Barrabool vs Mount Moriac
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, Mount Moriac 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
Barrabool
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 87/100)
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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
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
- sits closer to the CBD (86.1 km vs 97.1 km)
- has a shorter drive in (67 min vs 72 min)
- But Mount Moriac is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Barrabool carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 87/100)
- Mount Moriac is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
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
Barrabool and Mount Moriac 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
Barrabool skews older (44 vs 42).
| Barrabool | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 247 | 251 +2% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.1% | +4.6% |
| Median age | 44 | 42 |
| Median household income | $133,224/yr +4% vs other | $128,076/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $301/wk | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).
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 (4.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 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 (17.8%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Barrabool | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 97% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 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
| Barrabool | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 300 across Surf Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +57% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Barrabool | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 95% of VIC | Higher than 94% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 30% of VIC | Higher than 73% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 74% of VIC | Higher than 90% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 58% of VIC | Higher than 71% of VIC |
Liveability
Mount Moriac is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Barrabool | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
Mount Moriac carries more crime risk (87 vs 12); Barrabool carries more flood risk (59 vs 39).
| Barrabool | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 12/100 | High 87/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 59/100 | Low 39/100 |
| 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 | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 7 |
Mobility
Mount Moriac sits further from the CBD (97.1 km vs 86.1 km).
| Barrabool | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 86.1 km | 97.1 km +13% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 67 min | 72 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.9% postcode 3221 | 1.6% postcode 3240 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | — postcode 3221 | 62 postcode 3240 |
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 (68.5%).
Setting
| Barrabool | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 146 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 138 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 11.8 km | 16.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Barrabool | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 91 premises | 0% 109 premises |
Climate
| Barrabool | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 454 mm | 599 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.1°C | 23.2°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.5°C | 7.6°C |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Barrabool | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 20.5 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Barrabool | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,314/yr same for both | |
| Council | Surf Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Barrabool | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Barrabool | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Mount Moriac
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.