Free market report · Data to July 2026

Southern Grampians property market

Southern Grampians is one of the 453 council areas we track on the Momentum Dial, our property clock. This page is the plain-numbers read: where it sits in the cycle, who lives there, what's being built, and the suburbs inside it.

Southern Grampians is home to 16,483 people. On the Buyers First Momentum Dial its house market currently reads at Peak, and units read the same. The number to sit with before anything else: population has been shrinking at -0.0% a year. Everything below should be read against that. Here's the rest of the picture, in plain numbers.

Houses · cycle position

Peak

The Southern Grampians house market is growing at its fastest pace in the current cycle. That is a momentum reading, not a crash call: markets can sit at peak growth for a long time before easing.

-8% to +18%

Modelled 12-month price range

0.0%

Modelled 12-month rent change

Units · cycle position

Peak

The unit market is growing at its fastest pace in the current cycle. That is a momentum reading, not a crash call: markets can sit at peak growth for a long time before easing.

-14% to +22%

Modelled 12-month price range

0.0%

Modelled 12-month rent change

At a glance · houses

$538,411

Typical house, August 2026

+5.0% a year since 2010

+6.9%

Growth a year, last 10 years

+5.5% a year over the last 5

$369

Rent a week

3.6% gross yield

3 of 15

Years prices fell since 2010

Worst: 2017, -2%

The clock measures growth momentum, not price. Peak means growing fastest, not about to fall. Cycle data and projections sourced from HtAG Analytics. See Southern Grampians on the clock.

Free · One per person

Want all of this written up for Southern Grampians?

The full report is this data as a written document, plus the current price, rent, yield and growth on one suburb inside Southern Grampians, and the numbers that cut against the area. I write them by hand, so it comes from me rather than out of a system.

Leave your details and I'll get in touch about it myself, by email or phone, usually within one business day. It comes from dan@buyersfirstagency.com.au, and it lands in junk more often than it should, so check there if you don't see it. You'll also go on the Market Pulse mailing list, one email a month on where the market is actually heading. Unsubscribe whenever you like, and I never pass your details to anyone else.

The numbers, explained

Southern Grampians in charts.

The typical house in Southern Grampians went from $240,567 in 2010 to $538,411 in August 2026. That is +124% in total, +5.0% a year. 3 down years out of 15, never more than 1 in a row. Cycles, not collapses.

Houses · price change each year · 2011 to 2026

Prices in Southern Grampians fell in 3 of the last 15 years

Okay
-0.1% '11 '12 '13 '14 2015 '16 -2.0% '17 '18 '19 2020 21.1% '21 '22 '23 -0.7% '24 2025 7.2% '26 ytd

+124%

Since 2010

+6.9%

Per year, last 10 years

3 of 15

Years going backwards

-2.0%

Worst year (2017)

What this shows. How much the typical house price in Southern Grampians went up or down each year. Teal bars are up years, red bars are down years, and the faded bar is this year so far.

Why it matters. The size of a good year matters less than how many bad years there were and whether they came in a row. Boring? Absolutely. But the length of the down stretch is what decides whether you get out the other side. Typical price at December each year, data from HtAG Analytics.

You don't need to know property to read this. Every chart below opens with the point in one line, then says what it shows and why we care. Teal is a good sign, amber is okay, red means watch it.

The scorecard · 7 things we check

Southern Grampians scores 24 out of 35. Solid.

Good sign
Cycle 2Down years 3Supply 5People 1Jobs 5Affordability 3Rentals 5 5 = best
Where it is in the cycle

prices are rising as fast as they will this cycle, so the easy money has been made

Years prices fell since 2010

3 of 15 years

New homes being built

0.5 new homes approved per 100 that exist

People moving in

population shrinking 0.0% a year

Jobs

2.2% unemployed, Australia 4.2%

Can locals afford it

a house costs 6.9 years of a local household's income

Empty rentals

0.5% of rentals are empty, so about 1 in every 100

What this shows. Seven quick checks on Southern Grampians, each scored out of five. Five is the reading we most want to see.

Why it matters. No single number tells you whether an area is a good buy. Together they show whether the pieces line up. These are bands, not rules: a council outside a band can still be the right buy for the right person, and one inside every band can still be wrong for you.

