Drumcondra, Greater Geelong: house prices, rent and what to check before you buy
Valuer-General Victoria doesn't report a median house or unit price for Drumcondra: too few sales. Median rent: $331 a week (ABS Census 2021, older than the price figures). Postcode 3215.
What stands out: A heritage overlay covers 67% of the suburb's land (Vicmap Planning).
Page updated
- Zoning: mostly Neighbourhood Residential zone (NRZ2), 84% of the land
- Planning change: no rezoning or new overlays recorded since 2017
- School zones: parts of Drumcondra are zoned for Ashby Primary School (primary); Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College and North Geelong Secondary College (+1 more) (secondary)
- Getting there: 24 min to Geelong by public transport (modelled)
- Median rent
- $331/wk
- Census 2021 (older)
- Census 2021 median, all rented homes
- Four years older than the price figures; not directly comparable.
- ABS Census 2021
- Planning risk
- Flood 0% Very lowBushfire 0% Very lowHeritage 67% Very high
- share of suburb land area
- 1 suburb-specific overlay to check
- Vicmap Planning
- Getting around
- 0.8 km to nearest station
- 24 min to Geelong by public transport (modelled)
- 1 zoned primary, 3 secondary schools
- PTV timetable data · Delora commute model · Victorian Department of Education school zones
Drumcondra is a small community with a median age of 50, among the most socio-economically advantaged areas in the state on the ABS's SEIFA index. Housing here is overwhelmingly standalone houses. The area is still light on cafés, shops and other everyday amenity. It's not served by train or tram. House sales here are too infrequent for a reliable median — see the unit and land figures below.
Ready to look at a specific property here? See the due diligence hub for what to verify before you sign.
Scope: Victoria, Australia. Suburb data here is Victorian (state valuer, rental, planning and school records); regional Victoria comparison group.
In this profile
- Planning and riskZones, overlays, flood and bushfire, and what is planned nearby, with an address check.
- Prices and rentsMedian prices and rents, how they have moved, and sales volume.
- SchoolsThe government school zones that cover the suburb.
- Living hereTransport, commute times, who lives here and the suburbs nearby.
- Before you buyThe checks every purchase needs, common questions and guides.
Risk and planning in Drumcondra
Drumcondra is among the most heritage-dense suburbs Delora covers — around 67% sits under a Heritage Overlay — so many homes are period properties where demolition and even external changes need a planning permit.
Suburb-wide shares of the land, not a check of any one address.
Flood-related overlays can add building rules and raise insurance cost.
Share of the suburb. Source: Vicmap Planning · Verify this address
If it applies it adds bushfire construction requirements (a BAL rating) and cost.
Share of the suburb. Source: Vicmap Planning · Verify this address
No part of Drumcondra is in a designated bushfire prone area. That is the building system’s map, not proof that bushfire can’t reach the suburb.
Share of the suburb. Source: Designated Bushfire Prone Area (DataVic) · Verify this address
Changes to the outside of a building, and demolition, need council approval. 14 named overlay areas (HO1630, HO1631, HO194 +11 more) — oldest gazetted 2002.
Share of the suburb. Source: Vicmap Planning · Verify this address
Worth checking in Drumcondra
Heritage Overlay likely
About 67% of Drumcondra sits under a Heritage Overlay — a high-heritage suburb. Check whether one applies to this property: it can restrict demolition, extensions and even exterior paint colours, and a permit is needed for changes. Confirm it’s disclosed in the planning section.
Zoning mix and building controls
Land use across the suburb (planning zones)
- Zoning
- Residential
- mostly Neighbourhood Residential Zone – Schedule 2 (NRZ2) · 84% of the suburb
Planning changes in Drumcondra: none recorded since 2017
No zone changes or new planning overlays have been recorded on land in Drumcondra since 2017 — its planning rules have stayed put over the period we track. That stability is itself worth knowing.
Source: Vicmap Planning Scheme History (2017–present). How Melbourne’s zoning actually changed over the decade →
- Suburb
Layers on this map, as a table
| Layer | Share of suburb | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Suburb boundary | The whole suburb | ABS SAL 2021 |
Overlay colours reflect how much of the suburb an overlay covers — green under ~8%, amber ~8–20%, red above 20%. Public-acquisition, contamination (EAO) and floodway overlays are listed above under "Worth checking" wherever they apply, because even a small area can include a specific property. Source: Vicmap Planning. What do these terms mean? · How to verify planning controls for an address
Cost and market in Drumcondra
Drumcondra has too few recorded sales for a reliable median. Typical rent is $331/wk (Census 2021).
