Emerald - Cockatoo
Cardinia council · default-weight liveability
Also known as: Gembrook, Emerald (Vic.), Pakenham Upper, Beaconsfield Upper, Cockatoo (Vic.), Mount Burnett
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In brief
Emerald - Cockatoo, in Cardinia, is a lower-density, outer-suburban area. Among Greater Melbourne areas it ranks strongly for safety, affordability and the local economy. It rates lower for public transport and health access. Housing is mostly owner-occupied (about 8% of homes rented). This describes the wider area, not any single property, and is context - not advice.
Score breakdown · default weights
Explore context (never in the score)
Key facts
Trends over time - context only, never in the score
Population trend
Source: ABS ERP by SA2 — full annual series (2001–2023) · context only - not in the score.
Affordability trend (medians)
Source: ABS Census 2021 Time Series Profile (C21_T02_SA2) · ratio of medians (cost / income), not a 30%-stress share · context only - not in the score.
Sources & licences (11)
- Rent-to-income ratio — ABS Census 2021 median weekly rent ÷ ABS Data by Region equivalised household income
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: 2021Fetched: 2026-05-29
- PTV GTFS Schedule — metropolitan train, tram, bus (DTP)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: rolling schedule exportFetched: 2026-06-11
- VCSA Recorded offences — suburb (Table 03) + LGA fallback (Table 02)
- Licence: CC BY 3.0 AUPeriod: 2025 (latest year in export)Fetched: 2026-06-11
- Vicmap / MapShare — general hospitals (Emergency Services FOI)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Victoria)Period: currentFetched: 2026-05-29
- OpenStreetMap — GP/clinic points (Overpass; hospital fallback only)
- Licence: ODbL — attribute OSMPeriod: currentFetched: 2026-06-11
- Vicmap Planning — Bushfire Prone Area (regulatory overlay)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Victoria)Period: currentFetched: 2026-05-29
- Vicplan — Land Subject to Inundation overlay (LSIO; SBO unavailable from API)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Victoria)Period: currentFetched: 2026-05-29
- OpenStreetMap — schools within 2 km (Overpass)
- Licence: ODbL — attribute OSMPeriod: currentFetched: 2026-06-11
- ABS Census 2021 — children enrolled in preschool (SA2)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: 2021Fetched: 2026-06-01
- ABS Data by Region — median equivalised household income (weekly)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: 2021Fetched: 2026-05-29
- ABS Census 2016 — labour force (employed, participation) by SA2
- Licence: CC BY 4.0Period: 2016Fetched: 2026-06-01
Areas like Emerald - Cockatoo
Closest peers by how their domain percentiles line up - not by price or a single score.
- Mount EvelynYarra RangesBoth strong in Economy, Rent burden92%alike
- Wattle Glen - Diamond CreekNillumbikBoth strong in Safety, Rent burden92%alike
- Montmorency - Briar HillBanyuleBoth strong in Safety, Rent burden, Economy91%alike
- Mount Dandenong - OlindaYarra RangesBoth strong in Safety, Economy, Rent burden91%alike
- Bacchus MarshMooraboolBoth strong in Safety, Rent burden90%alike
- Berwick - South EastCardiniaBoth strong in Safety, Economy90%alike
Not relocation or financial advice. The composite score is a percentile rank within Greater Melbourne presented as an optional lens - a data-access tool, not a definitive ranking of places. Context metrics are never folded into the locked seven-domain composite.