Athlone vs Drouin South
Athlone is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 50 in Drouin South. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Athlone, most households are couple families. In Drouin South, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Athlone tends to suit families with children and couples, while Drouin South suits people living alone and older residents.
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
Athlone
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 45/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (84% vs 60%)
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
Athlone
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($231/wk vs $313/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Athlone
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (16/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Athlone
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (16/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 45/100)
- But Drouin South has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 8%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Athlone
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (20.5% vs 2.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Athlone and Drouin South 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
Drouin South has more residents (343 vs 147); Drouin South skews older (50 vs 33).
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 147 | 343 +133% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +20.5% | +2.4% |
| Median age | 33 | 50 |
| Median household income | $93,756/yr | $95,316/yr +2% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $231/wk | $313/wk +35% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (19.8%).
Property market
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,120,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 94% | 98% |
| Parks and recreation | 6% | 0% |
| Residential | 0% | 1% |
| 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
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 619 across Baw Baw same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +49% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 63% of VIC | Higher than 66% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 77% of VIC | Higher than 59% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 54% of VIC | Higher than 55% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 53% of VIC | Higher than 46% of VIC |
Liveability
Athlone is more walkable (16 vs 0).
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Drouin South carries more crime risk (45 vs 21); Athlone carries more flood risk (84 vs 48).
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 21/100 | Moderate 45/100 |
| Flood | High 84/100 | Moderate 48/100 |
| 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
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Athlone
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Drouin South
- Drouin South Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 6 | 2 |
Mobility
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 16/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 103.7 km | 104.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 86 min | 84 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 3818 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 3818 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 (68.9%).
Setting
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 68 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 115 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 23.8 km | 28.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 60 premises | 0% 171 premises |
Climate
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,090 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,138/yr same for both | |
| Council | Baw Baw same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Monash same for both | |
| Member | Mary Aldred same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Athlone | Drouin South | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Athlone
Drouin South
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Athlone
Other comparisons with Drouin South
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.