State Electorate · Area profile
Ferntree Gully (Eastern Metropolitan)
34 km²
A high proportion of households in Ferntree Gully earn $3,000 or more a week, making it a more affluent area than many others. The community is notably older than the state average and is characterized by large, detached family homes. It is a culturally diverse hub where many residents were born overseas and speak a language other than English. This combination of professional qualifications and family-oriented living creates a stable, established residential environment in the eastern suburbs.
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The typical resident is 41, making the area noticeably older than both Victoria and Australia. Seniors aged 65 and over make up 19.9% of the population, a figure that rose 2.2 percentage points since 2016.
Overseas birthplaces are very common here, with 36.2% of people born abroad, which is well above the national figure. The most common ancestries are English, Australian, and Chinese.
Language diversity is high, as 32.6% of people use a language other than English at home, far exceeding the Australian average. Mandarin and Cantonese are the most common non-English languages spoken.
People with no religion make up 41.4% of the community, a figure that rose 7.5 percentage points since 2016. Christianity remains the most common affiliation at 42.2%.
The workforce is well-qualified, with 30.1% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is well above the national average and has risen 5.9 percentage points since 2016.
High earners are common, with 22.7% of households earning $3,000 or more weekly. Typical weekly household income is $1,809, which is about the same as the state and national figures.
Long-term health conditions are slightly more common here than in the rest of the state, affecting 29.0% of residents. Mental health and asthma are among the most reported conditions.
Unpaid care is a significant part of local life, with 13.2% of people providing unpaid care and 28.1% caring for children. Volunteering has fallen 5.9 percentage points since 2016 to 13.7%.
Households are larger than in most areas, with an average of 2.7 people per home. This is consistent with a high proportion of couples with children, who make up 62.0% of families.
The area is dominated by large separate houses, with 84.3% of homes having three or more bedrooms. Renting is much less common here than across the state, at just 21.4%.
Working from home has surged to 26.4%, up 23 percentage points since 2016. While most people use cars, the area has a high number of public transport stops per 1,000 people.
The population is relatively stable, as only 33.4% of people moved in the last five years, which is well below the national rate. Recent overseas arrivals fell 2.5 percentage points since 2016.
About 62.5% of adults are working or looking for work, which is about the same as the state average. The most common industries for local workers are health care and retail trade.
The area is very walkable, with 97.7% of homes within a 10-minute walk of public transport. Almost every resident can reach a park or school within 15 minutes on foot.