Bailieston vs Kirwans Bridge
Bailieston is the younger of the two, with a median age of 56 against 63 in Kirwans Bridge. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bailieston, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Kirwans Bridge: a median of $760,000, against $455,000 in Bailieston, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Bailieston tends to suit people living alone, families with children, and couples, while Kirwans Bridge 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
- Bailieston has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
- Kirwans Bridge carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 81/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Bailieston
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($455,000 vs $760,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Bailieston
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($275/wk vs $330/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Bailieston
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (145.8 km vs 148.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Kirwans Bridge
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 81/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (46% vs 21%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Bailieston
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (10.1% vs -1.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bailieston and Kirwans Bridge 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
Kirwans Bridge rents higher ($330/wk vs $275/wk); Kirwans Bridge skews older (63 vs 56).
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 120 | 134 +12% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +10.1% | -1.5% |
| Median age | 56 | 63 |
| Median household income | $61,724/yr | $66,092/yr +7% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $275/wk | $330/wk +20% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.1%).
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 (4.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $455,000 | $760,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Kirwans Bridge has more rural and farming land (91% vs 79%).
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 79% | 91% |
| Parks and recreation | 20% | 3% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 6% |
| 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
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 75 across Strathbogie same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +167% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 22% of VIC | Higher than 26% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 2% of VIC | Higher than 48% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 29% of VIC | Higher than 30% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 23% of VIC | Higher than 65% of VIC |
Liveability
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Bailieston carries more bushfire risk (17 vs 0); Bailieston carries more crime risk (81 vs 14).
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 17/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | High 81/100 | Low 14/100 |
| Flood | High 80/100 | Moderate 66/100 |
| 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
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 | 1 |
Mobility
Kirwans Bridge sits further from the CBD (148.9 km vs 145.8 km).
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 145.8 km | 148.9 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 107 min | 110 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 3608 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 55 postcode 3608 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 (86.8%).
Setting
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 128 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 135 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 24/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 70 premises | 0% 104 premises |
Climate
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 528 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.6°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,476/yr same for both | |
| Council | Strathbogie same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Nicholls same for both | |
| Member | Sam Birrell same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bailieston | Kirwans Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Bailieston
Other comparisons with Kirwans Bridge
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.