Correction (1 October 2026): an earlier version of this page was produced by a template. It listed venues with street numbers, prices, seat counts and “insider tips” that we could not stand behind, gave Bayswater the postcode 3166 (Bayswater’s is 3153), and quoted travel times with no source. It has been rewritten from scratch. Every place below was checked against its own current information and a second, independent source on 1 October 2026.
Bayswater is a residential and industrial suburb in Melbourne’s east, in the City of Knox, with a station on the Belgrave line. This profile sticks to what can be checked from a desk: the council’s own pages, the timetable operators, the 2021 Census and the places’ own websites.
Fast facts: postcode 3153 (shared with Bayswater North); council: Knox City Council; 28 km east of Melbourne, per Victorian Places; population 12,262 at the 2021 Census.
Origin of the name: Victorian Places records that James John Miller, a bookmaker and publisher, had a property at The Basin called Bayswater House, “in recognition of his birthplace”, and that “The name Bayswater was given to the school in 1890.” The station opened in 1889 as Macauley, after the post office, and was renamed Bayswater in 1894.
Getting around
The shape of it: the suburb’s centre is where Mountain Highway meets Station Street. Metro Trains lists Bayswater Railway Station at “Mountain Hwy / Station St Bayswater 3153”, in Zone 2. On the Belgrave line it sits between Boronia (towards Belgrave) and Heathmont (towards the city), and the line continues through Ringwood and Box Hill to Flinders Street.
Buses stop at the station. Mountain High Shopping Centre, 200 m from the station by its own description, says “Regular Bus Services operate daily from the Bus Stop located at the Bayswater Train Station” and points to Ventura Bus Lines for routes. We could not read a current route list from the operator’s or the state’s site on 1 October 2026, so check the Transport Victoria journey planner for route numbers before you rely on one.
For: a Metro station across from the shopping centre, with buses at the same stop. Against: we could not confirm current bus route numbers, so check the journey planner before you plan around one.
Who lives here
At the 2021 Census, the ABS counted 12,262 people in Bayswater, with a median age of 38. Separate houses made up 61.7 per cent of occupied private dwellings, below the Victorian figure of 73.4 per cent, and 27.3 per cent were semi-detached, row or terrace houses or townhouses. A third of homes (33.5 per cent) were rented, above the Victorian figure of 28.5 per cent.
At the 2021 Census the median weekly rent in Bayswater was $375 and the median weekly household income was $1,598. Both figures are five years old; current rents will differ, so treat them as a baseline, not a quote.
Change is planned. Knox City Council adopted the Bayswater Renewal Strategy at its meeting on 26 August 2024, aimed at keeping the Bayswater Major Activity Centre “a thriving hub for community life and business until 2040”. Its key initiatives include “Increased housing supply and diversity” and “Greater tree canopy cover and high-quality public spaces”. The council’s page says officers will prepare planning controls and a planning scheme amendment to put it into effect.
For: a mix of houses and townhouses, and an adopted council plan for the centre. Against: the strategy’s first initiative is more housing in the activity centre, so the area around the station is planned to change.
Parks and places
- Marie Wallace Bayswater Park, on the corner of Mountain Highway and Jim Abernethy Memorial Drive (799 Mountain Highway), is one of three Knox parks with a Seniors Exercise Park: outdoor fitness equipment for older adults that the council says is “free to use anytime”. Free “Come and Try” sessions run there on Mondays, 10 am to 11 am, between 10 August and 28 October 2026, cancelled on public holidays and in wet weather.
- Bayswater Library, Shop 43 in Mountain High Shopping Centre, 7-13 High Street. Your Library says the new library “officially opened on 15 September 2025”, across from the station. It opens Monday to Saturday (late on Thursday, to 8 pm) and is closed on Sunday.
- Knox Children and Family Centre – Bayswater, 41 Phyllis Street, brings long day care, kindergarten, Maternal and Child Health and playgroups under one roof, Monday to Friday, 7 am to 6 pm.
For: free outdoor exercise equipment, a new library across from the station and council-run family services. Against: the free Come and Try sessions are seasonal and end on 28 October 2026.
Shopping and eating
The places below sit in two pockets: the centre around Mountain High and the Mountain Highway shops, and the industrial strip on Scoresby Road, where the two Bayswater cafes in Broadsheet’s Melbourne directory sit side by side.
Mountain High Shopping Centre — 7-13 High Street, Bayswater VIC 3153
The suburb’s everyday shopping centre, 200 m from the station by its own description. Its own site lists a Coles open seven days, 7 am to 9 pm, says the centre is spread over two levels, and describes it as “located in the heart of the Bayswater Activity Centre”. The library is inside (Shop 43). Centre hours run later on Thursday and Friday nights, to 9 pm.
For: the weekly shop, the library and the train in one stop. Against: centre hours (9 am to 6 pm, Monday to Wednesday) are shorter than the supermarket’s, so check before a late run.
Montano’s Patisserie — 719 Mountain Highway, Bayswater VIC 3153
A patisserie and cafe on the Mountain Highway shops, created by Nick and Helen, according to its own site. Its menu, as posted on its site on 1 October 2026, has a big brekkie at $30, “Our Benedict” on a potato rösti with two poached eggs and hollandaise at $23.50, and spanakopita at $16.90. It is a daytime kitchen: the menu says brekkie runs until 2 pm, and it closes at 3 pm.
For: a sit-down brekkie on the main road. Against: the menu adds a 10 per cent surcharge on weekends and 15 per cent on public holidays.
