Pakenham South, Cardinia: zoning, flood risk, school zones and what to check before you buy
Valuer-General Victoria doesn't report a median house or unit price for Pakenham South: too few sales. Median rent: $231 a week (ABS Census 2021, older than the price figures). Postcode 3810.
What stands out: Part of Pakenham South is under a Public Acquisition Overlay (land reserved for a future public work); part of Pakenham South is under a Floodway Overlay (Vicmap Planning).
Page updated
- Zoning: mostly Green Wedge zone (GWZ1), 83% of the land
- Planning change: no rezoning or new overlays recorded since 2017
- School zones: parts of Pakenham South are zoned for Bayles Regional Primary School and Cardinia Primary School (+3 more) (primary); Edenbrook Secondary College and Koo Wee Rup Secondary College (+1 more) (secondary)
- Getting there: nearest train station about 6.0 km from the suburb centre
- Median rent
- $231/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 100% Very highBushfire 0% Very lowHeritage 2% Low
- share of suburb land area
- 3 suburb-specific overlays to check
- Vicmap Planning
- Getting around
- 6.0 km to nearest station
- 5 zoned primary, 3 secondary schools
- PTV timetable data · Victorian Department of Education school zones
Check an address in Pakenham SouthCompare with another suburb
Pakenham South is a small community with a median age of 46, around the state average on the ABS's SEIFA index of socio-economic advantage. Housing here is overwhelmingly standalone houses. The area is still light on cafés, shops and other everyday amenity. It's some distance from the CBD, with no train or tram service recorded — day-to-day travel here generally means driving. 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); Greater Melbourne 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.
Is Pakenham South in a flood, bushfire or heritage area?
Pakenham South has relatively light heritage-overlay coverage (about 2%), though it can still apply to individual parcels. It also carries meaningful flood-overlay coverage (about 100% of the suburb).
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
In a designated bushfire prone area a minimum construction standard applies to new homes, based on the bushfire attack level (BAL). (Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria), verified 22 Oct 2026) So building or rebuilding there means working out the home’s BAL and pricing in what meeting it costs.
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. 3 named overlay areas (HO75, HO74, HO234) — oldest gazetted 2005.
Share of the suburb. Source: Vicmap Planning · Verify this address
Worth checking in Pakenham South
Public Acquisition Overlay
Part of Pakenham South is reserved for a future public work (e.g. a road or rail project) under a Public Acquisition Overlay — land it covers can be compulsorily acquired by the authority. Check whether this specific property is affected before you commit.
Floodway
Part of Pakenham South is in a Floodway Overlay — the most serious flood control, where building can be restricted or refused. Make sure the property isn’t within it.
Flood / inundation overlay risk
Roughly 100% of Pakenham South carries a flood-related overlay. Confirm the land isn’t in a Land Subject to Inundation Overlay (LSIO) or Special Building Overlay (SBO) — both affect insurance, build height and what you can construct.
Zoning mix and building controls
Land use across the suburb (planning zones)
- Zoning
- Rural / Green
- mostly Green Wedge Zone – Schedule 1 (GWZ1) · 83% of the suburb
Planning changes in Pakenham South: none recorded since 2017
No zone changes or new planning overlays have been recorded on land in Pakenham South 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
- Heritage
- Flood
Layers on this map, as a table
| Layer | Share of suburb | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Suburb boundary | The whole suburb | ABS SAL 2021 |
| Heritage overlay | 2% | Vicmap Planning |
| Flood overlay | 100% | Vicmap Planning |
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
What do homes cost in Pakenham South?
Pakenham South has too few recorded sales for a reliable median. Typical rent is $231/wk (Census 2021).
Show recorded crime and amenity-density comparisons
Which school zones cover Pakenham South?
Parts of Pakenham South fall within 5 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 | |||
| Koo Wee Rup Primary School | 29% | — | |
| Cardinia Primary School | 25% | — | |
| Pakenham Springs Primary School | 25% | — | |
| Bayles Regional Primary School | 16% | — | |
| Nar Nar Goon Primary School | 5% | — | |
| Secondary school zones | |||
| Koo Wee Rup Secondary College | 74% | — | |
| Pakenham Secondary College | 19% | — | |
| Edenbrook Secondary College | 7% | — | |
How well connected is Pakenham South?
no train, tram or bus stops sit inside the suburb (PTV timetable data).
