Bacchus Marsh vs Merrimu

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Merrimu, the large majority of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Merrimu: a median of $1.32 million, against $650,000 in Bacchus Marsh, though rent is higher in Bacchus Marsh. On these figures, Bacchus Marsh tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Merrimu suits families with children and couples.

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

  • Bacchus Marsh has more parks and reserves (7 vs 0)
  • Merrimu is already more of a family suburb (82% vs 53%)

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

First-home buyers

Bacchus Marsh

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($406,000 vs $1,382,500)
  • has cheaper houses ($650,000 vs $1,320,000)
  • But Merrimu leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 26%)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Merrimu

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (4% vs 22%)
  • has cheaper rent ($100/wk vs $330/wk)
  • But Bacchus Marsh has a bigger rental market to choose from (27% vs 6%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Bacchus Marsh

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (80/100 vs 4/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Bacchus Marsh

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (80/100 vs 4/100)
  • has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 12%)
  • But Merrimu carries lower crime risk (68/100 vs 86/100)

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

Investors

Bacchus Marsh

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (22.1% vs 6.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Bacchus Marsh and Merrimu drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
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.

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Walkability 80 / 4
Bacchus Marsh — Walkability: 80/100 Merrimu — Walkability: 4/100
Safety 14 / 32
Bacchus Marsh — Safety: 14/100 Merrimu — Safety: 32/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Bacchus Marsh — Low fire risk: 100/100 Merrimu — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 18 / 68
Bacchus Marsh — Low flood risk: 18/100 Merrimu — Low flood risk: 68/100

Demographics

Bacchus Marsh has more residents (7,808 vs 397); Bacchus Marsh rents higher ($330/wk vs $100/wk).

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Population 7,808
+95% vs other
 397
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +22.1% +6.1%
Median age 39
same for both
Median household income $78,416/yr $126,932/yr
+62% vs other
Median weekly rent $330/wk
+70% vs other
 $100/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
0-4 6.4% / 5.5%
Bacchus Marsh — 0-4: 6.4% Merrimu — 0-4: 5.5%
5-14 12.4% / 18.6%
Bacchus Marsh — 5-14: 12.4% Merrimu — 5-14: 18.6%
15-19 4.7% / 4.0%
Bacchus Marsh — 15-19: 4.7% Merrimu — 15-19: 4.0%
20-24 5.1% / 5.5%
Bacchus Marsh — 20-24: 5.1% Merrimu — 20-24: 5.5%
25-34 15.3% / 11.1%
Bacchus Marsh — 25-34: 15.3% Merrimu — 25-34: 11.1%
35-44 12.3% / 14.9%
Bacchus Marsh — 35-44: 12.3% Merrimu — 35-44: 14.9%
45-54 11.3% / 13.9%
Bacchus Marsh — 45-54: 11.3% Merrimu — 45-54: 13.9%
55-64 10.7% / 12.6%
Bacchus Marsh — 55-64: 10.7% Merrimu — 55-64: 12.6%
65-74 12.0% / 8.1%
Bacchus Marsh — 65-74: 12.0% Merrimu — 65-74: 8.1%
75-84 7.6% / 2.0%
Bacchus Marsh — 75-84: 7.6% Merrimu — 75-84: 2.0%
85+ 2.3% / 1.5%
Bacchus Marsh — 85+: 2.3% Merrimu — 85+: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bacchus Marsh 35.4% couple families
Bacchus Marsh — Couple Families: 35.4% Bacchus Marsh — Lone Person: 42.3% Bacchus Marsh — One Parent Families: 18.0% Bacchus Marsh — Group Household: 2.7% Bacchus Marsh — Other Families: 1.6%
Merrimu 76.3% couple families
Merrimu — Couple Families: 76.3% Merrimu — Lone Person: 14.5% Merrimu — One Parent Families: 5.3% Merrimu — Group Household: 3.9% Merrimu — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bacchus Marsh 27.0% renting
Bacchus Marsh — Owned Outright: 33.8% Bacchus Marsh — Mortgage: 39.2% Bacchus Marsh — Renting: 27.0%
Merrimu 5.7% renting
Merrimu — Owned Outright: 34.3% Merrimu — Mortgage: 60.0% Merrimu — Renting: 5.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Certificate III & IV 16.2% / 21.2%
Bacchus Marsh — Certificate III & IV: 16.2% Merrimu — Certificate III & IV: 21.2%
Bachelor Degree 10.0% / 7.8%
Bacchus Marsh — Bachelor Degree: 10.0% Merrimu — Bachelor Degree: 7.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.2% / 5.0%
Bacchus Marsh — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2% Merrimu — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.3% / 2.5%
Bacchus Marsh — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3% Merrimu — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5%
Postgraduate Degree 3.0% / 0.8%
Bacchus Marsh — Postgraduate Degree: 3.0% Merrimu — Postgraduate Degree: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).

