Pakenham, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Pakenham is a suburb on the south-eastern edge of Melbourne, about 53 km from the central business district and the most populous town in the Shire of Cardinia. It lies in the traditional Country of the Kulin nation, with the Boon Wurrung people recognised as local custodians. The town was named after Sir Edward Pakenham, a British major general who served in the Peninsular War and was killed at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. European families took up large land selections in the district from the late 1830s, and a railway station opened in 1877 on the line linking Melbourne to Gippsland. Over recent decades Pakenham has become one of the city's major growth areas, its population and infrastructure expanding rapidly through estates such as Lakeside, Heritage Springs and Cardinia Lakes. The suburb sits on the Princes Highway, with a bypass carrying through-traffic around the centre, and is served by several railway stations marking the end of Melbourne's electrified suburban network.
Less advantaged than the national average
Pakenham is more socio-economically advantaged than about 33% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 958, 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 Pakenham 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.
Around the national middle
A weighted blend of the 5 components we can score for Pakenham 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
33/100Less advantaged than the national average
Less advantaged than the national average — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (33/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
28/100Less affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $351 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 28% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Amenities & access
80/100Plenty mapped nearby
About 118 everyday places (cafés, shops, services and more) mapped within ~1.2 km of the centre. · OpenStreetMap
Green space
55/100Some green space nearby
About 6.9% of the area within ~1.2 km of the centre is mapped as green space — parks, reserves, sportsgrounds and the like. An area estimate from a radius around the centre, not the suburb boundary. · OpenStreetMap
Transport
78/100A good number of stops nearby
About 28 public-transport stops (bus, train, tram or ferry) mapped within ~1.2 km of the centre. Stop coverage, not timetable frequency. · 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.
- 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.
Pakenham at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 54,118
- Median age
- 33
- Median weekly household income
- $1,664
- SEIFA score
- 958
- Local government area
- Cardinia
- Coordinates
- -38.0708, 145.4878
Map of Pakenham
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Pakenham
What it costs to live in Pakenham and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $351
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,733
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 65%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 31%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Pakenham demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Pakenham demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Pakenham 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 33% and 29% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 13,030 | 24% |
| Youth (15–24) | 6,377 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 18,011 | 33% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 10,286 | 19% |
| Seniors (65+) | 6,418 | 12% |
Share of the 54,122 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 3,445 | 19% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 8,536 | 46% |
| Rented | 5,679 | 31% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 15,936 | 86% |
| Townhouses & semis | 2,349 | 13% |
| Flats & apartments | 105 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 18,451 occupied private dwellings in Pakenham.
- Average household size
- 2.8 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,879
- Median weekly personal income
- $783
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 15,142 (29%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 12,577 (24%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 637 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 21,188 (54%)
- Labour-force participation
- 65.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.3%
- Employed full-time
- 15,582
- Employed part-time
- 8,044
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 Pakenham
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Pakenham is January (average daytime high around 26.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 13°C). The area receives roughly 944 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.9°C | 15°C | 68 mm |
| Feb | 25.7°C | 14.4°C | 43 mm |
| Mar | 23.8°C | 13.6°C | 57 mm |
| Apr | 19.9°C | 11°C | 76 mm |
| May | 16.1°C | 9.2°C | 84 mm |
| Jun | 13.6°C | 7.1°C | 84 mm |
| Jul | 13°C | 6.8°C | 74 mm |
| Aug | 13.9°C | 6.9°C | 89 mm |
| Sep | 16.6°C | 8°C | 88 mm |
| Oct | 19.7°C | 9.4°C | 102 mm |
| Nov | 21.6°C | 11.1°C | 104 mm |
| Dec | 24.6°C | 12.7°C | 75 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Places in and around Pakenham
Amenities mapped within about 1.2km of the suburb centre, from OpenStreetMap. A guide to what's nearby — not a complete directory.
Eat & drink
17 nearbyRailway Hotel · Chives Bar & Bistro · El Jannah · Pakenham Inn · Bubba's Pizza · Subway
Parks & recreation
78 nearbyAdventure Park · Burke Park · Atkins Road Reserve · P.B. Ronald Park · Pakenham Bowls Club · P.B. Ronald Skate Park
Shops & groceries
7 nearbyColes · Ritchies · Pakenham Heights Milk Bar · Woolworths · Bakers Delight · Apna Bazaar Indian Supermarket
Healthcare
4 nearbyStation Street Clinic · Chemist Warehouse · St Antony Medical Centre
Schools & education
9 nearbyPakenham Heights Kindergarten · St Clare's Early Learning Centre · Pakenham Kindergarten · Eden Academy · Pakenham Hills Primary School · Time4Tots Early Learning Centre
Things to do
3 nearbyLiving and Learning in Cardinia · Historic Council Shire Offices · Casey-Cardinia Library Co. (Pakenham Branch)
Eat & drink in and around Pakenham
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- Bubba's PizzaTakeawaybubbapizza.com.au
- Cardinia ClubPub71 Racecourse Roadcardiniaclub.com.au
- Chilli Lounge IndianRestaurant
- Chives Bar & BistroRestaurant
- El JannahTakeaway116 Princes Highway, Pakenhameljannah.com.au
- Guzman y GomezTakeaway
- Hungry Jack'sTakeawayhungryjacks.com.au
- Kabul SpicesRestaurant
- KFCTakeawaykfc.com.au
- McDonald'sTakeawaymcdonalds.com.au
- Pakenham InnRestaurant110 - 112 Princes Highway
- Railway HotelPub153 Main Streetrailwayhotelpakenham.com.au
- SubwayTakeawaysubway.com.au
- Taco BillRestaurant
- Tikka tokRestaurant
- Two Fat DucksRestaurant
Showing 16 mapped places; more may exist that aren't yet on OpenStreetMap.
Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Own a venue here? Suggest a correction.
Share your local knowledge of Pakenham
Lived here or spent time in Pakenham? Add a review or a quick tip. Reviews and tips are moderated before they appear.
Common questions about Pakenham
Is Pakenham 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, amenities, green space and transport, Pakenham rates 51/100 overall (Around the national middle). Schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Pakenham?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Pakenham was $351, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,733. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Pakenham?
Pakenham is a suburb of Victoria, Australia, in the Cardinia local government area.
What is the population of Pakenham?
At the 2021 Census, Pakenham had a population of about 54,118.
Is Pakenham an advantaged area?
Pakenham has an ABS SEIFA score of 958, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 33 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 33% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Pakenham?
Pakenham has average daytime highs of about 19.6°C and overnight lows of about 10.4°C, with roughly 944 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Pakenham?
Pakenham is one of the most populous suburbs in Australia — the 5th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 54,118 usual residents).
Where Pakenham ranks
Pakenham appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in Australia#5 of 25
- Largest suburbs in Victoria#5 of 25
Nearby suburbs in Victoria
More suburb guides in Victoria
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.