Templestowe, by the numbers and the rules
Owners, not renters
At the 2021 Census, 47.0% of occupied homes in the suburb of Templestowe were owned outright and only 14.0% were rented. The median age was 46, and 77.6% of homes were separate houses.
Manningham's suburb
Manningham's history says the City, created on 15 December 1994, took in Doncaster and Templestowe. The ABS boundary layers put the whole suburb inside Manningham.
Yarra Valley Water
Templestowe is on Yarra Valley Water's supply list. Its 2025 to 2026 report gives mean hardness of 16 and 18 mg/L for the two sampling areas covering the suburb, against a 200 mg/L guideline.
Drains outside your boundary
Manningham makes the owner responsible for building and maintaining all their drains, including any outside the property, up to Council's system.
Gas hot water and the 2027 rule
From 1 March 2027, Victoria requires existing homes to replace gas hot water systems with an efficient electric option, like a heat pump, as they reach end of life. A working system doesn't have to come out, and gas hot water systems can still be repaired if they break down. Check current rules before you decide.
Owner-occupiers may be eligible for a Solar Homes rebate on a heat pump: 50% of the price after other discounts, capped at $1,000, or $1,400 for locally made products. The household income cap is $150,000 and the property must be under $3 million. See heat pump hot water in Melbourne.
Where your pipes stop and Council's or the water company's start
For stormwater, Manningham drains each block to its legal point of discharge, usually its lowest point, and from there into Council's system: a street drain, an easement drain or the kerb and channel. Council's point of discharge report won't show your existing private pipes, so a plumber may still need to trace them.
For water supply, Yarra Valley Water owns the meter and stop tap and repairs the pipe from the main to the meter. Everything from the meter to the house is yours. On the sewer side it sells a property plan showing where the internal private sewer pipes run to its main, which is handy before an extension. Where its responsibility ends depends on the property, so ask Yarra Valley Water.
Trees on the block
Since 15 September 2025, Clause 52.37 can require a planning permit to remove a canopy tree in a residential zone even where no overlay applies. Manningham notes it sits alongside any existing overlays rather than replacing them. If a drain repair means cutting roots near a large tree, talk to Council first. Our tree roots page covers the plumbing side.
What we would do
If your gas hot water system is getting old, plan its replacement now rather than when it fails on a cold morning, and check the Solar Homes conditions before you get quotes. For drainage work, order Manningham's point of discharge report and Yarra Valley Water's property plan first, so the plumber starts with a map.