Barrabool vs Gnarwarre
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Gnarwarre tends to suit families with children.
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
- Barrabool carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 29/100)
- Gnarwarre is already more of a family suburb (83% vs 74%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Barrabool
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 26%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Barrabool
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 18%)
- has cheaper rent ($301/wk vs $390/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Barrabool
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (67 min vs 79 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (86.1 km vs 94.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Barrabool
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 29/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Gnarwarre
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (11.2% vs 5.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Barrabool and Gnarwarre 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
Gnarwarre rents higher ($390/wk vs $301/wk); Barrabool has higher household incomes ($133,224 vs $113,724).
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 247 | 297 +20% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.1% | +11.2% |
| Median age | 44 | 43 |
| Median household income | $133,224/yr +15% vs other | $113,724/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $301/wk | $390/wk +30% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).
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 (3.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 100% |
| 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
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 300 across Surf Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +57% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 95% of VIC | Higher than 86% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 30% of VIC | Higher than 10% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 74% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 58% of VIC | Higher than 51% of VIC |
Liveability
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Gnarwarre carries more crime risk (29 vs 12); Barrabool carries more flood risk (59 vs 43).
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 12/100 | Low 29/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 59/100 | Moderate 43/100 |
| 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
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 1 |
Mobility
Gnarwarre sits further from the CBD (94.7 km vs 86.1 km).
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 86.1 km | 94.7 km +10% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 67 min | 79 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.9% postcode 3221 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 (71.2%).
Setting
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 146 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 131 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 11.8 km | 18.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 91 premises | 0% 110 premises |
Climate
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 454 mm | 502 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.1°C | 25.8°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.5°C | 5.3°C |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 20.5 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,314/yr same for both | |
| Council | Surf Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Barrabool | Gnarwarre | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Barrabool
Other comparisons with Gnarwarre
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.