Whittlesea, township and council
Two areas, one name
At the 2021 Census, 87.0% of occupied homes in the suburb of Whittlesea were separate houses and 18.3% were rented. Across the City of Whittlesea council area, 86.4% were separate houses and 24.9% rented.
The rural north
Council lists Beveridge, Donnybrook, Eden Park, Humevale, Kinglake West, Wollert, Woodstock and Yan Yean as its rural north. It has an office at 63 Church St, Whittlesea, as well as in South Morang.
Ageing septic systems
Council's June 2018 plan counted about 1,300 septic systems across the City. Nearly half (47%) were more than 20 years old, around the effective life of a well maintained system.
The hardest water in the report
Yarra Valley Water's Whittlesea sampling area had mean hardness of 43 mg/L in 2025 to 2026, joint highest in its report, yet well under the 200 mg/L guideline.
Where the sewer stops
The 2018 plan names the unsewered land: the rural residential precincts around Whittlesea Township, and the rural districts and villages north of Epping and South Morang, Humevale, Donnybrook and Yan Yean among them. Yarra Valley Water provides water and sewerage across the City and plans the joining of urban areas to sewer.
Buying a rural property? Ask whether it has a septic system, how old it is and when the tank was last de-sludged.
Whittlesea's septic checklist
- A rural property without access to the town sewer must treat and contain its household wastewater in a septic system.
- Get a septic tank permit before installing or altering one.
- De-sludge the tank every three years so solids don't clog it.
- Keep oils, grease, food scraps, paints, medicines and sanitary items out of sinks and toilets.
- Don't drive or park on any part of the system, including the discharge area.
An old tank near the end of its life
Council's plan expected many older systems to need maintenance or replacement, with a further 29% due to pass 20 years within a decade of 2018. If a tank overflows, smells or leaves the trench soggy, a plumber who specialises in septic systems can say whether it needs a pump out, a repair or a new system, which needs Council's permit.
Water at 43 mg/L is still low in hardness, but scale is one of the things a hot water plumber checks on an ageing tank.
Elsewhere in the City of Whittlesea: Thomastown, Wollert, Epping, Mernda and Mill Park.
What we would do
If you own a rural Whittlesea property, find out how old your septic system is and put the next de-sludge in the calendar. A system past 20 years old is worth inspecting before it fails rather than after. In town on the sewer, Yarra Valley Water's rules apply: a blockage on your side is yours to fix and pay for.