Dandenong, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Dandenong is a major suburb in Melbourne's south-east, about twenty-nine kilometres from the city and the council seat of the City of Greater Dandenong. It sits on the lower Dandenong Creek; its name is generally thought to come from the Woiwurrung word 'Tanjenong', said to mean 'lofty mountains' and probably pointing to the Dandenong Ranges that rise some distance to the north-east. A township was surveyed here in 1852, and by the early twentieth century Dandenong was a substantial regional city in its own right; through the mid-century it became one of Victoria's great manufacturing and commercial centres before being drawn into greater Melbourne. A junction of highways and freeways and the gateway to the Gippsland railway, it is today a busy transport hub undergoing major urban renewal.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Dandenong is more socio-economically advantaged than about 7% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 870, 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.
Dandenong at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 30,127
- Median age
- 33
- Median weekly household income
- $1,267
- SEIFA score
- 870
- Coordinates
- -37.9858, 145.2122
Dandenong demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Dandenong 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 young adults (25–44) at 36%, 53% of homes are rented, and 66% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 5,710 | 19% |
| Youth (15–24) | 3,726 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 10,966 | 36% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 5,893 | 20% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,835 | 13% |
Share of the 30,130 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,930 | 20% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,300 | 23% |
| Rented | 5,175 | 53% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4,058 | 41% |
| Townhouses & semis | 3,827 | 39% |
| Flats & apartments | 1,891 | 19% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 9,809 occupied private dwellings in Dandenong.
- Median weekly rent
- $319
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Average household size
- 2.8 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,413
- Median weekly personal income
- $596
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 18,230 (66%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 19,991 (74%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 152 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 12,697 (54%)
- Labour-force participation
- 51.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 9.4%
- Employed full-time
- 6,758
- Employed part-time
- 3,965
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 Dandenong
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Dandenong is January (average daytime high around 26.6°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.8°C). The area receives roughly 898 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.6°C | 14.9°C | 64 mm |
| Feb | 25.3°C | 14.3°C | 44 mm |
| Mar | 23.5°C | 13.6°C | 58 mm |
| Apr | 19.7°C | 11.1°C | 72 mm |
| May | 15.9°C | 9.1°C | 81 mm |
| Jun | 13.4°C | 7.1°C | 81 mm |
| Jul | 12.8°C | 6.7°C | 71 mm |
| Aug | 13.6°C | 6.8°C | 85 mm |
| Sep | 16.2°C | 7.9°C | 83 mm |
| Oct | 19.3°C | 9.3°C | 95 mm |
| Nov | 21.2°C | 11°C | 96 mm |
| Dec | 24.2°C | 12.7°C | 68 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Dandenong
Where is Dandenong?
Dandenong is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Dandenong?
At the 2021 Census, Dandenong had a population of about 30,127.
Is Dandenong an advantaged area?
Dandenong has an ABS SEIFA score of 870, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 7 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 7% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Dandenong?
Dandenong has average daytime highs of about 19.3°C and overnight lows of about 10.4°C, with roughly 898 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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