreation | 8.7% | 2.06 km² |
| LDRZ | Low Density Residential ZoneResidential | 4.0% | 0.95 km² |
| RLZ | Rural Living ZoneRural | 3.6% | 0.85 km² |
| TRZ2 | TRZ2Special use | 2.9% | 0.70 km² |
| C2Z | Commercial 2 ZoneBusiness | 2.8% | 0.67 km² |
| C1Z | Commercial 1 ZoneBusiness | 2.0% | 0.48 km² |
| PUZ2 | Public Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 1.1% | 0.27 km² |
| PUZ7 | Public Use Zone Schedule 7Special use | 1.1% | 0.25 km² |
| TRZ1 | TRZ1Special use | 1.0% | 0.25 km² |
| IN3Z | Industrial 3 ZoneIndustrial | 1.0% | 0.24 km² |
| PUZ6 | Public Use Zone Schedule 6Special use | 0.5% | 0.13 km² |
| SUZ4 | Special Use Zone Schedule 4Special use | 0.5% | 0.12 km² |
| PCRZ | Public Conservation and Resource ZoneEnvironmental | 0.4% | 0.10 km² |
| GRZ2 | General Residential Zone Schedule 2Residential | 0.3% | 0.07 km² |
| PUZ5 | Public Use Zone Schedule 5Special use | 0.3% | 0.06 km² |
| PUZ1 | Public Use Zone Schedule 1Special use | 0.3% | 0.06 km² |
| PUZ3 | Public Use Zone Schedule 3Special use | 0.2% | 0.05 km² |
| MUZ | Mixed Use ZoneResidential | 0.2% | 0.05 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.