Melbourne has quietly become one of the strongest cities in Australia for HVAC technicians to find steady, well-paying work. The combination of long hot summers, an ageing residential building stock that needs retrofitted cooling, and a commercial construction pipeline that refuses to slow down means qualified techs are in real demand. If you are job hunting in Melbourne right now, this guide will walk you through what employers are paying, where the work is concentrated, the licences you need before anyone will hire you, and the practical steps that move your resume from the maybe pile to the call back pile.
01 · MarketWhy Melbourne is a strong market right now
A few things have lined up at the same time in Victoria. First, the gas to electric transition under the state government's Gas Substitution Roadmap has pushed thousands of homes toward reverse cycle split systems and heat pumps for both heating and cooling. That is direct work for installers and service techs. Second, the commercial property sector in the CBD and inner suburbs has been spending heavily on plant upgrades to meet NABERS energy ratings, which means chiller replacements, BMS upgrades, and full mechanical services overhauls. Third, the data centre boom in Melbourne's west has created a whole new category of demand for technicians who understand precision cooling.
What this means in practical terms is that there is rarely just one type of job available at any moment. You can choose your lane. Domestic split system installation pays consistently and the work is predictable. Commercial service is where the better technical pay sits. Refrigeration mechanics who can move between supermarket racks, cool rooms, and air conditioning have the most leverage of all because the skill set is harder to replace.
02 · PayWhat HVAC technicians actually earn
Pay varies more than people expect, so let us break it down honestly. National figures put the average HVAC technician hourly rate in Australia at around 32 dollars, with a typical range from about 22 dollars at the early end up to 46 dollars for senior technicians. Other industry data sets report a higher national average closer to 49 dollars per hour, which reflects the heavier weighting toward fully licenced refrigeration mechanics. The gross annual figure for a fully qualified HVAC technician in Australia sits at around 96,000 dollars, with entry level around 70,000 and senior level closing in on 109,000.
Melbourne sits roughly at the national average, slightly below Sydney but ahead of Adelaide and Hobart. For a deeper breakdown of pay across every state, see our guide on HVAC technician salary in Australia for 2026.
03 · LicensingThe licences and tickets you absolutely need
You cannot legally handle fluorocarbon refrigerants in Australia without a Refrigerant Handling Licence issued by the Australian Refrigeration Council, which is what most people mean when they say ARCtick. There are different classes of licence depending on whether you are working on split systems only, full refrigeration and air conditioning, or automotive systems. If you are just starting out as an apprentice, you will hold a trainee licence while you complete your qualification. Once you finish your Certificate III in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, you upgrade to a full RHL. Our complete walkthrough is here in the ARCtick licence Australia guide.
Beyond the ARCtick, Victorian employers will expect you to hold a current driver's licence (most service work involves a company vehicle), a White Card for any site access, and a Working at Heights ticket if you are anywhere near rooftop plant. EWP or elevated work platform tickets are increasingly standard for commercial work. If you can also tick a confined spaces card and a basic gas test atmosphere ticket, your resume jumps to the top of the pile for industrial and commercial roles. Some employers will pay for you to upgrade these tickets after you start, but having them already is what gets you through the first phone call.
04 · GeographyWhere the jobs actually are
The geography of HVAC work in Melbourne is worth understanding because it shapes which employers you target and how far you will be driving every day.
Eastern suburbs
Box Hill out through Glen Waverley and into the Yarra Valley. Heavy concentration of residential split system installation companies. Steady, mostly straightforward work, and the customer base is comfortable paying for premium installs.
Northern and western growth corridors
Craigieburn, Werribee, Tarneit. Where new builds keep coming. Big residential builders run framework agreements with HVAC subcontractors. Reliable apprentice and post-trade work, although pay tends to follow the lower end of the award.
City and inner suburbs
Commercial territory. Large mechanical services contractors run service teams here alongside smaller specialists. This is where the technical pay sits, especially for techs who can read mechanical schematics, troubleshoot BMS, and work on chillers.
Western industrial belt
Laverton and Truganina. A hub for cold storage, food processing, and logistics. Refrigeration mechanics who can service ammonia plants and supermarket rack systems will find their phone never stops ringing.
05 · SearchHow to actually find the roles
Most HVAC jobs in Melbourne are filled through three channels: direct applications to companies, recruitment agencies that specialise in trades, and industry contacts. The proportion shifts depending on your experience.
If you're a third-year apprentice or just qualified
The best move is to apply directly to companies whose vans you see around. Look up their websites, find the careers page, and send a one page resume with a short, direct cover note. Mention your ARCtick licence number, your tickets, and the suburbs you can comfortably commute to. Recruiters scan for these three things first.
If you're post-trade with a few years under your belt
Recruitment agencies are worth using because they know which contractors are short staffed and willing to pay above market for the right person. Hays Trades and Labour, BMP Consulting, and Constructive Recruitment all run desks that cover HVAC in Victoria. Be picky and only deal with consultants who actually understand the trade. You will know within five minutes of a phone call.
For senior roles and commercial leads
LinkedIn and word of mouth do most of the work. Make sure your LinkedIn profile actually says HVAC technician or refrigeration mechanic in the headline, lists your tickets, and mentions the systems you have worked on. Recruiters search those exact words.
06 · HiringWhat employers are looking for in 2026
The honest truth is that the technical bar has not moved much in twenty years, but the soft skill bar has. Customers, especially commercial property managers, expect technicians to communicate clearly, write coherent service reports, and turn up when they say they will. If you can do those three things and you have your licences in order, you are already in the top quarter of applicants. The other half of the equation is the technical skill set itself, which we cover in detail in our guide to the top skills every HVAC technician must have.
Beyond that, employers are increasingly looking for techs who are comfortable with smart controls, BMS interfaces, and the diagnostic apps that come with modern VRV and VRF systems. You do not need to be a programmer, but knowing how to log into a Daikin Cloud or a Mitsubishi Electric system and pull fault history will save you and your boss real money.
07 · OutlookA realistic timeline if you are starting from scratch
If you are reading this and thinking about getting into the trade, here is what a realistic Melbourne pathway looks like. A four year apprenticeship through a host like MEGT or one of the group training organisations will take you from first year wages of around 45,000 dollars to a fully qualified refrigeration mechanic earning 90,000 plus by year five. Add a couple of years of post trade experience, push into commercial service or specialist refrigeration, and you can be earning 110,000 to 130,000 dollars by year seven or eight. Set up your own business at year ten, and the ceiling lifts again. If you are weighing up the trade as a long term move, our piece on how to become an AC technician in Australia explains every step of the pathway.
Melbourne has more HVAC work than there are technicians to do it, and that situation will not change quickly. If you are licenced, organised, and willing to chase the right employer rather than the first one that calls back, you can build a career in this city that pays well, gives you real security, and leaves you with a trade that travels anywhere in the country.