27 July 2023 | See disclaimer
Australia has a rich and diverse heritage reflecting a variety of architectural styles. Do you live in one of Australia’s oldest suburbs?
Quick Stats
Budget Direct’s recent home insurance quote data shows that New South Wales has the greatest share of old homes with 42.30 per cent.
Victoria follows not too far behind holding a 34.05 per cent share of the country’s oldest homes.
While New South Wales might have more old homes, Budget Direct data reveals that Queensland, the Sunshine State has the suburbs with the highest concentration of aged homes with six of Australia’s top 10 oldest suburbs.
Queensland also surprisingly takes out the title for the youngest suburb in Australia, with homes in the Banya suburb on average just 6 months old.
Budget Direct encourages Aussies to consider the right home insurance that can cover them should the worst happen, no matter if they reside in a newer or older home.
Discover Australia’s Oldest Houses
Our recent home insurance quote data shows that Paddington, New South Wales has the greatest share of old homes, with 2.39 per cent of them built prior to the 1900s.
As it was the first Australian state to be settled, it’s little wonder NSW has a 42.3 per cent share of homes built prior to the 20th century, with Newtown (1.58%), Surry Hills (1.37%), Balmain (1.29%) and Redfern (1.14%) rounding out the top five.
Victoria follows not too far behind holding a 34.05 per cent share of the country’s oldest homes. Then it’s Queensland (9.2%), South Australia (8.41%), Tasmania (3.57%), Western Australia (2.16%) and the Northern Territory (0.05%) rounding out the list.
We also ran the numbers on the average home age of properties, the data showing Queensland held the lion’s share of grand dame suburbs. Six of the country’s top 10 suburbs that had the oldest average home age call the Sunshine State home.
It may be located way down south, but the South Australian suburb of Torrensville is at the top of the list when it comes to the oldest houses on average in Australia. The average age of homes in this bustling suburb, just three kilometres west of the Adelaide CBD, is 87.8 years old.
Queensland’s Ipswich comes in second, with the average age of homes in the state’s sixth-largest Local Government Area sitting at 82.6 years old.
Homes in East Geelong (Vic) on average are 81.1 years old, while East Toowoomba (Qld) and Clovelly (NSW) round out the top five oldest suburbs with the average ages of its homes sitting at 79.3 and 78 years, respectively.
East Ipswich (Qld), Mount Morgan (Qld), Ascot Vale (Vic), Gordon Park (Qld) and Ascot (Qld) finish off the top 10 with the average age of homes in these suburbs ranging from between 72.8 and 69.2 years.
According to the latest Census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021), the median age of Australians sits at 38 years, with those aged between 55 and 74 (Baby Boomers) making up 21.5 per cent of the population, leading the way alongside Millennials (25-39 years). [1]
With older Australians remaining in their own homes longer, it’s not surprising that Australian Institute of Family Studies research reveals that Baby Boomers have an emotional attachment to their home. [2]
The AIFS’s 1996 Australian Family Life Course Survey found that 93 per cent of homeowners aged 50-70 ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ they were very attached to their home. [2]
It’s this cohort who have traditionally grown with their homes as opposed to entering the new home market.
AIFS’s ‘ageing in place’ policy strategy showed that a substantial portion of older people prefer not to change the place in which they age at all, with 29 per cent of 50 to 70-year-old homeowners saying if they could not live alone later in life they would stay at home and gain outside help.
On the other end of the scale, we also ran the numbers on the youngest suburbs by state. Queensland’s Banya is the baby with its average home being just 6 months old.
Victoria and New South Wales are still young but slightly more mature, having three suburbs each in the top 10 youngest, with the average house age ranging from two and four years old.
Oldest Homes by Suburb and State
Suburb and State |
Average Home Age (in years) |
|---|---|
Torrensville, SA |
87.8 |
Ipswich, Qld |
82.6 |
East Geelong, Vic |
81.1 |
East Toowoomba, Qld |
79.3 |
Clovelly, NSW |
78.0 |
East Ipswich, Qld |
72.8 |
Mount Morgan, Qld |
72.8 |
Ascot Vale, Vic |
71.0 |
Gordon Park, Qld |
70.9 |
Ascot, Qld |
69.2 |
Youngest Homes by Suburb and State
Suburb and State |
Average Home Age (in years) |
|---|---|
Banya, Qld |
0.5 |
Melonba, NSW |
2.2 |
Mambourin, Vic |
2.7 |
Bonnie Brook, Vic |
3.1 |
Deanside, Vic |
3.2 |
Nirimba, Qld |
3.5 |
Strathnairn, ACT |
4.7 |
Grantham Farm, NSW |
4.5 |
Taylor, ACT |
4.7 |
Gables, NSW |
4.9 |
How does property age affect home insurance?
Age matters … even when it comes to home insurance.
Any property built more than 50 years ago may be considered an ‘older home’, while anything built before the early 1900s could be classed as a ‘heritage home’.
Yes, it’s true - if you buy a heritage-listed home, you won’t be eligible for Budget Direct Home Insurance.
It’s important to know if your home is classified as a heritage-listed dwelling as this may have an effect on insurance protection cover.
Whether you reside in a newer or older home, considering the right home insurance can cover some costs should the worst happen.
Methodology
We analysed 10 years of Budget Direct home insurance quote data from 2014 to 2023. At least 1000 rows of data for each data point were analysed to determine the percentage of homes built before 1900 and the average age of homes as reported by quoters across Australia. NT was excluded from some of the data as Budget Direct does not offer home insurance in the NT and therefore may have inaccurate data.