Cilantro Thai Kitchen — 723 Mountain Hwy, Bayswater VIC 3153
Along the same stretch of Mountain Highway, a Thai kitchen that takes pickup and delivery orders through its own site. Pad thai, thin rice noodles wok-tossed with bean sprouts, garlic chives and peanuts, is $18.20; massaman beef curry, with wagyu beef, potatoes, green beans and peanuts, is $24.20; and green papaya salad is $19.10. The site lists both stir-fries and coconut-milk curries.
For: a dinner option on the main shops, with pickup or delivery. Against: AGFG lists it as an evening venue opening at 5 pm, and its hours table there shows Tuesday closed, so plan on an evening meal and check its hours on the ordering page first.
The Hatter & the Hare — 1/21 Scoresby Road, Bayswater VIC 3153
A cafe, patisserie and event venue in Bayswater’s industrial strip, open since March 2017 by its own account, with an Alice in Wonderland menu (the Mad Hatter’s Breakfast, Off With Their Heads corn and zucchini fritters, a Knave of Hearts custard-soaked brioche). Broadsheet’s listing (updated May 2022) reports that the family behind it started out supplying cakes to hotels and cafes from a kitchen in their mum’s garage. Cakes and tarts can be pre-ordered online with at least a day’s notice. Its online menu was still headed “Autumn 2026” on 1 October, so we have not quoted its prices.
For: cakes to pre-order, and a themed brunch you can book online. Against: with the online menu still on its autumn heading, check prices when you order.
Dröm Bakery — 1/19 Scoresby Road, Bayswater VIC 3153
Along Scoresby Road, an “Artisan bakery in the heart of Bayswater’s industrial zone”, in its own words, open daily from 6 am on weekdays and 7 am on weekends, closing at 2 pm. Broadsheet’s listing (updated November 2023) says it is run by the family behind neighbouring cafe The Hatter and the Hare, and that its croissants “are made over three days”. Its site takes pre-orders for the Bayswater shop.
For: an early start; it opens at 6 am on weekdays. Against: it closes at 2 pm, and the same listing notes the pastries “are known to sell out early in the day”, so pre-order if you have your heart set on one.
Schools and services
Schools with their own websites in the suburb include Bayswater Primary School, Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School (23 Orange Grove) and Bayswater Secondary College (14 Orchard Road). Check zones and enrolment with each school and the Victorian Government’s school finder; we do not rank schools.
If you move here, know:
- Bins, planning and parks are Knox City Council’s job; Bayswater North shares the 3153 postcode but is a separate suburb.
- The station, the library and Coles are within about 200 m of each other, around Mountain High.
- The council’s Bayswater Renewal Strategy runs to 2040 and lists increased housing supply in the activity centre first.
Quick answers
What is the postcode for Bayswater VIC?
- Australia Post lists two delivery areas under 3153: Bayswater and Bayswater North.
Which council is Bayswater in?
Knox City Council. The council lists Bayswater first among the 12 suburbs of Knox.
What train line is Bayswater station on?
The Belgrave line. Bayswater sits between Boronia and Heathmont, and the line continues through Ringwood and Box Hill to Flinders Street. Metro Trains lists the station at Mountain Hwy / Station St, in Zone 2.
How far is Bayswater from the Melbourne CBD?
Victorian Places describes Bayswater as a residential and industrial suburb 28 km east of Melbourne.
Is Bayswater a good suburb to live in?
That depends on what you need, so here are the records rather than a verdict. At the 2021 Census Bayswater had 12,262 residents with a median age of 38, a median weekly rent of $375, and a third of homes rented. It has a Metro station, a library and a supermarket within a short walk of each other, and Knox City Council has adopted a renewal strategy for the centre that runs to 2040.
How we checked
On 1 October 2026 we read every source below directly, as raw web pages, a PDF menu or a Jina Reader copy, and copied figures and prices exactly as printed. Population, age, dwelling, rent and income figures come from the ABS 2021 Census QuickStats for Bayswater (Vic.), and they describe 2021, not today. Council facts come from Knox City Council’s own pages; the library from Your Library; the station from Metro Trains and Transport Victoria. Each place under “Shopping and eating” was confirmed at its own website and at a second, independent source (Your Library, AGFG, Broadsheet or TripTap). Prices come only from each venue’s own current menu; menus and hours change, so check before you go. We have left out bus route numbers, travel times, crime figures and price forecasts because we could not confirm them at a primary source. The photos are illustrative, from Unsplash: they show the kind of street, food or shop, not Bayswater or the venue itself.
Seen something out of date? Email [email protected] with the page link and what has changed, and we will check it again.
Sources
- Population, age, housing, rent and income: ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, Bayswater (Vic.)
- Council and suburbs of Knox: Knox City Council, History of Knox
- Bayswater Renewal Strategy: Knox City Council
- Marie Wallace Bayswater Park: Knox City Council, Seniors Exercise Parks
- Children and Family Centre: Knox City Council
- Library: Your Library, Bayswater Library
- Station: Metro Trains, Bayswater and Transport Victoria, Belgrave line
- Postcode: Australia Post
- Distance and name: Victorian Places, Bayswater
- Mountain High Shopping Centre: about, public transport and hours
- Montano’s Patisserie: montanospatisserie.com.au and its menu PDF (file name dated 202609); address also at TripTap
- Cilantro Thai Kitchen: menu; address also at AGFG
- The Hatter & the Hare: contact, about and menus; also Broadsheet and AGFG
- Dröm Bakery: drom.melbourne; also Broadsheet
- Schools: Bayswater Primary School (contact), Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Bayswater Secondary College
