North Melbourne
VICNorth Melbourne is a growing suburb in VIC with 14,953 residents.
- SAL code
- 21966
- SA2
- 206041506
- Population
- 14,953
- LGA
- Melbourne
North Melbourne, VIC had 14,953 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 6.2% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 25-34 years, and the median age sits at 31. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $2,035 a month. Around 33.0% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being rented at 63.7%. Most dwellings are flats or apartments, making up 68.8% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 19 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
North Melbourne, VIC at a glance
North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb on the CBD's north-west edge in the City of Melbourne, ~2 km from the GPO. The streetscape is Victorian and Edwardian terraces, worker's cottages and warehouse conversions sitting alongside newer apartment stock around Arden. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle, and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
North Melbourne is one of the few inner-CBD suburbs that still feels like a neighbourhood. Errol Street is the village spine — wide, tree-lined, lined with cafes, bars and the heritage Town Hall (Arts House). Queen Victoria Market sits on the eastern edge for weekend grocery and food-hall regulars. Housing is mixed: single-fronted Victorian terraces and worker's cottages on tight lots through the older grid, warehouse conversions through the south, and newer apartments clustering around Arden and Macaulay. Arden Station opened in late 2025 as part of the Metro Tunnel, putting Parkville, the CBD and Footscray within minutes. North Melbourne Primary sits in the 95th ICSEA percentile, and University High's tightly-enforced zone covers parts of the suburb. Royal Park and the Royal Melbourne and Royal Children's hospitals are the next street over. In short: a walkable, heritage-rich inner suburb with a real high street and a brand-new Metro station just bedded in.
For investors
North Melbourne is a unit-yield play with a thin house market. Median house $1,267,000 with -0.43% 12-month growth; median unit $480,000 with -1.03% (Your Investment Property May 2026). Rents are $680/wk houses and $595/wk units, giving ~3.13% gross yield on houses and ~6.25% on units. Days-on-market 40 (houses) and 34 (units); ~130 house sales in the past year (Woodards 2026). Renters make up ~55% of households — deep tenant pool, dominated by 20-29s.
Strengths
- Unit gross yields ~6.25% (Your Investment Property May 2026) — among the stronger inner-Melbourne cashflow profiles.
- Arden Station (Metro Tunnel, opened Nov 2025) plus the Arden precinct master plan (34,000 jobs / 20,000 residents by 2051) anchor long-run demand.
- Renter-dominated (~55%) with high 20-29 share — deep, fast-turning tenant pool next to Melbourne Uni, RMIT and the Parkville hospital cluster.
- Walking-distance access to Queen Victoria Market, the CBD, and the Parkville biomedical precinct — durable lifestyle and employment proxies.
Trade-offs
- Both houses (-0.43%) and units (-1.03%) printed slightly negative 12-month growth (Your Investment Property May 2026) — recovery, not momentum.
- House yield only ~3.13% on a $1.27M median — limited cashflow at the entry-house level.
- Heavy apartment pipeline through Arden and Macaulay risks medium-term unit oversupply; new stock from the $7B Arden urban-renewal precinct will compete on amenity.
- Days-on-market 40 (houses) is well above tighter inner-Melbourne benchmarks — selling, when you do, takes time.
What's coming
The City of Melbourne's draft 2025/26 Budget proposes a $154M capital works program. Locally, Arden Street's eastern cycle path completed mid-2025 with the western section underway, Bedford Street Pocket Park added ~1,500 sqm of open space, and Hawke Street greening consultation closed February 2026. Development Victoria's Arden Central tender decision is due in 2026.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a heritage inner suburb with a real village high street and a new Metro station on the doorstep. For investors: a unit-yield + transit-uplift play, with apartment supply pressure to watch.
Population
?14,953
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+6.2%
3yr: +16.8% · 10yr: +24.0%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$1,717/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
31
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?4/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?8.3%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
5
2 primary, 1 secondary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?10
4 long day, 3 OSHC, 1 family
Parks & green space
?19
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?118
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?696
Melbourne · 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 — North Melbourne (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; North Melbourne suburb alone is ~14,953 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 9,226 to 19,286 over 24 years, averaging 3.1% per year.
Schools
5 in suburbSector
1 public · 4 private
Type
2 primary · 1 secondary · 2 special
Total enrolment
1,686(3 of 5 reporting)
Avg per school
562
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 11.1%Predominantly apartments (68.8%), rental-heavy (63.7% renting), built for families (50% 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
13 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| MUZ | Mixed Use ZoneResidential | 30.5% | 0.72 km² |
| GRZ1 | General Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 19.5% | 0.46 km² |
| SUZ7 | Special Use Zone Schedule 7Special use | 14.6% | 0.34 km² |
| TRZ2 | TRZ2Special use | 8.1% | 0.19 km² |
| NRZ3 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 3Residential | 7.9% | 0.19 km² |
| C1Z | Commercial 1 ZoneBusiness | 4.5% | 0.11 km² |
| PPRZ | Public Park and Recreation ZoneRecreation | 4.4% | 0.10 km² |
| TRZ1 | TRZ1Special use | 3.1% | 0.07 km² |
| IN3Z | Industrial 3 ZoneIndustrial | 2.2% | 0.05 km² |
| PUZ1 | Public Use Zone Schedule 1Special use | 1.6% | 0.04 km² |
| CCZ5 | CCZ5Business | 1.5% | 0.04 km² |
| RGZ2 | Residential Growth Zone Schedule 2Residential | 1.2% | 0.03 km² |
| PUZ2 | Public Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 0.8% | 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.