Rowville
VICRowville is a declining suburb in VIC with 33,571 residents.
- SAL code
- 22207
- SA2
- 211011256
- Population
- 33,571
- LGA
- Knox
Rowville, VIC had 33,571 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area roughly steady over the last five years. The predominant age group is 55-64 years, and the median age sits at 41. Households are most often couples with children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $2,055 a month. Around 81.1% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned with a mortgage at 45.0%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 91.9% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 97 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
Rowville, VIC at a glance
Rowville is an established outer-east family suburb ~27 km south-east of Melbourne CBD in the City of Knox, sitting between EastLink and the Dandenong Ranges foothills. Stock is dominated by 3- and 4-bedroom houses on conventional lots, with Stud Park as the local commercial anchor. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
Rowville is built around space and amenity rather than walkability. Mostly 3- and 4-bedroom detached houses on standard lots, with the Dandenong foothills on the eastern edge and Lysterfield Park within easy reach for weekend walks. Stud Park Shopping Centre (Coles, Woolworths, Kmart, ~60 specialty stores) is the dominant retail hub; Wellington Village and Rowville Lakes serve the western and southern pockets. Rowville Secondary College runs specialist sports/arts/maths-science academies across two campuses, and four state primaries plus St Simon the Apostle (Catholic) cover the K-6 catchment. There is no train station — commuters rely on EastLink (~25 minutes by car to the CBD) or the 900 SmartBus to Huntingdale Station (~54 minutes door-to-door). In short: a settled outer-east family suburb where you trade rail access for space, schools and easy freeway connectivity.
For investors
Rowville is a capital-growth play, not a cashflow one. Median house ~$1.20M with ~$678/wk rent gives a ~3.22% gross yield; units sit at ~$791K / ~$608/wk for ~4.42% (htag.com.au + Your Investment Property May 2026). 12-month house growth ~+10.0%; units ~+11.4%. 332 house and 84 unit sales over the past 12 months — a deep, liquid market. Days-on-market ~25 (houses) / ~60 (units) and vacancy ~0.98%.
Strengths
- Solid recent capital growth (~+10% YoY houses, ~+11% units) with a $1.2M median anchoring the high-value end of outer-east Melbourne.
- Tight vacancy (~0.98%) and 25-day house DOM signal well-priced stock clears quickly.
- Deep transaction market — ~416 combined house + unit sales in 12 months means easy entry and exit.
- Knox is a strong-amenity LGA (schools, sports, retail, EastLink frontage) supporting tenant stability.
Trade-offs
- House yield ~3.22% (Your Investment Property May 2026) — among the weaker cashflow profiles for outer Melbourne; holding costs matter.
- No train station: heavy-rail extension first proposed 1969 and unlikely to progress while Suburban Rail Loop East absorbs state capital through to 2035.
- Unit DOM ~60 days suggests strata stock is slower-moving than detached — relevant if exit liquidity matters.
- Vendor discounting around -5.6% (htag.com.au) indicates buyers are still negotiating off asking despite tight supply.
What's coming
Knox Council's 2025-26 Capital Works program ($58M total) includes a lighting upgrade at Eildon Park Reserve in central Rowville and a new Parking Management Plan for the Rowville Activity Centre (one of the first two PMPs in the LGA). The Rowville Plan (Amendment C131, 2016) continues to guide activity-centre redevelopment. Caulfield-Rowville trackless tram / light rail remains in advocacy stage — not funded.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: an established outer-east family suburb with strong schools and freeway access, but no train. For investors: a capital-growth + liquidity play with weak yield — best held for appreciation, not cashflow.
Population
?33,571
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
-0.3%
3yr: +2.1% · 10yr: -0.4%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,205/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
41
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?8/10
SA2 · least disadvantaged
Unemployment
?3.5%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
6
5 primary, 1 secondary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?22
12 long day, 6 OSHC
Parks & green space
?97
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?127
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?27
Knox · 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 — Rowville - Central (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Rowville suburb alone is ~33,571 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 16,110 to 15,771 over 24 years, averaging -0.1% per year.
Schools
6 in suburbSector
5 public · 1 private
Type
5 primary · 1 secondary
Total enrolment
3,933
Avg per school
656
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 0.8%Almost entirely detached houses (91.9%), owner-occupied (81.1%), built for families (44% are 4 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
27 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| NRZ4 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 4Residential | 40.7% | 8.86 km² |
| SUZ2 | Special Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 8.2% | 1.79 km² |
| PPRZ | Public Park and Recreation ZoneRecreation | 5.8% | 1.26 km² |
| TRZ2 | TRZ2Special use | 5.3% | 1.16 km² |
| PUZ1 | Public Use Zone Schedule 1Special use | 4.5% | 0.98 km² |
| IN1Z | Industrial 1 ZoneIndustrial | 4.1% | 0.89 km² |
| NRZ5 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 5Residential | 3.9% | 0.86 km² |
| SUZ3 | Special Use Zone Schedule 3Special use | 2.9% | 0.63 km² |
| CDZ1 | Comprehensive Development Zone Schedule 1Business | 2.8% | 0.61 km² |
| PUZ7 | Public Use Zone Schedule 7Special use | 2.7% | 0.59 km² |
| GRZ1 | General Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 2.7% | 0.59 km² |
| C2Z | Commercial 2 ZoneBusiness | 2.4% | 0.52 km² |
| SUZ1 | Special Use Zone Schedule 1Special use | 2.1% | 0.46 km² |
| PCRZ | Public Conservation and Resource ZoneEnvironmental | 1.5% | 0.34 km² |
| GRZ3 | General Residential Zone Schedule 3Residential | 1.5% | 0.33 km² |
| LDRZ | Low Density Residential ZoneResidential | 1.5% | 0.32 km² |
| GWZ2 | Green Wedge Zone Schedule 2Rural | 1.5% | 0.32 km² |
| PUZ2 | Public Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 1.3% | 0.27 km² |
| UFZ | Urban Floodway ZoneWaterway | 1.1% | 0.24 km² |
| C1Z | Commercial 1 ZoneBusiness | 1.1% | 0.23 km² |
| RGZ3 | Residential Growth Zone Schedule 3Residential | 0.7% | 0.15 km² |
| RGZ1 | Residential Growth Zone Schedule 1Residential | 0.4% | 0.10 km² |
| PUZ6 | Public Use Zone Schedule 6Special use | 0.4% | 0.09 km² |
| GRZ8 | General Residential Zone Schedule 8Residential | 0.3% | 0.06 km² |
| NRZ9 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 9Residential | 0.3% | 0.06 km² |
| TRZ3 | TRZ3Special use | 0.2% | 0.04 km² |
| MUZ | Mixed Use ZoneResidential | 0.2% | 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.