Wendouree (VIC 3350) in Focus 2026: Is It a Good Investment? R-Score 71/100, 3.8% Yield & Best Streets

Market Classification: Established Family & Commuter Corridor · R-Score: 71/100 (National Rank #4,481 of 15,286) · Street Average: 25/100 across 197 streets.

Wendouree (VIC 3350) represents a bread-and-butter Australian family housing market($570,000 median price, $415/wk rent, 3.8% gross yield) supported by +6% 3-year council population movement. Here, investment returns are determined almost entirely by micro-location: separating quiet, >65% owner-occupied pockets from main-road or high-public-housing blocks.

“I would not treat Wendouree as one uniform buying field when only 21 of 160 streets score 75 or more. The 75% owner-occupier rate on the top streets is a useful clue, so I would be selective on street quality before getting distracted by the headline 17.5% growth.”

Looking for the live, monthly-updated numbers? The Wendouree (VIC) suburb profile tracks the current median house price, rent, vacancy and R-Score, and the Wendouree street-by-street scores rank every street. This article is our investment analysis of what those numbers mean.

Below is our full September 2026 quantitative and street-level breakdown for Wendouree (VIC 3350), combining 36 months of settled price and rental history from our Aurora research warehouse, council-level supply and employment data for Ballarat (VIC), and block-by-block ABS 2021 Census SA1 tenure and yield rankings across 7,072 residential addresses.

1. Wendouree (VIC) 3-Year Market Trajectory & 27-Indicator R-Score (September 2026)

Over the past 12 months, Wendouree’s median house price moved +17.5% (from $485,000 to $570,000), bringing its 3-year cumulative price movement to +31.3% (from $434,000 three years ago). On the rental side, median weekly asking rents moved +3.8% over the past year to $415/wk (+14.2% over 36 months), equating to a 3.8% gross rental yield. Compared with 12 months ago—when Wendouree carried an R-Score of 94/100—its current composite R-Score of 71/100 represents a -23-point shift in underlying market pressure.

Indicator / R-Score Pillar	Wendouree (VIC) Current	12-Month / 36-Month Context
Composite Suburb R-Score	71 / 100	Ranked #4,481 of 15,286 suburbs (was 94/100 12m ago)
Median House Price	$570,000	12m change: +17.5% · 36m change: +31.3%
Median Weekly Rent & Gross Yield	$415/wk (3.8%)	12m rent change: +3.8% · 36m rent change: +14.2%
Rental Vacancy & Days on Market	2.9% vacancy	Median selling time: 96 days on market (1.5% vacancy is the tight-market line)
Pillar 1: Buyer Demand	20 / 100	Measures days-on-market compression, vendor discounting & sales velocity
Pillar 2: Supply & Ownership	30 / 100	Measures stock on market, building approvals vs stock & owner-occupier share
Pillar 3: Price Momentum	77 / 100	Measures short/medium-term price velocity vs Ballarat & VIC
Pillar 4: Yield Pressure	51 / 100	Measures gross rental yield, rent trajectory & vacancy compression

2. The “Two-Speed Suburb” Test: Best & Worst Streets in Wendouree (VIC)

Why do two 4-bedroom houses in Wendouree achieve completely different bank valuations and tenant quality? Because suburb medians blend every pocket together. When we map all 7,072 addresses across 197 streets in Wendouree through G-NAF to their ABS 2021 Census SA1 blocks, the suburb splits into three distinct tiers:

• Strong Street Profile (Score 75–100): 21 streets (13% of scored streets) pass both ABS Census tenure tests (owner-occupiers >65% and public housing ≤5%) plus at least one—or both—of the Wendouree rent and yield benchmarks.
• Mid / Mixed Street Profile (Score 50–74): 11 streets pass the core owner-occupier and public-housing thresholds but sit below the suburb median on weekly rent or yield.
• Weaker / Caution Street Profile (Score 0–25): 128 streets fail one or both census tenure thresholds—meaning either owner-occupation sits at or below 65% or state/community public housing exceeds 5% on those specific SA1 blocks.

