Last updated 17 October 2026 · By Esther Yong
Melbourne’s east has some of the largest Chinese-speaking communities in Australia. At the 2021 Census, a third of Box Hill residents spoke Mandarin at home, and Chinese ancestry was reported by around a third or more of residents in Doncaster, Doncaster East and Balwyn North. If you’re selling privately in the east, many of your likeliest buyers already live nearby and search in Chinese.
Most people selling in the east know the area has a large Chinese-Australian community. Fewer realise how local it is. The buyer for a home in Doncaster is often not arriving from overseas. They live two suburbs away, their children go to school nearby, and they’ve been watching the street for months.
How many residents speak Chinese at home in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs?
| Suburb | Mandarin at home | Cantonese at home | Chinese ancestry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box Hill | 33.9% | — | 46.6% |
| Glen Waverley | 23.3% | 8.0% | — |
| Doncaster | 21.0% | 10.6% | 36.6% |
| Doncaster East | 18.9% | 13.5% | 38.0% |
| Balwyn North | 18.6% | 6.8% | 32.0% |
Source: ABS 2021 Census QuickStats. A dash means the figure isn’t shown here.
For comparison, Mandarin is spoken at home by about 2.7 per cent of people across Australia. In these suburbs it’s one in five or more.
Why do Chinese-speaking buyers keep buying in the east?
Schools come first for many families. Zones for well-regarded government schools such as Balwyn High School and Glen Waverley Secondary College shape where families look, and buyers will pay to be on the right side of a zone line. Transport comes next: the Belgrave and Lilydale lines through Box Hill and the Glen Waverley line make the city an easy commute.
Then there’s everyday life. Box Hill and Glen Waverley have centres where you can shop, eat, see a doctor and do business in Chinese. For parents or grandparents moving in with a family, that isn’t a small thing. The Suburban Rail Loop East, under construction between Cheltenham and Box Hill, is another reason buyers are watching the area.
Where do these local buyers find homes for sale?
This is the mechanism most sellers miss. A family already living in Glen Waverley isn’t searching the whole of Melbourne. They’re watching a handful of streets, following local property accounts on WeChat, and hearing about homes in school and community group chats, in Chinese. When something comes up in the right zone, it gets forwarded around fast.
If your listing only exists in English on the major portals, it can still be found. But it’s less likely to be the listing that gets shared in those conversations, because the people sharing it would have to translate it first.
What should I do if I’m selling privately in the east?
Get the basics right first: a price that matches recent sales, strong photos and a listing that clearly states the school zone and transport. Then put the listing where local Chinese-speaking buyers are already looking. ACproperty for private sellers publishes your listing in Chinese on ACproperty.com.au, posts it twice on ACproperty’s WeChat account and sends it to Fang.com and more than 50 partner portals, for a flat $550 including GST over three months, with no commission.
Not every buyer in the east is Chinese-speaking, and no channel can promise how many enquiries a particular home will get. But in suburbs where a third of your neighbours speak Chinese at home, the most likely buyer may already be living around the corner.
Related questions
Which Melbourne suburbs have the most Mandarin speakers?
Box Hill stands out, with 33.9 per cent of residents speaking Mandarin at home at the 2021 Census. Glen Waverley, Doncaster, Doncaster East and Balwyn North are also well above the national average of about 2.7 per cent.
Are Chinese buyers in Melbourne’s east mostly from overseas?
No. Most foreign buyers can’t buy established homes until 30 June 2029, so the buyers for a typical private sale are mainly Australian citizens and permanent residents, many of whom already live in the area. See can overseas buyers buy my house?
How do Chinese-speaking buyers search for homes?
Many start on WeChat, Chinese-language property websites and Rednote, and share listings in family chats before checking the English portals. Read how Chinese-speaking buyers search for property in Australia.
Should I mention the school zone in my listing?
Yes, clearly and accurately, in both English and Chinese if you can. Check the zone on the Victorian government’s school zone finder before you publish, because zones change and buyers will check.
Esther Yong is the founder of ACproperty.com.au, Australia’s largest Chinese property portal. She has spent 15 years connecting Australian real estate with Chinese buyers locally and internationally.
Win the listing with global reach.
Show vendors their home in front of Chinese and international buyers across 50+ portals in 40+ countries, with a live dashboard you can share in the listing presentation.
See how it works →