House prices since 2010 · Southern Grampians vs the 5 most similar councils in VIC

Southern Grampians has grown in step with similar councils over ten years

Okay
$237k $473k $710k $946k Southern Grampians $502k 20102012201420162018202020222024
Southern GrampiansSimilar councils (middle of 5)

+5.5% vs +7.2%

A year, last 5 years

+6.9% vs +7.2%

A year, last 10 years

+5.0% vs +6.5%

A year, last 15 years

What this shows. The typical house price in Southern Grampians every year, in teal, next to the middle of the five councils in VIC closest to it in size and starting price: Hepburn, Corangamite, Murrindindi, Indigo, Moyne. The small "vs" number in each tile is those councils.

Why it matters. Growth here is the regional story rather than a local one. Nothing wrong with that, it just means you are buying the region.

Momentum · the last 36 months

Prices in Southern Grampians are picking up speed right now

Good sign
$460k $506k $552k 0 49 sold September '23March '24September '24March '25September '25March '26
Last 3 months' priceLast 12 months' priceHouses sold each month

$535,971

3-month price, August 2026

+4.0%

3-month price vs 12-month price

349 vs 416

Houses sold, last 12 months vs the 12 before

What this shows. Two versions of the same price. The dotted teal line averages the last three months, so it reacts fast. The grey line averages the last twelve, so it moves slowly. The bars are how many houses sold each month.

Why it matters. The last three months are running ahead of the last twelve. That is what speeding up looks like before it shows in the yearly number.

New homes · approvals as a share of all the homes here

Not many new homes are being built in Southern Grampians

Good sign
balanced · 1.5% to 3% a year above this, a lot of building 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 0.7% FY24 · 53 approved 0.4% FY25 · 33 approved 0.5% FY26 · 40 approved · now

What this shows. For every 100 homes already in Southern Grampians, how many new ones the council approved each year. The teal band is the range we call balanced.

Why it matters. Fewer new homes means the ones that exist stay in demand. It can also mean building here is hard or slow, which cuts the same way. The home count is the population divided by the average household size, so treat the rate as a guide rather than a census.

Affordability · house price in years of local household income

A house in Southern Grampians costs 6.9 years of a local family's income

Okay
expensive · over 8 years stretched · 6 to 8 years affordable · under 6 years 5.0 2016 4.7 2017 4.8 2018 5.1 2019 5.7 2020 6.6 2021 7.0 2022 6.9 2023 6.6 2024 6.7 2025 6.9 2026 so far

What this shows. Take the typical house price and divide it by what a typical household here earns in a year. A bar of 7 means seven years of the whole household's income buys one house.

Why it matters. Stretched, which is where most of the country sits now. Growth from here leans on rising incomes and buyers coming in from outside the area. Income is the 2021 Census figure carried forward at 3.5% a year, so it is an estimate, not a measurement.

Rents · typical weekly house rent, last 36 months · and how many rentals sit empty

Rent in Southern Grampians is $369 a week, down 1.6% in a year

Watch this
$302 $351 $400 $369 a week now September '23March '24September '24March '25September '25March '26

$369

A week, August 2026

-1.6%

Change in the last year

0.5%

Rentals sitting empty (tight)

What this shows. What a typical house in Southern Grampians rents for each week, month by month. The empty-rentals number is the share of rental homes with nobody in them: under 1.5% is tight, over 3% means tenants have plenty of choice.

Why it matters. Rents going backwards means tenants have choices. That is fine for renters and a warning for anyone buying to rent out.

Rental yield · a year of rent as a share of the price, Southern Grampians vs similar councils

Rent covers 3.6% of the price each year in Southern Grampians

2.0% 3.3% 4.7% 202120232025
Southern GrampiansSimilar councils

What this shows. Yield is simple: a whole year of rent divided by the house price. A $500,000 house renting for $500 a week earns $26,000 a year, which is a 5.2% yield.

Why it matters. Higher than similar councils, which are around 2.9%. The rent does more of the heavy lifting here, so holding costs less out of pocket. We don't buy on yield alone and we never set a yield cut-off; it is one piece of the picture, next to growth.

The people

Who lives in Southern Grampians.