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.

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
England 3.3% / 1.5%
Bacchus Marsh — England: 3.3% Merrimu — England: 1.5%
India 2.6% / 1.8%
Bacchus Marsh — India: 2.6% Merrimu — India: 1.8%
New Zealand 1.5% / 2.8%
Bacchus Marsh — New Zealand: 1.5% Merrimu — New Zealand: 2.8%
Scotland 0.8% / 1.5%
Bacchus Marsh — Scotland: 0.8% Merrimu — Scotland: 1.5%
Italy 0.4% / 1.3%
Bacchus Marsh — Italy: 0.4% Merrimu — Italy: 1.3%
Germany 0.6% / 0.8%
Bacchus Marsh — Germany: 0.6% Merrimu — Germany: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bacchus Marsh 84.2% houses
Bacchus Marsh — Houses: 84.2% Bacchus Marsh — Townhouses: 12.5% Bacchus Marsh — Flats / Apartments: 3.3%
Merrimu 100.0% houses
Merrimu — Houses: 100.0% Merrimu — Townhouses: 0.0% Merrimu — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Median house price $650,000 $1,320,000
Median unit price $420,000 —
Median land price $406,000 $1,382,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 125 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Merrimu has more land zoned for conservation (50% vs 0%); Bacchus Marsh has more rural and farming land (49% vs 30%).

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Environmental 0% 50%
Rural and farming 49% 30%
Residential 37% 0%
Parks and recreation 3% 12%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 6%
Commercial 2% 0%
Other and special use 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

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
New dwellings approved 338
across Moorabool
same for both
Approvals change year on year +4%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Houses 3.7%
$500/wk on $710K
 —
Units 5.4%
$430/wk on $414K
 —

Ranking within VIC

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
House price Higher than 27% of VIC —
Income Higher than 45% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Schools Higher than 31% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 64% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 71% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 65% of VIC Higher than 64% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 99% of VIC Higher than 48% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 44% of VIC —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 79% of VIC —

Liveability

Bacchus Marsh is more walkable (80 vs 4).

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Grade C —
Score 35/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Bacchus Marsh carries more flood risk (82 vs 32); Bacchus Marsh carries more crime risk (86 vs 68).

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
86/100
 Moderate
68/100
Flood High
82/100
 Low
32/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Inside the suburb 3 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Bacchus Marsh

  • Bacchus Marsh Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Indie School (Bacchus Marsh) Independent · Secondary · Special school at peers
  • St Bernard's School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Merrimu

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Supermarkets 3 0
Cafes & restaurants 14 0
Parks & reserves 7 0
Childcare 6 0
GPs 5 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3 0
Fuel stations 6 0
Waterways 2
same for both

Mobility

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Walkability score 80/100 4/100
Distance to Melbourne 57.4 km
+2% vs other
 56.3 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 50 min 52 min
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 3340
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 42
postcode 3340
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.

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Car (driver) 66.5% / 70.8%
Bacchus Marsh — Car (driver): 66.5% Merrimu — Car (driver): 70.8%
Worked from Home 23.3% / 22.7%
Bacchus Marsh — Worked from Home: 23.3% Merrimu — Worked from Home: 22.7%
Car (passenger) 4.4% / 3.2%
Bacchus Marsh — Car (passenger): 4.4% Merrimu — Car (passenger): 3.2%
Walked Only 3.0% / 3.2%
Bacchus Marsh — Walked Only: 3.0% Merrimu — Walked Only: 3.2%
Train 2.5% / —
Bacchus Marsh — Train: 2.5% Merrimu — Train: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.8%).

Setting

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Elevation 101 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 190 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 38.8 km 38.4 km

NBN connectivity

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Connectivity score 99/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 99%
4,136 premises
 0%
133 premises

Climate

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Annual rainfall 578 mm 778 mm
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
PM2.5 4.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Average residential rate $1,979/yr
same for both
Council Moorabool
same for both

Federal electorate

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Division Hawke
same for both
Member Sam Rae
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bacchus Marsh Merrimu
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bacchus Marsh

Outer Village Feel

Merrimu

Acreage Family Outer

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bacchus Marsh

Bacchus Marsh vs Darley Bacchus Marsh vs Maddingley Bacchus Marsh vs Hopetoun Park Bacchus Marsh vs Parwan Bacchus Marsh vs Pentland Hills

Other comparisons with Merrimu

Merrimu vs Darley Merrimu vs Hopetoun Park Merrimu vs Coimadai Merrimu vs Long Forest
Full data on Bacchus Marsh Full data on Merrimu
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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