Balwyn, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Balwyn is a leafy, affluent suburb about 10 kilometres east of central Melbourne in the City of Boroondara, and the recognised traditional owners of the area are the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. The name dates to the late 1850s, when Andrew Murray, a writer for The Argus newspaper, built a house on the hill above Canterbury Gardens and called it Balwyn, said to combine the Gaelic bal and the Saxon wyn to mean the home of the vine. Balwyn Road and the wider district took their name from the house. Largely farmland and grand estates in the nineteenth century, Balwyn filled with housing as Melbourne expanded, and today it is among Victoria's most sought-after suburbs. Local landmarks include the long-running Balwyn Cinema and the Maranoa Botanic Gardens, which is devoted to native plants.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Balwyn is more socio-economically advantaged than about 96% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1105, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Balwyn at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 13,495
- Median age
- 43
- Median weekly household income
- $1,975
- SEIFA score
- 1105
- Coordinates
- -37.8099, 145.0873
Balwyn demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Balwyn using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 27%, 27% of homes are rented, and 47% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,184 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,845 | 14% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 3,026 | 22% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 3,591 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,850 | 21% |
Share of the 13,496 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,145 | 42% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,376 | 27% |
| Rented | 1,356 | 27% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,977 | 59% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,320 | 26% |
| Flats & apartments | 768 | 15% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 5,080 occupied private dwellings in Balwyn.
- Median weekly rent
- $451
- Median monthly mortgage
- $3,000
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,492
- Median weekly personal income
- $850
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 6,141 (47%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 6,186 (47%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 32 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 8,638 (81%)
- Labour-force participation
- 57.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 5%
- Employed full-time
- 3,574
- Employed part-time
- 2,300
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Balwyn
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Balwyn is January (average daytime high around 27°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.9°C). The area receives roughly 724 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27°C | 14.9°C | 62 mm |
| Feb | 25.8°C | 14.1°C | 32 mm |
| Mar | 24°C | 13.3°C | 47 mm |
| Apr | 20°C | 10.5°C | 62 mm |
| May | 16°C | 8.4°C | 63 mm |
| Jun | 13.4°C | 6.5°C | 63 mm |
| Jul | 12.9°C | 6.1°C | 50 mm |
| Aug | 13.7°C | 6.2°C | 59 mm |
| Sep | 16.3°C | 7.3°C | 65 mm |
| Oct | 19.6°C | 8.8°C | 76 mm |
| Nov | 21.6°C | 10.8°C | 79 mm |
| Dec | 24.5°C | 12.6°C | 66 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Balwyn
Where is Balwyn?
Balwyn is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Balwyn?
At the 2021 Census, Balwyn had a population of about 13,495.
Is Balwyn an advantaged area?
Balwyn has an ABS SEIFA score of 1105, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 96 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 96% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Balwyn?
Balwyn has average daytime highs of about 19.6°C and overnight lows of about 10°C, with roughly 724 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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