The population has been shrinking, -0.0% a year over the last five years, and that is the single biggest caution flag in this report. Interesting mix underneath: locals have been leaving on net (-17 over three years) while overseas migration more than filled the gap (201). Worth understanding who is arriving and what housing they need. The median age is 47 and the median household brings in $1,261 a week (Census 2021). 75% of households own or are paying off their home. Owner-occupier markets like this tend to hold their nerve through the cycle, because nobody is forced to sell an address they live at.

Population · ABS estimates 2015 to 2025

Southern Grampians is losing people: 16,483 residents, -0.0% a year

Watch this
16,162 16,483 201520202025

16,483

People, 2025

-0.0% vs +0.6%

A year, last 5 years · typical VIC council

+0.2%

A year, last 10 years

Why it matters. A shrinking population is the single biggest caution flag in this report. Fewer people means fewer buyers and fewer tenants.

Where the growth came from · last 3 years

Overseas arrivals are doing the heavy lifting in Southern Grampians: 201 in three years

Okay
Births minus deaths
-55
Moved from elsewhere in Australia
-17
Moved from overseas
+201

Net change: +129 people over three years.

What this shows. Three ways a place gains or loses people: babies born minus people who died, people who moved here from another part of Australia, and people who arrived from overseas. Bars to the right add people, bars to the left take them away.

Why it matters. Overseas arrivals usually rent first, so this kind of growth shows up in rents before it shows up in prices.

Age and households · Census 2021

Southern Grampians is older than the typical VIC council: median age 47 vs 42

Older
Median age 47 vs 42
People per household 2.2 vs 2.4

Southern Grampians Typical VIC council (middle of 78)

Why it matters. An older area leans on retirees and downsizers. Single-level homes near health services do best, and turnover tends to be lower.

Income and who owns the homes · Census 2021

Most homes in Southern Grampians are owner-occupied: 75% own or are paying off, 20% rent

Owner market
Household income a week $1,261 -16% vs typical
Who lives in the homes 75% own · 20% rent

Own or paying off Renting Other

Why it matters. Owner-occupier markets hold their nerve through the cycle, because nobody is forced to sell the address they live at.

New supply

What's being approved to build.

40 dwellings were approved in FY26, 28 of them houses. Approvals have been roughly steady year to year. On the non-residential side, $16 million of building was approved in FY26, $5 million of it public money. Governments build where they expect people. Within that, $11 million of education and health buildings have been approved across the last three financial years. Schools and hospitals are the most honest signal governments give about where they expect families.

Homes approved · ABS, by financial year

Not much new is being built in Southern Grampians: 40 homes approved in FY26

Good sign
FY24
53
FY25
33
FY26
40

Houses Units, townhouses and other

40

Homes approved, FY26

70%

Of them houses

0.5%

New homes per 100 that exist

What this shows. How many new homes the council approved each financial year, split into houses and everything else. Approved is not built, but it is the earliest warning of supply on the way.

Why it matters. When little gets built, the homes already here do not have much competition. Good for prices, as long as people keep arriving.

Non-residential building approved · ABS

Government building spend in Southern Grampians has eased: $5m approved in FY26

Okay
FY24
$30m
FY25
$18m
FY26
$16m

Government projects All non-residential

$16m

All sectors, FY26

$5m

Government, FY26

$11m

Schools and health, last 3 years

What this shows. The dollar value of shops, offices, schools, hospitals and other non-home buildings approved each year. The darker bar is the government's share.

Why it matters. Governments build where they expect people. Schools and hospitals are the most honest signal they give about where families are heading. For the named projects behind these numbers, ask for the full report.

Jobs

Who's working in Southern Grampians.

Work here runs on agriculture (21% of jobs), ahead of health care and social assistance and retail trade. 798 fewer residents are in work than five years ago (-9.3%). Understand why before anything else on this page. Unemployment sits at 2.2%, comfortably under the national 4.2%.

Jobs · SALM, March 2026

798 fewer people in Southern Grampians have a job than five years ago

Watch this

7,807

Residents in work

2.2% vs 4.2%

Unemployed · Australia

-9.3%

Jobs change, 5 years

Unemployment rate 2.2% vs 3.7% typical VIC council

Southern Grampians Australia

Why it matters. A shrinking job base is the thing to understand before anything else on this page. People follow work, and housing follows people.

