Pakenham Upper, Cardinia: house prices, rent and what to check before you buy
Valuer-General Victoria doesn't report a median house or unit price for Pakenham Upper: too few sales. Median rent: $255 a week (ABS Census 2021, older than the price figures). Postcode 3810.
What stands out: A bushfire overlay covers 83% of the suburb's land (Vicmap Planning).
Page updated
- Zoning: mostly Rural Conservation zone (RCZ2), 58% of the land
- Planning change: no rezoning or new overlays recorded since 2017
- School zones: parts of Pakenham Upper are zoned for Beaconsfield Upper Primary School and Cockatoo Primary School (+4 more) (primary); Emerald Secondary College and Pakenham Secondary College (secondary)
- Getting there: nearest train station about 8.3 km from the suburb centre
- Median rent
- $255/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 3% LowBushfire 83% Very highHeritage 3% Low
- share of suburb land area
- 1 suburb-specific overlay to check
- Vicmap Planning
- Getting around
- 8.3 km to nearest station
- 6 zoned primary, 2 secondary schools
- PTV timetable data · Victorian Department of Education school zones
Check an address in Pakenham UpperCompare with another suburb
Pakenham Upper is a small community with a median age of 44, 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 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.
Risk and planning in Pakenham Upper
Pakenham Upper has relatively light heritage-overlay coverage (about 3%), though it can still apply to individual parcels. A Bushfire Management Overlay affects about 83% of the area.
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. 7 named overlay areas (HO121, HO69, HO48 +4 more) — oldest gazetted 2005.
Share of the suburb. Source: Vicmap Planning · Verify this address
Worth checking in Pakenham Upper
Bushfire Management Overlay
A Bushfire Management Overlay affects ~83% of Pakenham Upper. If it applies, it drives bushfire construction requirements (BAL rating) and cost.
Zoning mix and building controls
Land use across the suburb (planning zones)
- Zoning
- Rural / Green
- mostly Rural Conservation Zone – Schedule 2 (RCZ2) · 58% of the suburb
Planning overlays that can affect building, renovating or removing vegetation somewhere in Pakenham Upper — confirm whether any apply to the specific address.
- Environmental Significance Overlay — environmental values that constrain development
Planning changes in Pakenham Upper: none recorded since 2017
No zone changes or new planning overlays have been recorded on land in Pakenham Upper 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
- Bushfire
Layers on this map, as a table
| Layer | Share of suburb | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Suburb boundary | The whole suburb | ABS SAL 2021 |
| Heritage overlay | 3% | Vicmap Planning |
| Flood overlay | 3% | Vicmap Planning |
| Bushfire overlay | 83% | 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
Cost and market in Pakenham Upper
Pakenham Upper has too few recorded sales for a reliable median. Typical rent is $255/wk (Census 2021).
Show recorded crime and amenity-density comparisons
Schools
Parts of Pakenham Upper fall within 6 primary and 2 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 | |||
| Pakenham Hills Primary School | 45% | — | |
| Gembrook Primary School | 28% | — | |
| Pakenham Primary School | 13% | — | |
| Cockatoo Primary School | 8% | — | |
| Beaconsfield Upper Primary School | 5% | — | |
| Secondary school zones | |||
| Pakenham Secondary College | 83% | — | |
| Emerald Secondary College | 17% | — | |
Getting around from Pakenham Upper
0 train, 0 tram and 13 bus stop points sit inside the suburb (PTV timetable data).
- Distance to the CBD
- ~52 km
- from the suburb centre
- Getting around
- 0 train · 0 tram · 13 bus
- nearest train station ~8.3 km · counts are stop points, not stations (a station is often several)
- Train frequency
- every 24 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
- ~17 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 Upper
— 1,196 residents · median age 44 · 94% own their home · SEIFA 10/10
- Population
- 1,196
- usual residents (Census 2021)
- Owner-occupied
- 94%
- 94% own, 1% private rent, 0% social, 5% other or not stated
- Median age
- 44 yrs
- of residents
- Personal income
- $880/wk
- median, per week
- Household income
- $2,593/wk
- median, per week
- Avg household size
- 3.0 people
- people per home · 84% family households
- Monthly mortgage
- $2,400/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 Upper · around the state average
In Pakenham Upper itself: 40 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 Upper (down 22% since 2019):
| Year | Offences |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 51 |
| 2020 | 45 |
| 2021 | 79 |
| 2022 | 38 |
| 2023 | 24 |
| 2024 | 62 |
| 2025 | 83 |
| 2026 | 40 |
- Median household incomeup 27%
- Median personal incomeup 23%
- Median weekly rentdown 9%
- Median ageolder by 1 year
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
- 10/10
- income, housing costs & wealth
- Education & occupation
- 8/10
- 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: 1%
- 2 bedrooms: 6%
- 3 bedrooms: 35%
- 4 or more bedrooms: 57%
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 Upper
The 6 closest suburbs with a Delora page, by distance between suburb centres.
Before you buy in Pakenham Upper
Overlay and pipeline checks specific to Pakenham Upper 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 Upper 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 Upper?
Questions about Pakenham Upper
What postcode is Pakenham Upper?
Pakenham Upper is in postcode 3810, in the Cardinia council area, Victoria.
What is the population of Pakenham Upper?
Pakenham Upper had 1,196 usual residents at the 2021 Census (ABS), with a median age of 44.
Is Pakenham Upper in a flood zone?
About 3% of Pakenham Upper's land is under a flood-related planning overlay (LSIO, SBO or floodway), and about 83% 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 Upper?
For Pakenham Upper, pay particular attention to heritage overlays (about 3% of the suburb is affected), any flood-related overlay (about 3% 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 Upper have heritage overlays?
Heritage overlays cover a small share of Pakenham Upper (about 3%) — 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 Upper zoned?
Most of Pakenham Upper (58% of the land) is in the RCZ (RCZ2), then GWZ1 (26%) and GWAZ2 (9%) (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 Upper?
Parts of Pakenham Upper are in the government school zones for primary: Beaconsfield Upper Primary School, Cockatoo Primary School, Gembrook Primary School, Kuyim Primary School and 2 more; secondary: Emerald 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 Upper
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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