Athlone vs Ripplebrook
Athlone is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 43 in Ripplebrook. 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 Ripplebrook, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Athlone tends to suit families with children and couples, while Ripplebrook suits 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Athlone carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 56/100)
- Ripplebrook has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Athlone
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 29%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Athlone
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 19%)
- has cheaper rent ($231/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Ripplebrook
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (80 min vs 86 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (98.9 km vs 103.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Athlone carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 56/100)
- Ripplebrook has more residents already 65 and over (21% vs 8%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Athlone and Ripplebrook 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
Ripplebrook has more residents (268 vs 147); Ripplebrook skews older (43 vs 33).
| Athlone | Ripplebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 147 | 268 +82% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +20.5% | +21.3% |
| Median age | 33 | 43 |
| Median household income | $93,756/yr +11% vs other | $83,408/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $231/wk | $300/wk +30% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).
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 (20.1%).
Zoning mix
| Athlone | Ripplebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 94% | 98% |
| Parks and recreation | 6% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 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 | Ripplebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 619 across Baw Baw same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +49% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Athlone | Ripplebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 63% of VIC | Higher than 51% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 77% of VIC | Higher than 80% 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 62% of VIC |
Liveability
| Athlone | Ripplebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
Ripplebrook carries more crime risk (56 vs 21); Athlone carries more flood risk (84 vs 51).
| Athlone | Ripplebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 21/100 | Moderate 56/100 |
| Flood | High 84/100 | Moderate 51/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Athlone | Ripplebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| 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 Ripplebrook
- Ripplebrook Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Athlone | Ripplebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 1 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 6 | 0 |
Mobility
Athlone sits further from the CBD (103.7 km vs 98.9 km).
| Athlone | Ripplebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 16/100 | 22/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 103.7 km +5% vs other | 98.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 86 min | 80 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 | Ripplebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 68 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 62 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 23.8 km same for both | |
NBN connectivity
| Athlone | Ripplebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 60 premises | 0% 102 premises |
Climate
| Athlone | Ripplebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Ripplebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,138/yr same for both | |
| Council | Baw Baw same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Athlone | Ripplebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Monash same for both | |
| Member | Mary Aldred same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Athlone | Ripplebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Athlone
Ripplebrook
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Athlone
Other comparisons with Ripplebrook
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.