In person, Greater Melbourne
Aged care placement in Darebin
There are 18 residential aged care homes in Darebin, from Reservoir to Preston.
Who can help find an aged care home in Darebin?
My Aged Care (Australian Government, free, 1800 200 422) arranges the assessment and lists all 18 homes in Darebin, ten of them rated four or five stars. For hands-on help, we ring the homes for real vacancies, come to the tours and explain the fees, for a fixed $1,950 paid by the family.
Aged care homes in Darebin
Sorted by overall Star Rating, with Little Sisters of the Poor St Joseph's Home and St Paul's Hostel for the Elderly at the top and Estia Health Reservoir and Mayflower Reservoir not yet rated.
| Home | Suburb | Overall | Residents' experience | Compliance | Staffing | Quality measures | Care minutes (target) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Sisters of the Poor St Joseph's Home | Northcote | 4 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 200 (198) | |
| St Paul's Hostel for the Elderly | Thornbury | 5 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 2 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 206 (212)Below | |
| Aeralife Twin Parks | Reservoir | 3 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 226 (222) | |
| Embracia in Reservoir | Reservoir | 3 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 223 (219) | |
| Ian Brand Residential Care | Bundoora | 4 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 231 (222) | |
| Uniting AgeWell Preston Community | Preston | 4 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 224 (221) | |
| Aeralife Northcote | Northcote | 3 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 210 (207) | |
| Arcare Reservoir | Reservoir | 3 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 234 (231) | |
| Fronditha Anesi Aged Care Services - Thornbury | Thornbury | 3 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 225 (224) | |
| Mercy Place Keon Park | Reservoir | 4 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 2 of 5 | 223 (221) | |
| Bolton Clarke The Ashley | Reservoir | 3 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 226 (219) | |
| Bolton Clarke Medina Manor | Thornbury | 3 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 2 of 5 | 243 (236) | |
| Vasey RSL Care Bundoora | Bundoora | 3 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 2 of 5 | 204 (202) | |
| Northcote Mews Care Community | Northcote | 3 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 2 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 217 (227)Below | |
| Preston Hilltop Care Community | Preston | 3 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 2 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 210 (223)Below | |
| Merv Irvine Nursing Home | Bundoora | 3 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 2 of 5 | 1 of 5 | 216 (243)Below | |
| Estia Health Reservoir | Reservoir | Not rated | Not rated | 4 of 5 | 1 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 218 (223)Below |
| Mayflower Reservoir | Reservoir | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated | Not published |
Care minutes are the average per resident per day in January to March 2026, with the home's target in brackets.
Star Ratings are published by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Shown as published in August 2026; they may have changed since. See the current rating on My Aged Care.
Suburb by suburb
- Reservoir: seven homes with 711 places, led by Aeralife Twin Parks (4 stars); one below its care minutes target.
- Bundoora: three homes with 150 places, led by Ian Brand Residential Care (4 stars); one below its care minutes target.
- Northcote: three homes with 206 places, led by Little Sisters of the Poor St Joseph's Home (4 stars); one below its care minutes target.
- Thornbury: three homes with 224 places, led by St Paul's Hostel for the Elderly (4 stars); one below its care minutes target.
- Preston: two homes with 198 places, led by Uniting AgeWell Preston Community (4 stars); one below its care minutes target.
Darebin in numbers
- 18 homes with 1,489 places between them, from Aeralife Twin Parks (136) down to Merv Irvine Nursing Home (30).
- 63% of rated homes have four or five stars overall, close to the Greater Melbourne figure of 68%.
- A mix of operators: 9 not-for-profit (such as Little Sisters of the Poor Aged Care and Antonine Sisters Aged Care Services) and 7 for-profit (such as Aeralife and Embracia Victoria) and two government-run.
- Below their care minutes target in January to March 2026: 5 of 17 homes, among them St Paul's Hostel for the Elderly, Northcote Mews Care Community and three others (Greater Melbourne: 37%).
Sources: Star Ratings quarterly data extract (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, August 2026); GEN aged care service list (places, as at 30 June 2025). How we check our facts.
Worth knowing here
The staffing rating is one star, the lowest possible, at Estia Health Reservoir, so ask that home how many registered nurses are rostered at night and at weekends.
Ian Brand Residential Care and Merv Irvine Nursing Home are government-run (by Northern Health), among only 13 government-run homes in Greater Melbourne.
Residents gave St Paul's Hostel for the Elderly five stars in the government's Residents' Experience Survey, a score only 13 homes in Greater Melbourne received.
Quality measures (falls, pressure injuries, unplanned weight loss and medication) are rated one star at Merv Irvine Nursing Home, so ask what each is doing about the measure that pulled its rating down.
Registered nurse minutes, a target separate from total care minutes, were below target at Estia Health Reservoir in January to March 2026, which matters most if your family member has complex nursing needs.
Neighbouring council areas
Darebin is in the Northern Metro planning region (seven council areas, 86 homes); these are the nearest council areas, measured between the middle of each area's homes.
| Council area | Homes | Four or five stars | Below care minutes target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merri-bek | 18 | 63% | 6 of 16 |
| Banyule | 13 | 54% | 4 of 13 |
| Yarra | 4 | 100% | 0 of 3 |
| City of Melbourne | 6 | 83% | 0 of 6 |
Of these, Merri-bek has the most homes (18), while Yarra has the highest share with four or five stars (100%).
Help finding a home here
We work in Darebin in person, starting with the 18 homes here and, if the right room is not free, nearby Merri-bek and Banyule.
The full placement costs $1,950 including GST, paid by the family, and homes pay us nothing (how payment works).
If a hospital wants a discharge date, the urgent placement ($2,450) starts within one business day (hospital discharge help).
Questions families ask
How many aged care homes are there in Darebin?
The August 2026 Star Ratings data lists 18 residential aged care homes in Darebin, with 1,489 places between them, in Reservoir (7), Bundoora (3), Northcote (3), Thornbury (3) and Preston (2).
Which aged care homes in Darebin have the highest Star Ratings?
No home in Darebin has five stars; among the four-star homes, Little Sisters of the Poor St Joseph's Home, St Paul's Hostel for the Elderly and Aeralife Twin Parks have the highest combined sub-ratings.
Which homes in Darebin are below their care minutes target?
In January to March 2026, St Paul's Hostel for the Elderly, Northcote Mews Care Community, Preston Hilltop Care Community, Merv Irvine Nursing Home and Estia Health Reservoir delivered fewer care minutes per resident than their government target, which feeds into their staffing Star Rating.
Who runs the aged care homes in Darebin?
Nine of the 18 homes are not-for-profit, seven are for-profit and two are government-run. The operators with more than one home here are Aeralife (2), DPG Services (2), Northern Health (2) and RSL Care RDNS (2).
Tell us what's happening
Tell us what is happening and where in Darebin you are looking. We will call to talk it through; the first conversation is free.
We're opening soon. We're not taking clients yet. Leave your details and we'll contact you when our Melbourne service opens. If you need help today, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, and if the person is in hospital, ask for the social worker or discharge planner.