VIC · Moonee Valley Council
Essendon West, 3040
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Updated
Desirability score
- Premium
- Transport
- Green space
- Shops
- Metro
Suburb profile
Essendon West is a well-connected smaller community in Moonee Valley with everyday amenities close at hand. Sitting close to the city centre, it is easy to dip into neighbouring suburbs for work, dining and events. Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with plenty of young families in the mix.
Local shops and services cover the basics well, with more choice a short trip into neighbouring suburbs. There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play. Getting around the metro area is straightforward, with transport tying neighbouring communities together.
Property is in demand, reflecting the appeal of living in a place people actively choose. Renewal is happening in measured doses, with new development complementing what is already there.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and housing affordability against similar metro suburbs, even with community and employment and parks and green space holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 1,559
- Median age
- 39
- Median household income / week
- $2,338
- Dwelling vacancy
- 8.2%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 51 of 624
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,682
- Employment rate
- 65.5%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 34 / 187 / 0
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (2026)
- 65
- Against the person
- 7
- Against property
- 41
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 41.7
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 223 residents
- State safety percentile
- 38th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +1.6%
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- B21 Criminal Damage6
- B41 Motor Vehicle Theft5
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle17
- C32 Drug Possession8
- E21 Breach Family Violence Order4
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Year ending March release
Public transport
8 public transport stops in this suburb
- Garnet St/Buckley St
- Hoffmans Rd/Buckley St
- Prospect St/Buckley St
- Prospect St/Buckley St
- St Bernards College/Hampton Rd
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Planning & development
Development applications from PPARS statewide register (lodged 2020–2022). Free public PPARS MapServer — applications through ~2022 (service last updated Feb 2024).
25 planning-related records
2021· 8 proposals
June 2021
- Construction of a dwelling to the rear of an existing dwelling467 BUCKLEY STREET ESSENDON WEST 3040NOD issued by a delegate
- Two Lot Subdivision22 Emerald StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
April 2021
- St Bernard's College - Buildings and works for the construction of a multi storey building associated with an existing school and the display of business identification signage.41 ROSEHILL ROADPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Three Lot Subdivision27 Emerald StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- VICSMART - Two Lot Subdivision21 Rosehill RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
February 2021
- Four Lot Subdivision4 Hampton RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Two Lot Subdivision - VicSmart53 Clydebank RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
January 2021
- Two Lot Subdivision - VicSmart17 Hampton RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 17 proposals
December 2020
- Construct and use the land for a private illuminated tennis court associated with a dwelling13 View StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Two Lot Subdivision - VicSmart20 Prospect StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
November 2020
- Two Lot Subdivision - VicSmart53 Clydebank RoadWithdrawn
October 2020
- Three Lot Subdivision18 Garnet StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Construction of two dwellings35 Hampton RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
August 2020
- Subdivision which realigns the common boundary between two lots.1/ 10 Beryl StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
July 2020
- Construction of two dwellings and alteration and creation of access to a road in a Road Zone, Category 1487 Buckley StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
June 2020
- Construction of two dwellings22 Ruby StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
May 2020
- Two Lot Subdivision PS 840515E VicSmart7 Diamond StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Pruning of vegetation in an Environmental Significance Overlay (ESO2)27 View StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
April 2020
- Construction of a double storey dwelling to the rear of the existing dwelling6 Garnet StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Construction of two dwellings16 Emerald StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
March 2020
- Construction of three dwellings27 Emerald StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Construction of two dwellings1 Diamond StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Two Lot Subdivision PS836264C VicSmart2 Diamond StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
February 2020
- Construct an extension to a dwelling on a lot less than 300 square metres5/ 25 Hampton RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
January 2020
- Construction of two dwellings - AMENDMENT53 Clydebank RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- PPARS planning permit activity (statewide) — Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria) · Period: 2020–2022 · Updated on site · Public MapServer last updated Feb 2024 — applications through FY 2022–23 only; newer PPARS data requires council/API access
Amenities
22 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bench (10)
- Bicycle Parking
- Bourke Street/Buckley StreetBus stop
- Garnet Street/Buckley StreetBus stop
- Hoffmans Road/Buckley StreetBus stop
- Prospect Street/Buckley StreetBus stop
- Drinking water (2)
- Picnic Table (2)
- Marian ChapelPlace of worship
- Waste Basket (2)
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
7 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Afton Street Conservation ReserveNature reserve
- Cliff Whitworth ReservePark
- Garnet ReservePark
- Ian J McWilliams ParkPark
- Lily ReservePark
- Neil Heinze ReservePark
- Smiley Crescent ReservePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 1
- Emergency department
- On site
- Essendon Private Clinichospital
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 10/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 9/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Victorian Bushfire Management Overlay mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 6
- Parks (OSM)
- 6
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 36.2/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4036th in Australia
- State rank
- 770th in VIC
- Peer rank
- #184 among Metro Melbourne · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #355 among Metro Melbourne suburbs
- Data confidence
- 74%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- B21 Criminal Damagecrime6
- B41 Motor Vehicle Theftcrime5
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehiclecrime17
- C32 Drug Possessioncrime8
- E21 Breach Family Violence Ordercrime4
- Essendon Private Clinichealthhospital
- Afton Street Conservation Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
- Cliff Whitworth Reservegovernmentpark
- Garnet Reservegovernmentpark
- Ian J McWilliams Parkgovernmentpark
Data sources & freshness
- Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Updated on site · Year ending March release
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
More in Moonee Valley Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Victoria.