Ashburton, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Ashburton is a leafy, established suburb in Melbourne's south-east, within the City of Boroondara and around twelve kilometres from the central business district. The area took its name from a railway station: a stop on the Outer Circle line, originally called Norwood, was renamed in the early eighteen-nineties at the suggestion of a former councillor who had lived in Ashburton Terrace in Cork, Ireland. In its early years the locality was best known for the Ashburton Forest overlooking Gardiners Creek, a popular spot for picnics reached by a dedicated steam train nicknamed the Ashy Dasher. Suburban subdivisions spread north of High Street from the late nineteen-twenties. Today the Ashburton Village shopping strip, community centre and library line High Street, while the Gardiners Creek Trail threads through the suburb's south, linking walkers and cyclists towards Kew.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Ashburton is more socio-economically advantaged than about 98% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1126, 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.
Ashburton at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 7,952
- Median age
- 41
- Median weekly household income
- $2,743
- SEIFA score
- 1126
- Coordinates
- -37.8670, 145.0795
Ashburton demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Ashburton 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 28%, 25% of homes are rented, and 29% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,584 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,015 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,753 | 22% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,263 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,341 | 17% |
Share of the 7,956 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,033 | 38% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 944 | 35% |
| Rented | 678 | 25% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,065 | 76% |
| Townhouses & semis | 549 | 20% |
| Flats & apartments | 60 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,709 occupied private dwellings in Ashburton.
- Median weekly rent
- $455
- Median monthly mortgage
- $3,000
- Average household size
- 2.8 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,422
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,002
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,230 (29%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,806 (23%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 35 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 4,764 (80%)
- Labour-force participation
- 65.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.8%
- Employed full-time
- 2,339
- Employed part-time
- 1,426
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 Ashburton
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Ashburton 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 Ashburton
Where is Ashburton?
Ashburton is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Ashburton?
At the 2021 Census, Ashburton had a population of about 7,952.
Is Ashburton an advantaged area?
Ashburton has an ABS SEIFA score of 1126, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 98 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 98% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Ashburton?
Ashburton 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).
Does Ashburton have high household incomes?
Ashburton has one of the highest median weekly household incomes in Victoria — the 21st-highest among suburbs with at least 1,000 residents at the 2021 Census ($2,743 per week).
Where Ashburton ranks
Ashburton appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Highest-income suburbs in Victoria#21 of 25
Nearby suburbs in Victoria
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Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.