Alma vs Moonlight Flat
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Alma, about half of households are people living alone. In Moonlight Flat, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Alma: a median of $575,000, against $325,000 in Moonlight Flat. On these figures, Moonlight Flat tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget.
Which one suits you?
There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.
Families with school-age kids
Alma
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (4 vs 1)
- carries lower crime risk (54/100 vs 84/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (53% vs 35%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Alma leaves households under less mortgage stress (29% vs 40%)
- Moonlight Flat has cheaper houses ($325,000 vs $575,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Alma
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (24% vs 31%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Alma
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (182.7 km vs 185.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Alma
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (54/100 vs 84/100)
- But Moonlight Flat has more residents already 65 and over (29% vs 23%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Moonlight Flat
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (10.4% vs -3.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Alma and Moonlight Flat drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.
Side by side, out of 100
Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.
Demographics
Alma has more residents (195 vs 85); Alma has higher household incomes ($58,500 vs $46,800).
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 195 +56% vs other | 85 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -3.0% | +10.4% |
| Median age | 52 same for both | |
| Median household income | $58,500/yr +20% vs other | $46,800/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $275/wk | $280/wk +2% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).
Where residents were born
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.2%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $575,000 | $325,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 32 days from 3 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Alma has more rural and farming land (92% vs 70%).
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 92% | 70% |
| Parks and recreation | 6% | 29% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09. | ||
Development activity
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 40 across Central Goldfields same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +129% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 18% of VIC | Higher than 6% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 71% of VIC | Higher than 3% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 14% of VIC | Higher than 13% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 43% of VIC | Higher than 38% of VIC |
Liveability
Alma is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Moonlight Flat carries more bushfire risk (90 vs 0); Moonlight Flat carries more crime risk (84 vs 54).
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | High 90/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 54/100 | High 84/100 |
| Flood | High 73/100 | Moderate 58/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 0 |
Mobility
Moonlight Flat sits further from the CBD (185.6 km vs 182.7 km).
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 182.7 km | 185.6 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 132 min | 134 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 3465 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 36 postcode 3465 same for both | |
How people get to work
Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (95.2%).
Setting
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 204 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 224 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 89 premises | 0% 41 premises |
Climate
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 510 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,555/yr same for both | |
| Council | Central Goldfields same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Alma | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Alma
Other comparisons with Moonlight Flat
Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.