Top 5 Highest-Scoring Streets in Wendouree (VIC)

These streets sit in SA1 census blocks with high homeowner pride of ownership, minimal social housing concentration, and strong block-level rents (inspect all 197 streets in Wendouree):

Top Street in Wendouree	Street Score	Addresses	Owner-Occupiers	Public Housing	SA1 Rent & Yield
#1 Rowan Parade	100/100	68	75%	2.6%	$550/wk (6.5%)
#2 Rozel Avenue	100/100	28	75%	2.6%	$550/wk (6.5%)
#3 Sidbury Avenue	100/100	21	75%	2.6%	$550/wk (6.5%)
#4 Cornwall Street	100/100	12	75%	2.6%	$550/wk (6.5%)
#5 Lincoln Street	100/100	12	75%	2.6%	$550/wk (6.5%)

Streets Where Block-Level Tenure Trails the Wendouree Average

By contrast, the streets below run through SA1 census blocks that fail one or more of our tenure or rental tests. A lower Street Score is not a judgement of any individual house, but it highlights where higher renter turnover or public housing concentration exists within Wendouree:

Caution Street Sample	Street Score	Addresses	Owner-Occupiers	Public Housing	SA1 Median Rent
Erica Street	0/100	27	19%	65.4%	$259/wk
Waratah Grove	0/100	27	19%	65.4%	$259/wk
Magnolia Street	0/100	18	19%	65.4%	$259/wk

3. Economic & Supply Drivers in Ballarat Council (Victoria)

Wendouree sits within the Ballarat Local Government Area, which has a residential population of approximately 122,661 (+6% population movement over the past 3 years) and 45,230 total dwellings. Three council-level fundamentals shape Wendouree’s medium-term outlook:

• Local Employment Diversity (ABS Census): The largest employment sectors across Ballarat are Health Care and Social Assistance (19%), Retail Trade (12%), Education and Training (11%), Manufacturing (9%). Multi-sector employment reduces reliance on any single employer or commodity cycle.
• New Building Approvals vs. Existing Stock: Over the latest 12-month financial year, Ballarat approved 2.7% new dwelling stock (~1,283.7 dwellings). Because new approvals exceed 1.8% of stock, investors in Wendouree must avoid generic greenfield house-and-land pockets and stick to established, built-out streets.
• Tracked Infrastructure Pipeline: Ballarat currently has $9.5 billion in tracked major infrastructure projects (placing it in the 85th percentile of Australian councils).

4. Worked Cashflow, Deposit & 80% LVR Stress-Test for Wendouree (September 2026)

What does it actually cost to acquire and hold a typical house in Wendouree at today’s median price of $570,000 and median rent of $415/wk? Below is the baseline 80% Loan-to-Value Ratio (LVR) model we use to stress-test serviceability before shortlisting a property:

Cashflow & Capital Item	Wendouree Worked Figure	Assumptions & Notes
Purchase Price (Suburb Median)	$570,000	Settled house median as of September 2026
20% Deposit + Est. Stamp Duty & Costs	$141,360	$114,000 deposit (80% LVR) + ~$27,360 stamp duty, legal & inspection allowance (can be funded via usable home equity)
80% LVR Loan Amount	$456,000	Standard no-LMI investor loan threshold
Gross Annual Rental Income	$21,580/yr ($415/wk)	3.8% gross rental yield before vacancies and expenses
Est. Annual Interest + Operating Costs	$34,770/yr	Assumes 6.25% interest-only ($28,500/yr) + ~1.1% for council rates, insurance & property management ($6,270/yr)
Pre-Tax Weekly Cashflow Position	-$254/wk top-up	Before tax deductions / depreciation (confirm post-tax position with your accountant)

5. Who Should Buy in Wendouree—And 3 Rules Before You Make an Offer

Solid 71/100 R-Score Backed by Ballarat Fundamentals. Based on our September 2026 data, Wendouree is best suited to equity-backed homeowners and portfolio builders seeking a balanced entry price ($570,000) and 3.8% rental yield in VIC.

1. Never Buy Blind on the Suburb Median: In Wendouree, 128 streets score below 50/100 on our census tenure and yield tests. Always run the exact street through the Wendouree Street Score Hub and target the 21 streets scoring 75–100/100.
2. Check Lot-Level Overlays (Flood, Bushfire, Slope & Easements): Even on a 100/100 streetlike Rowan Parade, individual lots can carry overland flow paths, steep gradients, or sewer easements that restrict granny-flat additions or spike insurance premiums.
3. Price Against Street-Matched Settled Comparables: Do not let a selling agent justify an asking price on a 25/100 street using comparable sales from a 100/100 street. Compare settled sales within the same SA1 Street Score band.