Show recorded crime and amenity-density comparisons
Schools
Parts of Drumcondra fall within 1 primary and 3 secondary government school catchments. No schools sit within the suburb boundary itself, though the catchments above extend into it from neighbouring areas.
Government schools have address-based catchment zones; Catholic and independent schools set their own enrolment processes.
| Zone | Covers | Boundary | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary school zones | |||
| Ashby Primary School | 100% | — | |
| Secondary school zones | |||
| Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College | 100% | — | |
| Western Heights Secondary College | 91% | — | |
| North Geelong Secondary College | 9% | — | |
Getting around from Drumcondra
0 train, 0 tram and 4 bus stop points sit inside the suburb (PTV timetable data).
- Getting around
- 0 train · 0 tram · 4 bus
- nearest train station ~0.8 km · counts are stop points, not stations (a station is often several)
- Train frequency
- every 9 min
- at the nearest station, weekday AM peak
- Tram frequency
- every 15 min
- at the nearest stop, weekday AM peak
- Schools
- 0
- primary & secondary
- Nearest Centrelink
- ~2.1 km
- outside the suburb
| Job hub | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Geelong | 24 min |
| Docklands | 84 min |
| Melbourne CBD | 84 min |
| Parkville | 84 min |
| Southbank | 84 min |
| Laverton | 92 min |
Show all 16 job hubs
| Job hub | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Cremorne | 94 min |
| East Melbourne | 94 min |
| South Melbourne | 94 min |
| South Yarra | 94 min |
| Port Melbourne Industrial | 103 min |
| Preston | 114 min |
| Campbellfield | 129 min |
| Clayton (Monash University) | 136 min |
| Dandenong | 136 min |
| Mulgrave | 166 min |
Everyday amenity (OpenStreetMap)
- Cafés & amenity density
- 0 cafés
- Low café & amenity density — likely more car-dependent
- Restaurants
- 0
- places to eat nearby
- Supermarkets
- 0
- grocery stores nearby
- Pharmacies
- 0
- chemists nearby
- Parks
- 1
- green space nearby
- Childcare
- 0
- centres nearby
- GP & medical centres
- 0
- nearby
Who lives in Drumcondra
— 571 residents · median age 50 · 75% own their home · SEIFA 10/10
- Population
- 571
- usual residents (Census 2021)
- Owner-occupied
- 75%
- 75% own, 20% private rent, 0% social, 5% other or not stated
- Median age
- 50 yrs
- of residents
- Personal income
- $886/wk
- median, per week
- Household income
- $2,022/wk
- median, per week
- Avg household size
- 2.4 people
- people per home · 76% family households
- Monthly mortgage
- $2,650/mo
- median repayment
- Taxpayer income
- $56,014/yr
- median taxable income, per year (ATO)
- Population growth
- no data
- Recorded crime
- 95 per 1,000 residents
- a year, across all of Greater Geelong council, not just Drumcondra · around the state average
In Drumcondra itself: 32 recorded offences in the year to 2026 (Crime Statistics Agency, matched by suburb name and postcode — a closer figure than the council-wide band above, though still a count, not a rate per resident).
Offence category mix (Greater Geelong council's mix, latest year):
- Property and deception offences52%
- Justice procedures offences20%
- Crimes against the person15%
- Drug offences7%
- Public order and security offences6%
- Other offences0%
Recorded offences by year, Drumcondra (down 60% since 2019):
| Year | Offences |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 80 |
| 2020 | 69 |
| 2021 | 95 |
| 2022 | 50 |
| 2023 | 33 |
| 2024 | 24 |
| 2025 | 54 |
| 2026 | 32 |
- Median household incomeup 5%
- Median personal incomeup 10%
- Median weekly rentdown 5%
- Median ageolder by 4 years
How advantaged the area is
Deciles 1–10 vs all Victorian areas — 10 = most advantaged — from the ABS SEIFA index. A demographic measure, not a house-price one. These three don’t always move together — a suburb with lots of renters or students, for example, can score high on education but lower on income and housing costs.
