Cardinia

Victoria · Melbourne - South East · 118,769 people · 42 suburbs · 14 postcodes

Cardinia at a glance

118,769
Population
#25 of 79 in VIC
1,296
km² area
92/km² density
35.2
Median age
-3.9 vs VIC
$1,896
Median HH income/wk
#25 of 79 in VIC
993
SEIFA IRSAD
#30 of 79 in VIC
41
Schools
30 gov, 7 Cath, 4 indep
23.5%
Born overseas
23.8%
Renting

Map shows the Cardinia LGA boundary in blue with a marker per suburb. Hover for suburb name, click for details.

Marker colour reflects SEIFA IRSAD decile: ● 1-2 (most disadvantaged), ● 3-4, ● 5-6, ● 7-8, ● 9-10 (most advantaged).

Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021. Map tiles: OpenStreetMap contributors.

Cardinia is a metropolitan Local Government Area in Victoria, in the Melbourne region. It covers 42 suburbs across 14 postcodes and an area of 1,296 km². Cardinia has a population of 118,769 , ranking #25 most populous in VIC. The most populous suburb is Pakenham (54,118 residents), and the highest median household income is in Guys Hill at $3,166/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,896/week and median age is 35.2. About 23.5% of residents were born overseas and 17.8% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (22.6%) 15–24 (12.2%) 25–44 (30.6%) 45–64 (22.1%) 65+ (12.5%)
Show counts
0–14 years26,875 (22.6%)
15–24 years14,447 (12.2%)
25–44 years36,295 (30.6%)
45–64 years26,251 (22.1%)
65+ years14,899 (12.5%)
23.5%
Born overseas
17.8%
Speak a language other than English at home
1.0%
First Nations
2.8
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (24.3%) Mortgaged (51.9%) Renting (23.8%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (94.3%) Semi/townhouse (5.2%) Flat/apartment (0.5%)
$355
Median weekly rent
$1,870
Median monthly mortgage
31.6%
Households with 0-1 cars
68.4%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

4.3%
Unemployment rate
35,919
In full-time work
19,082
In part-time work

Schools in Cardinia

41 schools across Cardinia: 73.2% Government, 17.1% Catholic, 9.8% Independent. The VIC average is 68.6% / 21.4% / 10.0%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 1009 (range 960 to 1082). VIC median is 1027; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

VIC average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (75.6%) Secondary (14.6%) Combined (7.3%) Special (2.4%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 1009 VIC median 1027LGA range 960 to 1082

ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) summarises the socio-economic background of each school's families. Higher values indicate more advantage. Source: ACARA 2025.

All 41 schools in Cardinia, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Beaconhills College Independent Combined Pakenham 2,965 1035
St Francis Xavier College Catholic Secondary Beaconsfield 2,797 1043
Pakenham Secondary College Government Secondary Pakenham 1,030 962
Officer Secondary College Government Secondary Officer 998 1012
John Henry Primary School Government Primary Pakenham 981 1020
Koo Wee Rup Secondary College Government Secondary Koo Wee Rup 846 964
Pakenham Lakeside Primary School Government Primary Pakenham 704 1007
Pakenham Springs Primary School Government Primary Pakenham 687 995
Lakeside College Independent Combined Pakenham 647 1034
Emerald Secondary College Government Secondary Emerald 620 1005
Edenbrook Secondary College Government Secondary Pakenham 614 1002
Beaconsfield Primary School Government Primary Beaconsfield 603 1046
Pakenham Consolidated School Government Primary Pakenham 594 965
St Clare's Primary School Catholic Primary Officer 584 1040
Bridgewood Primary School Government Primary Officer 570 1054
Pakenham Hills Primary School Government Primary Pakenham 499 978
Emerald Primary School Government Primary Emerald 445 1061
Pakenham Primary School Government Primary Pakenham 420 999
St Brigid's School Catholic Primary Officer 375 1082
Orchard Park Primary School Government Primary Officer 359 1023
Officer Specialist School Government Special Officer 355 999
Kurrun Primary School Government Primary Officer 321 1054
St Patrick's School Catholic Primary Pakenham 318 982
Beaconsfield Upper Primary School Government Primary Beaconsfield Upper 317 1039
Koo Wee Rup Primary School Government Primary Koo Wee Rup 314 972
Cockatoo Primary School Government Primary Cockatoo 306 1009
Columba Catholic School Catholic Primary Bunyip 291 1009
Gembrook Primary School Government Primary Gembrook 261 1030
St Thomas Aquinas College Independent Combined Tynong 204 1030
St John the Baptist's School Catholic Primary Koo Wee Rup 203 1013
Nar Nar Goon Primary School Government Primary Nar Nar Goon 192 983
Cardinia Primary School Government Primary Cardinia 189 976
Lang Lang Primary School Government Primary Lang Lang 182 960
Bunyip Primary School Government Primary Bunyip 176 994
Bayles Regional Primary School Government Primary Bayles 161 998
Dandenong Ranges Steiner School Independent Primary Emerald 151 1080
Officer Primary School Government Primary Officer 141 1010
Garfield Primary School Government Primary Garfield 130 996
Kuyim Primary School Government Primary Pakenham 115 1019
Kurmile Primary School Government Primary Officer 107 1008
St James School Catholic Primary Nar Nar Goon 98 1031

Source: ACARA School Profiles 2025. ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.