Who employs people here · Census 2021

Agriculture is the biggest employer in Southern Grampians, 21% of jobs

Advantage 6 of 10
Agriculture
21%
Health care and social assistance
16%
Retail trade
9%
Construction
8%
Education and training
8%

What this shows. The five industries that employ the most residents, as a share of all jobs. The pill is the ABS advantage score: Southern Grampians sits in decile 6 of 10 nationally, where 10 is the most advantaged.

Why it matters. One industry carrying a fifth or more of the jobs is a concentration risk. If it wobbles, the whole town feels it.

The outlook

Is Southern Grampians worth buying into?

The strongest thing the data says for Southern Grampians is new supply thinning out. Against that, weigh a shrinking population and fewer residents in work than five years ago. None of this guarantees anything. It tells you where to look harder, which is what a report like this is for.

Free · Written by hand · One per person

This page is the public data. The full report is that written up as a document, plus the current price, rent, yield and growth on one suburb inside Southern Grampians. One per person.

Name, email and phone. I write these by hand, one per person, and the conversation afterwards is the only thing the report costs.

Leave your details and I'll get in touch about it myself, by email or phone, usually within one business day. It comes from dan@buyersfirstagency.com.au, and it lands in junk more often than it should, so check there if you don't see it. You'll also go on the Market Pulse mailing list, one email a month on where the market is actually heading. Unsubscribe whenever you like, and I never pass your details to anyone else.

Inside the LGA

The suburbs of Southern Grampians.

We hold live snapshot data for one suburb in Southern Grampians. Click through for the full numbers.

Suburb Typical price Rent/wk Gross yield 1yr growth Listings
Hamilton $480,741 $400 4.3% +10% REA · Domain

Next step. See what's for sale in Hamilton on realestate.com.au or Domain. Then send me the address before you make an offer. That is the part the data cannot do.

All 55 suburbs and localities in Southern Grampians

Balmoral · Bochara · Branxholme · Brit Brit · Buckley Swamp · Bulart · Byaduk · Byaduk North · Cavendish · Cherrypool · Clover Flat · Coleraine · Coojar · Croxton East · Culla · Dunkeld · Englefield · Gatum · Gazette · Glenisla · Glenthompson · Grampians · Gringegalgona · Gritjurk · Hamilton · Hensley Park · Hilgay · Karabeal · Konongwootong · Melville Forest · Mirranatwa · Mooralla · Morgiana · Mount Napier · Moutajup · Nareeb · Nareen · Penshurst · Pigeon Ponds · Rocklands · Strathkellar · Tabor · Tarrayoukyan · Tarrenlea · Tarrington · Vasey · Victoria Point · Victoria Valley · Wando Vale · Wannon · Warrayure · Woodhouse · Wootong Vale · Yatchaw · Yulecart

Free · Written by hand · One per person

Want the full workup on Southern Grampians?

This page is the public data. The full report is the written workup: current price, rent, gross yield and vacancy, growth over 1, 3, 5 and 10 years, days on market and demand, and the supply coming down the pipe, for Southern Grampians or any suburb in it. Same data we run for clients. I pull it and email it through, usually within a business day. One per person, no charge, and no 14-part email sequence afterwards. All I ask is that if it lands, you take the fifteen minute call at the end of it.

Name, email and phone. I write these by hand, one per person, and the conversation afterwards is the only thing the report costs.

Leave your details and I'll get in touch about it myself, by email or phone, usually within one business day. It comes from dan@buyersfirstagency.com.au, and it lands in junk more often than it should, so check there if you don't see it. You'll also go on the Market Pulse mailing list, one email a month on where the market is actually heading. Unsubscribe whenever you like, and I never pass your details to anyone else.

Keep comparing

Markets of a similar size in VIC.

A council only makes sense in context. These are the VIC markets closest to Southern Grampians in population, each with its own written report.

General information only, not financial or investment advice. Cycle positions and projections are modelled LGA-level figures to July 2026, sourced from HtAG Analytics. Population and approvals are ABS estimates; employment is SALM smoothed data; income, age and tenure are Census 2021. None of it can see street quality, flood maps, zoning or the contract, which is where deals are actually won and lost. Get advice on your own situation before acting.

Data finds the area. It doesn't buy the house.

We narrow 15,000 suburbs to the top 5 for each client, then find the street and the property. If Southern Grampians is on your list, that's a conversation worth having early.

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