Kew (Vic.)
VICKew (Vic.) is a stable suburb in VIC with 24,499 residents.
- SAL code
- 21336
- SA2
- 207011522
- Population
- 24,499
Kew (Vic.), VIC had 24,499 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area roughly steady over the last five years. The predominant age group is 45-54 years, and the median age sits at 41. Households are most often couples with children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $3,000 a month. Around 68.5% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned outright at 39.5%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 50.6% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 41 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
Kew (Vic.), VIC at a glance
Kew is an established inner-eastern Melbourne suburb ~7 km from the CBD in the City of Boroondara. The streetscape mixes Victorian and Federation homes, post-war brick on big lots, and pockets of mid-rise apartments around Kew Junction. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle, and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
Kew is an inner-east benchmark suburb with deep private-school gravity and a CBD that's a short tram ride away. Tree-lined streets carry a mix of period houses, large interwar homes on generous blocks, and townhouse / apartment infill clustered around Kew Junction. The 109 tram runs along Cotham Road and High Street into the city in roughly 25 minutes, with the 48 also serving the junction; there's no train station in the suburb itself. Studley Park and the Yarra escarpment anchor recreation; Kew Junction handles everyday shopping, cafes and restaurants. The independent-school list is the headline draw — MLC (Barkers Road), Trinity Grammar (Charles Street), Genazzano FCJ, Xavier College and Carey are all within or adjacent to the suburb. Boroondara consistently posts among the lowest crime rates in metropolitan Melbourne (Crime Statistics Agency). In short: a settled, tree-lined inner-east address built around private-school catchments and easy CBD tram access, priced accordingly.
For investors
Kew is a long-hold capital-growth play with thin yields. Median house ~$2.40m against ~$965/wk rent gives ~2.05% gross yield; units median ~$918,000 with ~$625/wk rent for ~3.57% (Your Investment Property + htag.com.au, May 2026). Houses spent ~12 months effectively flat (-1.28% YoY) while units ticked +0.88%; vacancy ~0.95%. 268 house and 241 unit sales in the past 12 months — a deep, liquid market. Average hold period ~12 years signals genuinely tightly-held stock.
Strengths
- Deep transaction market (~509 combined sales in 12 months, htag May 2026) — easy to enter and exit at scale.
- Very low vacancy (~0.95%) and short days-on-market on units (~36 days) point to durable rental demand.
- High SEIFA / IRSAD profile and 12-year average hold period underpin owner-occupier price support across cycles.
- Private-school catchment effect (MLC, Trinity, Genazzano, Xavier) keeps rental and sale demand from upgrader families consistent.
Trade-offs
- Gross yields ~2.05% (houses) / ~3.57% (units) — heavily geared positions will run negative cashflow for years.
- 12-month house growth -1.28% (htag May 2026); the premium-end Melbourne segment has lagged through the recent cycle.
- Entry tickets above ~$2m on houses concentrate single-asset risk and cap the buyer pool to a narrower band.
- Apartment-stock supply around Kew Junction has historically capped unit growth — 0.88% YoY across 241 sales (htag May 2026).
What's coming
City of Boroondara's 2025-26 capital works program totals ~$116.1m, with the ~$78.7m Kew Recreation Centre redevelopment the dominant Kew-specific project — design changes following the June 2025 decision to switch from gas to all-electric heating extended the timeline, and legal action over the earlier steel-roof collapse is ongoing. Kew Junction also sits within the State Government's Train and Tram Zone activity-centre framework (Hawthorn-to-Kew Junction).
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a tree-lined inner-east address built around private-school access and easy CBD trams, priced as such. For investors: a low-yield, long-hold capital-preservation play, not a cashflow one.
Population
?24,499
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+0.3%
3yr: +4.9% · 10yr: +0.7%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,497/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
41
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?9/10
SA2 · least disadvantaged
Unemployment
?3.0%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
11
9 primary, 7 secondary
Hospitals
?3
Within suburb
Childcare services
?23
10 long day, 10 OSHC
Parks & green space
?41
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?67
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 — Kew - West (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Kew (Vic.) suburb alone is ~24,499 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 12,481 to 13,799 over 24 years, averaging 0.4% per year.
Schools
11 in suburbSector
1 public · 10 private
Type
2 primary · 7 K-12 · 2 special
Total enrolment
10,588
Avg per school
963
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 detached houses (50.6%), mixed tenure (68.5% own or mortgage).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NRZ3 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 3Residential | 27.8% | 2.92 km² |
| HCTZ2 | HCTZ2Other | 22.4% | 2.35 km² |
| PPRZ | Public Park and Recreation ZoneRecreation | 18.3% | 1.91 km² |
| NRZ1 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 7.8% | 0.82 km² |
| TRZ2 | TRZ2Special use | 7.3% | 0.77 km² |
| GRZ2 | General Residential Zone Schedule 2Residential | 3.6% | 0.38 km² |
| HCTZ1 | HCTZ1Other | 3.0% | 0.31 km² |
| C1Z | Commercial 1 ZoneBusiness | 2.0% | 0.21 km² |
| PUZ3 | Public Use Zone Schedule 3Special use | 1.5% | 0.15 km² |
| GRZ3 | General Residential Zone Schedule 3Residential | 1.5% | 0.15 km² |
| PUZ5 | Public Use Zone Schedule 5Special use | 1.2% | 0.13 km² |
| GRZ1 | General Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 1.0% | 0.10 km² |
| GRZ5 | General Residential Zone Schedule 5Residential | 0.7% | 0.08 km² |
| PUZ6 | Public Use Zone Schedule 6Special use | 0.6% | 0.06 km² |
| UFZ | Urban Floodway ZoneWaterway | 0.4% | 0.05 km² |
| PUZ1 | Public Use Zone Schedule 1Special use | 0.3% | 0.03 km² |
| TRZ1 | TRZ1Special use | 0.2% | 0.03 km² |
| PUZ2 | Public Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 0.1% | 0.02 km² |
| TRZ4 | TRZ4Special use | 0.1% | 0.02 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.