SEIFA socio-economic indexes

SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Cardinia. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

993
Ranked #30 of 79 VIC LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

1021

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

1044

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

975

Suburbs in Cardinia

Cardinia contains 42 suburbs and 14 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Pakenham 3810 54,118 $1,664/wk 33
Officer 3809 18,503 $2,125/wk 31
Beaconsfield 3807 7,267 $2,279/wk 39
Emerald 3782 5,890 $2,119/wk 43
Cockatoo 3781 4,408 $1,991/wk 36
Koo Wee Rup 3981 4,047 $1,782/wk 34
Bunyip 3815 3,131 $1,927/wk 38
Beaconsfield Upper 3808 2,997 $2,755/wk 42
Gembrook 3783 2,559 $2,002/wk 41
Lang Lang 3984 2,556 $1,807/wk 34
Garfield 3814 2,114 $1,677/wk 39
Pakenham Upper 3810 1,196 $2,593/wk 44
Officer South 3809 1,159 $2,085/wk 31
Nar Nar Goon 3812 1,023 $1,664/wk 41
Avonsleigh 3782 844 $2,055/wk 40
Nar Nar Goon North 3812 819 $2,116/wk 44
Maryknoll 3812 646 $2,352/wk 39
Tynong 3813 523 $1,976/wk 41
Bayles 3981 445 $1,897/wk 42
Tynong North 3813 440 $2,339/wk 46
Guys Hill 3807 388 $3,166/wk 45
Clematis 3782 352 $2,288/wk 39
Cardinia 3978 342 $1,875/wk 44
Catani 3981 297 $1,520/wk 41
Yannathan 3981 272 $1,718/wk 41
Iona 3815 240 $1,924/wk 47
Garfield North 3814 236 $1,713/wk 50
Pakenham South 3810 229 $1,728/wk 46
Tonimbuk 3815 229 $2,024/wk 50
Cora Lynn 3814 220 $1,724/wk 43
Heath Hill 3981 189 $1,449/wk 45
Caldermeade 3984 181 $2,111/wk 44
Mount Burnett 3781 180 $2,166/wk 42
Dewhurst 3808 151 $2,349/wk 50
Dalmore 3981 142 $1,792/wk 50
Bunyip North 3815 95 $1,624/wk 47
Lang Lang East 3984 94 $2,250/wk 49
Monomeith 3984 69 $1,625/wk 48
Nangana 3781 54 $1,875/wk 41
Koo Wee Rup North 3981 47 $1,416/wk 48
Vervale 3814 44 $1,375/wk 55
Rythdale 3810 33 $1,125/wk 44

Postcodes covered

3781, 3782, 3783, 3807, 3808, 3809, 3810, 3812, 3813, 3814, 3815, 3978, 3981, 3984

Compare Cardinia with neighbouring LGAs

Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Cardinia and its closest neighbouring LGAs.

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Cardinia (VIC) 118,769 35.2 $1,896/wk 993 23.8% 23.5%
Yarra Ranges 156,237 40.3 $1,900/wk 1013 14.5% 16.9%
Casey 364,907 34.5 $1,932/wk 986 23.9% 42.1%
Baw Baw 57,958 41.3 $1,523/wk 971 19.2% 12.1%
South Gippsland 30,660 48.3 $1,316/wk 967 16.0% 11.5%
Bass Coast 40,513 51.3 $1,183/wk 957 21.4% 15.2%

Services and amenities

NDIS Providers NDIS provider directory for Cardinia Climate & weather Climate data for Pakenham

Frequently asked questions about Cardinia

What is the population of Cardinia?

The 2021 Census recorded 118,769 people living in Cardinia, across 42 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Cardinia?

Cardinia contains 42 suburbs. The most populous are Pakenham, Officer, Beaconsfield, Emerald, Cockatoo.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Cardinia?

Cardinia covers 14 postcodes: 3781, 3782, 3783, 3807, 3808, 3809, 3810, 3812, 3813, 3814, 3815, 3978, 3981, 3984.

What is the median household income in Cardinia?

The population-weighted median household income across Cardinia is $1,896 per week (2021 Census), ranking #25 of 79 VIC LGAs.

How many schools are in Cardinia?

Cardinia has 41 schools, including 30 government, 7 Catholic, and 4 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Cardinia?

Cardinia has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 993, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 (IRSD, IRSAD, IER, IEO), ACARA School Profiles 2025, ABS ASGS 2021 LGA boundaries. How this data is sourced.