Arawata vs Wild Dog Valley

Wild Dog Valley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 52 in Arawata. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Arawata, the large majority of households are people living alone. On these figures, Wild Dog Valley tends to suit families with children.

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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Arawata carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 53/100)
  • Wild Dog Valley is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 22%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Wild Dog Valley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $231/wk)

Weighs rent.

Commuting to the city

Arawata

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (106 min vs 112 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (129 km vs 134.1 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Arawata

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 53/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 15%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Wild Dog Valley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (25.8% vs 16.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Arawata and Wild Dog Valley drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Walkability 0 / 0
Arawata — Walkability: 0/100 Wild Dog Valley — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 83 / 47
Arawata — Safety: 83/100 Wild Dog Valley — Safety: 47/100
Low fire risk 100 / 79
Arawata — Low fire risk: 100/100 Wild Dog Valley — Low fire risk: 79/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Arawata — Low flood risk: 100/100 Wild Dog Valley — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Arawata rents higher ($231/wk vs $0/wk); Arawata skews older (52 vs 42).

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Population 92
+15% vs other
 78
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +16.5% +25.8%
Median age 52 42
Median household income $76,336/yr $84,500/yr
+11% vs other
Median weekly rent $231/wk
(not reported on the other side)
 —

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
0-4 4.3% / —
Arawata — 0-4: 4.3% Wild Dog Valley — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 3.3% / 25.6%
Arawata — 5-14: 3.3% Wild Dog Valley — 5-14: 25.6%
15-19 13.0% / 11.5%
Arawata — 15-19: 13.0% Wild Dog Valley — 15-19: 11.5%
20-24 5.4% / —
Arawata — 20-24: 5.4% Wild Dog Valley — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 3.3% / 9.0%
Arawata — 25-34: 3.3% Wild Dog Valley — 25-34: 9.0%
35-44 8.7% / 7.7%
Arawata — 35-44: 8.7% Wild Dog Valley — 35-44: 7.7%
45-54 19.6% / 12.8%
Arawata — 45-54: 19.6% Wild Dog Valley — 45-54: 12.8%
55-64 18.5% / 19.2%
Arawata — 55-64: 18.5% Wild Dog Valley — 55-64: 19.2%
65-74 18.5% / 9.0%
Arawata — 65-74: 18.5% Wild Dog Valley — 65-74: 9.0%
75-84 4.3% / 6.4%
Arawata — 75-84: 4.3% Wild Dog Valley — 75-84: 6.4%
85+ — / —
Arawata — 85+: not among its largest Wild Dog Valley — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Arawata 77.8% lone person
Arawata — Lone Person: 77.8% Arawata — Couple Families: 22.2% Arawata — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Wild Dog Valley 0.0% lone person
Wild Dog Valley — Lone Person: 0.0% Wild Dog Valley — Couple Families: 42.9% Wild Dog Valley — One Parent Families: 57.1%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Arawata 0.0% renting
Arawata — Owned Outright: 54.5% Arawata — Mortgage: 45.5% Arawata — Renting: 0.0%
Wild Dog Valley 0.0% renting
Wild Dog Valley — Owned Outright: 21.4% Wild Dog Valley — Mortgage: 78.6% Wild Dog Valley — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Arawata 100.0% houses
Arawata — Houses: 100.0%
Wild Dog Valley 100.0% houses
Wild Dog Valley — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Bachelor Degree 22.8% / 5.1%
Arawata — Bachelor Degree: 22.8% Wild Dog Valley — Bachelor Degree: 5.1%
Certificate III & IV 15.2% / 7.7%
Arawata — Certificate III & IV: 15.2% Wild Dog Valley — Certificate III & IV: 7.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.5% / —
Arawata — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.5% Wild Dog Valley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).

Zoning mix

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Rural and farming 100%
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

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
New dwellings approved 170
across South Gippsland
same for both
Approvals change year on year +21%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 44% of VIC —
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 18% of VIC Higher than 9% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 78% of VIC Higher than 36% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 27% of VIC Higher than 17% of VIC

Liveability

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Wild Dog Valley carries more bushfire risk (21 vs 0); Wild Dog Valley carries more crime risk (53 vs 17).

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
21/100
Crime Low
17/100
 Moderate
53/100
Flood None
0/100
same for both
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

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
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

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Waterways 1 2

Mobility

Wild Dog Valley sits further from the CBD (134.1 km vs 129 km).

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 129 km 134.1 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 106 min 112 min
Electric vehicle share 1.0%
postcode 3951
 0.4%
postcode 3953
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 61
postcode 3951
 44
postcode 3953

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.

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Car (driver) 59.4% / 56.5%
Arawata — Car (driver): 59.4% Wild Dog Valley — Car (driver): 56.5%
Worked from Home 31.2% / 43.5%
Arawata — Worked from Home: 31.2% Wild Dog Valley — Worked from Home: 43.5%
Walked Only 9.4% / —
Arawata — Walked Only: 9.4% Wild Dog Valley — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (59.4%).

Setting

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Elevation 235 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 118 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 28.3 km 32.6 km

NBN connectivity

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Connectivity score 26/100 20/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
52 premises
 0%
22 premises

Climate

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Annual rainfall 906 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 24.6°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.9°C
same for both

Council rates

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Average residential rate $2,282/yr
same for both
Council South Gippsland
same for both

Federal electorate

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Division Monash
same for both
Member Mary Aldred
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Arawata Wild Dog Valley
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Arawata

Rural

Wild Dog Valley

Family River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Arawata

Arawata vs Korumburra Arawata vs Kardella Arawata vs Ranceby Arawata vs Fairbank

Other comparisons with Wild Dog Valley

Wild Dog Valley vs Mount Eccles Wild Dog Valley vs Strzelecki Wild Dog Valley vs Trida Wild Dog Valley vs Ranceby Wild Dog Valley vs Fairbank
Full data on Arawata Full data on Wild Dog Valley
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

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