- Distance to the CBD
- ~59 km
- from the suburb centre
- Getting around
- 0 train · 0 tram · 0 bus
- nearest train station ~6.0 km · counts are stop points, not stations (a station is often several)
- Train frequency
- every 15 min
- at the nearest station, weekday AM peak
- Tram frequency
- every 11 min
- at the nearest stop, weekday AM peak
- Schools
- 0
- primary & secondary
- Nearest Centrelink
- ~19 km
- outside the suburb
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
- 0
- green space nearby
- Childcare
- 0
- centres nearby
- GP & medical centres
- 0
- nearby
Who lives in Pakenham South?
— 229 residents · median age 46 · 70% own their home · SEIFA 5/10
- Population
- 229
- usual residents (Census 2021)
- Owner-occupied
- 70%
- 70% own, 7% private rent, 0% social, 23% other or not stated
- Median age
- 46 yrs
- of residents
- Personal income
- $687/wk
- median, per week
- Household income
- $1,728/wk
- median, per week
- Avg household size
- 3.0 people
- people per home · 73% family households
- Monthly mortgage
- $2,250/mo
- median repayment
- Taxpayer income
- $54,283/yr
- median taxable income, per year (ATO)
- Population growth
- no data
- Recorded crime
- 79 per 1,000 residents
- a year, across all of Cardinia council, not just Pakenham South · around the state average
In Pakenham South itself: 9 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 (Cardinia council's mix, latest year):
- Property and deception offences57%
- Crimes against the person18%
- Justice procedures offences17%
- Public order and security offences5%
- Drug offences3%
- Other offences0%
Recorded offences by year, Pakenham South (down 62% since 2019):
| Year | Offences |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 24 |
| 2020 | 13 |
| 2021 | 16 |
| 2022 | 12 |
| 2023 | 39 |
| 2024 | 13 |
| 2025 | 27 |
| 2026 | 9 |
- Median household incomeup 13%
- Median personal incomeup 13%
- Median weekly rentdown 22%
- Median ageyounger by 2 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
- 5/10
- Around the Victorian average
- Economic resources
- 7/10
- income, housing costs & wealth
- Education & occupation
- 4/10
- 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)
Bedroom mix (share of all occupied dwellings):
- Studio or 1 bedroom: 7%
- 2 bedrooms: 7%
- 3 bedrooms: 34%
- 4 or more bedrooms: 39%
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 Pakenham South
The 6 closest suburbs with a Delora page, by distance between suburb centres.
What should I check before buying in Pakenham South?
Overlay and pipeline checks specific to Pakenham South 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 Pakenham South 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 Pakenham South?
Questions about Pakenham South
What postcode is Pakenham South?
Pakenham South is in postcode 3810, in the Cardinia council area, Victoria.
What is the population of Pakenham South?
Pakenham South had 229 usual residents at the 2021 Census (ABS), with a median age of 46.
Is Pakenham South in a flood zone?
About 100% of Pakenham South'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 Pakenham South?
For Pakenham South, pay particular attention to heritage overlays (about 2% of the suburb is affected), any flood-related overlay (about 100% 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 Pakenham South have heritage overlays?
Heritage overlays cover a small share of Pakenham South (about 2%) — not common, but still worth a quick check: confirm in the Section 32's planning section whether a Heritage Overlay applies to this specific parcel, since it restricts demolition and external changes.
How is Pakenham South zoned?
Most of Pakenham South (83% of the land) is in the GWZ (GWZ1), then SUZ1 (13%) and PUZ1 (3%) (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 Pakenham South?
Parts of Pakenham South are in the government school zones for primary: Bayles Regional Primary School, Cardinia Primary School, Koo Wee Rup Primary School, Nar Nar Goon Primary School and 1 more; secondary: Edenbrook Secondary College, Koo Wee Rup Secondary College, Pakenham 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 Pakenham South
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.
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