Get a property report and suburb profile for any property in Berwick

Berwick is a well-established south-eastern Melbourne suburb centred on a historic village along High Street, where bluestone buildings, cafes and boutique shops form a compact town centre. Tree-lined streets near the village feature period cottages and character homes, while surrounding neighbourhoods include modern family houses, townhouses and some larger semi-rural blocks. The suburb is served by Berwick train station on the Pakenham line, a network of main roads and Monash University’s Berwick campus, and there are parks, sporting ovals and walking trails close by.

With a population of 50,298, a median age of 38 and a median household income of $2,113 a week, Berwick is strongly family-oriented and mostly owner-occupied, with owner-occupiers outnumbering renters by roughly three to one. The area is the focus of a health and education precinct and local planning documents guide change in the village, while council projects cover park upgrades, a proposed dog park and wetlands works. That combination of schools, outdoor spaces, transport and planning tends to suit families, commuters and people connected to the campus; whether it suits you depends on what you want from a suburb.

Buying in Berwick sits well above local incomes as recorded at the most recent Census. A median house at $915,000 is about 8.3 times a typical local annual household income at the last Census (weekly income $2,113, which is $109,876 a year). A median unit at $720,000 is about 6.6 times that annual income.

If you're renting, house rent of $615 a week would take about 29.1% of a typical local household's weekly income at the last Census, and unit rent of $505 a week would take about 23.9%. On these figures, rents sit in the moderate range against what a typical local household earned at the last Census, while buying — at roughly 6.6 to 8.3 times a year's income — sits well above local incomes. Whether that feels expensive depends on your own income and circumstances.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

Over the past 12 months, property values in Berwick rose by a solid amount: house values increased 6.7% and unit values increased 6.9%, so the capital value of both dwelling types moved up at a similar pace.

On the income side, unit rents edged up 1.0% over the year, a slight rise, so for units the capital growth outpaced rental income during this period. Which of these outcomes matters to you depends on whether you prioritise capital growth or rental income as an investor.

This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.