Axe Creek vs Emu Creek
Comparing Axe Creek and Emu Creek, VIC: Axe Creek carries more bushfire risk (11 vs 0); Emu Creek rents higher ($320/wk vs $270/wk); and Emu Creek sits further from the CBD (141.8 km vs 138.3 km).
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
- Axe Creek is already more of a family suburb (83% vs 71%)
- Emu Creek has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
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
Axe Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($270/wk vs $320/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Axe Creek
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (97 min vs 102 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (138.3 km vs 141.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Axe Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (28.4% vs 4.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Axe Creek and Emu Creek 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
Emu Creek rents higher ($320/wk vs $270/wk); Axe Creek has higher household incomes ($115,960 vs $102,076).
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 452 +17% vs other | 376 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +28.4% | +4.7% |
| Median age | 44 | 45 |
| Median household income | $115,960/yr +12% vs other | $102,076/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $270/wk | $320/wk +19% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (4.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $845,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Axe Creek has more rural and farming land (85% vs 73%).
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 85% | 73% |
| Parks and recreation | 14% | 24% |
| Environmental | 0% | 2% |
| 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
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 885 across Greater Bendigo same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +28% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 87% of VIC | Higher than 75% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 58% of VIC | Higher than 52% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 56% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 70% of VIC | Higher than 67% of VIC |
Liveability
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Axe Creek carries more bushfire risk (11 vs 0); Emu Creek carries more flood risk (23 vs 12).
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 11/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 17/100 | Low 16/100 |
| Flood | Low 12/100 | Low 23/100 |
| 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
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
| Universities within 10 km | None | 1 Bendigo Campus, 8.7 km |
Schools in Axe Creek
- Eppalock Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Emu Creek
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 4 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 8 | 2 |
Mobility
Emu Creek sits further from the CBD (141.8 km vs 138.3 km).
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 138.3 km | 141.8 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 97 min | 102 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 3551 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 64 postcode 3551 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 (74.4%).
Setting
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 234 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 238 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 145 premises | 0% 125 premises |
Climate
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 553 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.6°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,949/yr same for both | |
| Council | Greater Bendigo same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bendigo same for both | |
| Member | Lisa Chesters same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Axe Creek | Emu Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Axe Creek
Other comparisons with Emu Creek
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.