Heidelberg, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Heidelberg is a suburb in Melbourne's north-east, about eleven kilometres from the central business district, within the City of Banyule. Laid out as a surveyed township around 1840, it was first called Warringal, a name said to come from an Aboriginal word for eagle's nest, before a land agent renamed it after the German city of Heidelberg. The district's rural scenery drew painters in the late nineteenth century, and Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and Frederick McCubbin relocated to nearby Eaglemont in 1888, giving rise to the Heidelberg School, a celebrated movement in Australian impressionist art. The cattle overlander Joseph Hawdon built the Gothic Banyule Homestead here in 1846. Today Heidelberg is also widely known for the Austin Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in Victoria.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Heidelberg is more socio-economically advantaged than about 93% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1085, 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.
Heidelberg at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 7,360
- Median age
- 39
- Median weekly household income
- $2,012
- SEIFA score
- 1085
- Coordinates
- -37.7514, 145.0697
Heidelberg demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Heidelberg 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%, 41% of homes are rented, and 29% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,238 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 671 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,451 | 33% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,691 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,315 | 18% |
Share of the 7,366 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 830 | 28% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 834 | 28% |
| Rented | 1,231 | 41% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,269 | 42% |
| Townhouses & semis | 498 | 17% |
| Flats & apartments | 1,218 | 41% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,994 occupied private dwellings in Heidelberg.
- Median weekly rent
- $400
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,150
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,660
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,086
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,070 (29%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,744 (25%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 37 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 4,435 (75%)
- Labour-force participation
- 66.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.2%
- Employed full-time
- 2,429
- Employed part-time
- 1,227
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 Heidelberg
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Heidelberg 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 Heidelberg
Where is Heidelberg?
Heidelberg is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Heidelberg?
At the 2021 Census, Heidelberg had a population of about 7,360.
Is Heidelberg an advantaged area?
Heidelberg has an ABS SEIFA score of 1085, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 93 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 93% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Heidelberg?
Heidelberg 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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