- Overall advantage
- 10/10
- Among Victoria's most advantaged areas
- Economic resources
- 7/10
- income, housing costs & wealth
- Education & occupation
- 10/10
- qualifications & skilled jobs
The homes here
Mix of dwelling types across the suburb (Census 2021)
Who owns and rents here (Census 2021)
More detail on building height and bedroom mix (Census 2021)
Apartment building height (share of all dwellings in the suburb, not just apartments):
- Low-rise (1–2 storeys): 3%
Bedroom mix (share of all occupied dwellings):
- Studio or 1 bedroom: 4%
- 2 bedrooms: 17%
- 3 bedrooms: 44%
- 4 or more bedrooms: 35%
Not sure whether a house, townhouse or apartment suits you? Decide what to buy →
Recorded crime is a council-wide rate — every offence police logged over the latest year (theft, property damage, drug and traffic offences and the like, not only violent crime) divided by the council’s residents. A broad area signal, not a figure for this exact street.
All figures are suburb-level indicators, not property-specific — always confirm the exact address on the Section 32. Sources: ABS Census 2021, Valuer-General Victoria, DFFH Rental Report, Crime Statistics Agency Victoria, Vicmap Planning, Victorian Government UDP, Victorian Department of Education (schools & zones, via data.vic, CC BY 4.0), OpenStreetMap.
Suburbs near Drumcondra
The 6 closest suburbs with a Delora page, by distance between suburb centres.
Before you buy in Drumcondra
Overlay and pipeline checks specific to Drumcondra are in the Planning and risk tab. Two checks apply to every purchase.
Easements & covenants
Check Section 3 for easements (e.g. drainage/sewer along a boundary — you usually can’t build over them) and restrictive covenants (single-dwelling, materials, height) that limit your plans.
Owners corporation (if applicable)
Apartments and many townhouses in Drumcondra are in an owners corporation. If so, the statement must include its certificate — review annual fees, any special levies, the maintenance fund and insurance.
Already under contract in Drumcondra?
Questions about Drumcondra
What postcode is Drumcondra?
Drumcondra is in postcode 3215, in the Greater Geelong council area, Victoria.
What is the population of Drumcondra?
Drumcondra had 571 usual residents at the 2021 Census (ABS), with a median age of 50.
Is Drumcondra in a flood zone?
Less than 1% of Drumcondra's land is under a flood-related planning overlay (LSIO, SBO or floodway), and less than 1% is under the Bushfire Management Overlay (Vicmap Planning). These are suburb-wide shares: whether an overlay applies to one property depends on the address, so check it on VicPlan and in the Section 32.
Show all 4 more questions
What should I check in a Section 32 for Drumcondra?
For Drumcondra, pay particular attention to heritage overlays (about 67% of the suburb is affected), any flood-related overlay (less than 1% of the land), easements and restrictive covenants on the title, and — for apartments — the owners-corporation certificate with its fees and any special levies.
Does Drumcondra have heritage overlays?
About 67% of Drumcondra sits under a Heritage Overlay — a high-heritage suburb. Confirm whether one applies to this property in the Section 32's planning section; it restricts demolition, extensions and even exterior paint colours, and a permit is needed for changes.
How is Drumcondra zoned?
Most of Drumcondra (84% of the land) is in the Neighbourhood Residential (NRZ2), then PPRZ (8%) and TRZ2 (7%) (Vicmap Planning). The zone and its schedule set what can be built; check the exact zone for an address on VicPlan.
Which school zones cover Drumcondra?
Parts of Drumcondra are in the government school zones for primary: Ashby Primary School; secondary: Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College, North Geelong Secondary College, Western Heights Secondary College (Victorian Department of Education school zones). A suburb can span several zones: the exact address decides which applies, so confirm it at findmyschool.vic.gov.au.
Guides for buying in Drumcondra
The heritage, flood and bushfire figures in Planning and risk are suburb-wide — they tell you how common an overlay is here, not whether it applies to one specific address. Confirm via VicPlan and an in-person inspection before you rely on them.
Thinking of buying in Drumcondra?
Paste a listing or address into Delora in Claude. It checks the home against official records, works out the cost to buy, and remembers your shortlist between chats.
Sign in with Google, Apple or an email code through a hosted sign-in provider; Delora never sees your password. What the app keeps.