Melbourne. Blink and you might miss Melbourne's littlest suburb, Gardenvale. Abutting the bougie bayside suburb of Brighton, it measures just 26ha, or 0.26 square kilometres.
The youngest suburbs are Parkville, Clayton North and Melbourne CBD – North, where the median age is 26.
Fitzroy, including Fitzroy North, is an inner suburb of Melbourne, located just to the north-east of the CBD. It is bordered by East Melbourne to the south, Carlton to the west, Brunswick to the north, and both Clifton Hill and Collingwood to the east. Fitzroy was first established in 1839 as Melbourne's first suburb.
As at 2020 the largest population is in the City of Casey. Casey is a growth area on Melbourne's south-eastern fringe (see Figure 1 below).
States and territories annual population growth, December 2022. Wyndham in Victoria was the fastest-growing area between 2019 and 2022, with 34,500 additional residents.
Toorak—an inner suburb in Melbourne, five kilometers southeast of Melbourne's Central Business District and known for its gated cul-de-sacs and wide, tree-lined streets—has been a private playground to the rich and famous since wealthy merchant James Jackson built an Italianate residence there in 1849.
Land boom and bust
The 1880s saw extraordinary growth: consumer confidence, easy access to credit, and steep increases in land prices led to an enormous amount of construction. During this "land boom", Melbourne reputedly became the richest city in the world, and the second-largest (after London) in the British Empire.
Princes Hill, in the lap of Melbourne University, has the state's highest concentration of post-graduates. East Melbourne, Carlton North, Clifton Hill and Parkville, all with universities on their doorstep, predictably rate highly for education as well.
Graytown is a gold mining ghost town lying on a connecting road between Heathcote and Nagambie. At its peak in 1868 it had an estimated population of 20,000. By the 1960s most of the buildings, and the local population, had been removed.
The smallest town in Australia is the quirky Cooladdi (Aboriginal meaning “Black Duck”), which is placed between Quilpie and Charleville in southwest Queensland. Coolidge is actually a ghost town and, even though it once had a population of 270, now it's home to only four people.
Norlane and East Bairnsdale are the most disadvantaged suburbs in Victoria.
No suburb in the country features a greater concentration of members of The List – Australia's Richest 250 than Toorak, where Melbourne's wealthiest families have gathered for decades. Think historic looking mansions guarded by large hedges set back from the street to ensure privacy.
The suburbs are particularly affected on hot days are Sunshine, Preston, Dandenong, Glenroy, and Clayton. Their findings were based on key aspects of these suburbs, such as their lack of tree cover, the types of houses located there, the age and health of residents.
Southern suburbs: affordable suburbs in Melbourne
35 kilometres from the city centre, Narre Warren, Hampton Park, Lynbrook and Hallam are within a reachable price bracket. For an idea of property prices, Hampton Park is the cheapest and the median house price is $570,000.
Among suburbs losing population over the decade were St Kilda East (down 601), Surrey Hills West-Canterbury (down 543), Rowville North (down 387), Flemington (down 357) and East Melbourne (down 276).
When looking for the best areas to live in Melbourne, consider the southern suburbs that are close to exquisite beaches and direct access to the stunning Mornington Peninsula. The bayside suburb of Elwood is characterised by its peaceful, tree-lined streets and village feel.
The City of Stonnington is the richest local government area in Victoria.
Port Melbourne is a fairly recently renovated suburb that offers inner-city bayside living with class and convenience. Despite being one of the more expensive suburbs in the city, Port Melbourne attracts young couples and singles who don't mind forking out for the lifestyle the area offers.