Australia’s Top Suburbs For Quality Kerbside Furniture Finds

Australia’s Top Suburbs for Quality Kerbside Furniture Finds

Ever been on a walk and spotted a pile of good furniture sitting kerbside, ready for council collection? This is called ‘street bounty’, and it’s gaining real traction across Australia. We conducted a study to reveal the top suburbs where you are most likely to strike gold for free vintage furniture.

The result is our Furniture Goldmine Index, which ranks 250 Australian suburbs using ABS Census data on household income, home ownership, professional occupation, the share of residents aged 55 and over, and nearby secondhand and vintage furniture retail density. Together, these five factors point to where Australia’s highest-quality pre-loved furniture is most likely to turn up.

Why Street Bounty Is Having a Moment

Kerbside furniture hunting has been building momentum in Australia’s major cities for a while now, and likely fuelled by cost-of-living pressures, a growing appetite for sustainable and circular living has become a genuine priority for a lot of households, and a steady stream of viral ‘vintage haul’ videos on social media has put a spotlight on just how good a pre-loved find can be.

What our findings show is that it isn’t random luck. The suburbs that consistently deliver the best finds tend to share a few traits: higher incomes, high rates of home ownership, and an older population who invested in quality furniture years ago and are only now getting around to replacing it.

Australia's Top 10 Furniture Goldmine Suburbs

Victoria’s Canterbury has taken the number one spot nationally, scoring 91.36 out of 100, with City Beach in Western Australia and Warrandyte in Victoria close behind in second and third. 

1. Canterbury, VIC  — Australia's #1 Kerbside Furniture Suburb

Canterbury in Victoria is our top-ranked best suburb for spotting quality, pre-owned kerbside furniture with a score of 91.36 out of 100. An established pocket of Melbourne's inner east, Canterbury combines high home ownership (78.09%), strong professional employment (40.37%) and an older population, with more than a third of residents aged 55 or over. It also recorded one of the strongest local vintage retail scenes, with a furniture business density score of 96.6. It's the balance across all five measures, rather than any single one standing out, that pushes this hotspot to the top.

2. City Beach, WA — Furniture Built to Last Decades 

City Beach in Western Australia ranked second with a score of 90.2. A prestigious beachfront pocket of Perth's western suburbs, this spot is among the highest-earning in the top 10, with a median household income of $192,400. Home ownership here sits at 82%, and with more than 37% of residents aged 55 or over, though a comparatively modest furniture business density score kept it just short of the top spot.

3. Warrandyte, VIC — Best for Vintage Furniture Finds

Warrandyte in Victoria takes the third spot, with a final score of 88.32. A semi-rural suburb on Melbourne's north-eastern fringe, Warrandyte recorded a home ownership rate of 90.99%, the highest in the national top 10, alongside a median income of $142,584. Its income sits well below City Beach's, yet its near-total home ownership suggests furniture there has typically had decades in the one home to be properly maintained rather than replaced.

4. Sinnamon Park, QLD —  Strong All-Rounder

Sinnamon Park in Queensland comes in fourth place, scoring 88.28 out of 100.  An established pocket of Brisbane's western suburbs, Sinnamon Park combines high home ownership (80.63%), strong professional employment (36.37%) and an older population, with more than a third of residents aged 55 or over (36.56). It also posted a strong income score of 90.39 attributed to a median of $130,520, alongside a furniture business density score of 88, both among the strongest of any Queensland suburb.

5. Wahroonga, NSW — North Shore Wealth Meets Kerbside Furniture

Wahroonga in New South Wales rounds out the top five with a score of 87.63. The top-ranked suburb is situated in Sydney's North Shore; its residents record a median income of $155,896 with 40% working in professional occupations. It's blend of wealth, stability and professional standing that carries Wahroonga among the top spots for best kerbside furniture finds.

Sam Cain, Operations Manager at The Furniture Trader, says the pattern comes down to time, not just taste:

“What we’re seeing in suburbs like Canterbury, City Beach and Warrandyte is a generation of homeowners who’ve stayed put for decades. They invested in quality furniture the first time around, and are only now reaching the natural point of replacing it.

“That’s a completely different picture to what we see in newer growth areas, where households simply haven’t had the time to build up that same depth of quality pieces. Our findings suggest that longevity, not just taste, can shape what ends up on the pre-loved market. This is evident across a handful of pockets right across each state, and not confined to just one part of the region.”

How to Spot Quality When Kerbside Hunting

We assess furniture quality every day, both in the new stock we bring into our showrooms and in the pieces our customers describe and look for when they come in to upgrade. So what should you actually check before hauling a kerbside find home?

“Solid timber frames, dovetail or mortise-and-tenon joints, and upholstery that has been redone rather than replaced–that’s what separates a piece built to last thirty years from something that falls apart in five,” says Sam Cain, Operations Manager at The Furniture Trader.

His tips for a proper check:

• Give the frame a shake; it shouldn’t wobble or creak.

• Check the joints: Dovetail or mortise-and-tenon will always outlast staples and glue.

• Look for solid timber rather than veneer over particleboard.

• Press the upholstery. If the foam doesn’t bounce back, it’s likely on its way out.

How We Ranked the Suburbs

Our ranking is based on 2021 ABS Census data and Google Places search results, covering suburbs with a population of 5,000 or more. Each suburb was scored across five weighted factors: household income (25%), home ownership (25%), professional occupations (20%), residents aged 55 and over (15%), and furniture business density (15%), combined into a final score out of 100. Furniture businesses were checked manually to make sure only genuine secondhand and vintage sellers were counted, and suburbs needed at least one nearby to qualify for the ranking. Data was collected and is accurate as of July 2026. 

Furniture Built to Become Someone's Future Goldmine Find

Whether you love the thrill of a kerbside find or would rather skip the hunt altogether and purchase new, this study confirms what we’ve believed for over 30 years: quality furniture is built to last. As a family-owned Australian retailer with showrooms in Epping, Dandenong, Hoppers Crossing and Burnside, we’re proud to be part of that story.

If you’re after that same standard of craftsmanship without the search, come and see our range in-store or browse our collections online. We’ll help you find a piece built to last long enough to become someone else’s future goldmine find.