Balwyn North, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Balwyn North, also known as North Balwyn, is an affluent residential suburb about ten kilometres east of central Melbourne, spread across the Cities of Boroondara and Whitehorse. The traditional owners of the area are the Wurundjeri people. The suburb shares its name with neighbouring Balwyn, drawn from a local estate and said to combine the Gaelic bal and the Saxon wyn to mean the home of the vine. Largely farmland until the postwar years, it was then laid out as classic Melbourne suburbia, with quiet streets, generous blocks and leafy parks. Its eastern part is known as Greythorn, whose name evolved from earlier whitethorn hedges. Families are drawn by the parks and by sought-after schools, among them Balwyn High School on Buchanan Avenue.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Balwyn North is more socio-economically advantaged than about 97% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1115, 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.
Is Balwyn North a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Strong on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 3 components we can score for Balwyn North from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
97/100Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (97/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
3/100Among the more expensive suburbs
Median weekly rent was $554 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 3% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Amenities & access
92/100Plenty mapped nearby
About 180 everyday places (cafés, shops, services and more) mapped within ~1.2 km of the centre. · OpenStreetMap
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Balwyn North at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 21,302
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $2,346
- SEIFA score
- 1115
- Local government area
- Boroondara
- Coordinates
- -37.7908, 145.0846
Map of Balwyn North
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Balwyn North
What it costs to live in Balwyn North and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $554
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $3,078
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 78%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 19%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Balwyn North demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Balwyn North demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Balwyn North 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 30% and 44% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 3,800 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 3,349 | 16% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 4,126 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 6,297 | 30% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,740 | 18% |
Share of the 21,312 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 3,248 | 46% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,287 | 32% |
| Rented | 1,381 | 19% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 5,882 | 83% |
| Townhouses & semis | 957 | 13% |
| Flats & apartments | 228 | 3% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 7,093 occupied private dwellings in Balwyn North.
- Average household size
- 2.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,727
- Median weekly personal income
- $854
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 9,238 (44%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 10,143 (49%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 43 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 13,256 (82%)
- Labour-force participation
- 61%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.1%
- Employed full-time
- 5,804
- Employed part-time
- 3,768
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 North
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Balwyn North 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).
Places in and around Balwyn North
Amenities mapped within about 1.2km of the suburb centre, from OpenStreetMap. A guide to what's nearby — not a complete directory.
Eat & drink
25 nearbyTeekaway Delight · Dunyazad · Sushi Cafe · Subway · Jolly Miller Cafe · Balwyn Kebabs
Parks & recreation
129 nearbyKX Pilates · Health Club · Greythorn Park · Greythorn Park Tennis Club · Gordon Barnard Reserve · Balwyn Leisure Centre
Shops & groceries
8 nearbyALDI · Foodworks · Greythorn Bread & Cake · Viva La Fruit · Signorelli's · Tony's Gourmet Delights
Healthcare
4 nearbyEye Clinic Laser Centre · Amcal · Boroondara Family Dentist
Schools & education
10 nearbyGreythorn Maternal Health and Childcare Centre · Balwyn High School · Belle Vue Primary School · Balwyn North Primary School · St Bede's School · Merrell Kindergarten
Things to do
4 nearbyGreythorn Library Lounge · Marwal Centre · Greythorn Community Hub
Eat & drink in and around Balwyn North
Cafés, restaurants, pubs and takeaway mapped within about 1.2km of the suburb centre. Listings are drawn from OpenStreetMap and shown as plain data — we don't rank or rate them.
Own a café, restaurant or pub around here?
Claim your listing to feature it at the top of this section. Placement is paid advertising, clearly labelled — never editorial opinion.
Claim this listing- Balwyn KebabsTakeaway
- Balwyn Road Fish & ChipsTakeaway
- Caffe RomeoCafé319 Doncaster Road, Balwyn Northfacebook.com
- Dough AddictRestaurant
- DunyazadRestaurant
- Fav Seafood Fish & ChipsTakeaway
- Jolly Miller CafeCafé
- Lemongrass ChickenTakeaway70 Doncaster Road, Balwyn North
- Matta CafeCafé335 Balwyn Roadmattafood.com
- Nan Yan ExpressRestaurant283 Doncaster Road, Balwyn North
- Puteri Asian Cafe & RestaurantRestaurant70 Doncaster Road
- Rooster & CoTakeaway325A Doncaster Road, Balwyn Northroosterandco.com.au
- SakiRestaurant70 Doncaster Road
- Satguru's IndianRestaurant139 Bulleen Road, Balwyn North
- SubwayTakeaway308 Doncaster Roadsubway.com.au
- Sushi CafeRestaurant292 Doncaster Road, Balwyn North
- Teekaway DelightRestaurant270 Doncaster Road, Balwyn North
- TesoroCafé278 Doncaster Road
- The GreekeryTakeaway
- The Village CafeCafé74 Doncaster Roadvillagecafe.net.au
- Travelling BanditCafé287 Doncaster Road, Balwyn North
- Via CondottiRestaurant117 Bulleen Road, Balwyn Northviacondottirestaurant.com.au
- Via RomaCafé87 Doncaster Road, Balwyn North
Showing 23 mapped places; more may exist that aren't yet on OpenStreetMap.
Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Own a venue here? Suggest a correction.
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Common questions about Balwyn North
Is Balwyn North a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage, housing affordability and amenities, Balwyn North rates 72/100 overall (Strong on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Balwyn North?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Balwyn North was $554, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $3,078. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Balwyn North?
Balwyn North is a suburb of Victoria, Australia, in the Boroondara local government area.
What is the population of Balwyn North?
At the 2021 Census, Balwyn North had a population of about 21,302.
Is Balwyn North an advantaged area?
Balwyn North has an ABS SEIFA score of 1115, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 97 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 97% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Balwyn North?
Balwyn North 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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