Barwon Downs vs Murroon

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Barwon Downs, most households are people living alone. In Murroon, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Barwon Downs tends to suit people living alone, while Murroon suits 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

Murroon

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 61/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (67% vs 34%)

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

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Barwon Downs has cheaper rent ($230/wk vs $320/wk)
  • Murroon has a bigger rental market to choose from (19% vs 6%)

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

Commuting to the city

Murroon

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (119 min vs 126 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (151 km vs 157.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Murroon

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 61/100)

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

Investors

Murroon

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (14.5% vs 3.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Barwon Downs Murroon
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.

Barwon Downs Murroon
Walkability 0 / 0
Barwon Downs — Walkability: 0/100 Murroon — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 39 / 83
Barwon Downs — Safety: 39/100 Murroon — Safety: 83/100
Low fire risk 14 / 9
Barwon Downs — Low fire risk: 14/100 Murroon — Low fire risk: 9/100
Low flood risk 58 / 43
Barwon Downs — Low flood risk: 58/100 Murroon — Low flood risk: 43/100

Demographics

Murroon has higher household incomes ($84,448 vs $53,924); Barwon Downs has more residents (136 vs 95).

Barwon Downs Murroon
Population 136
+30% vs other
 95
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.8% +14.5%
Median age 48
same for both
Median household income $53,924/yr $84,448/yr
+57% vs other
Median weekly rent $230/wk $320/wk
+39% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Barwon Downs Murroon
0-4 2.2% / 5.3%
Barwon Downs — 0-4: 2.2% Murroon — 0-4: 5.3%
5-14 10.3% / 10.5%
Barwon Downs — 5-14: 10.3% Murroon — 5-14: 10.5%
15-19 7.4% / 11.6%
Barwon Downs — 15-19: 7.4% Murroon — 15-19: 11.6%
20-24 — / 5.3%
Barwon Downs — 20-24: not among its largest Murroon — 20-24: 5.3%
25-34 5.1% / 6.3%
Barwon Downs — 25-34: 5.1% Murroon — 25-34: 6.3%
35-44 14.7% / 8.4%
Barwon Downs — 35-44: 14.7% Murroon — 35-44: 8.4%
45-54 19.1% / 18.9%
Barwon Downs — 45-54: 19.1% Murroon — 45-54: 18.9%
55-64 11.8% / 10.5%
Barwon Downs — 55-64: 11.8% Murroon — 55-64: 10.5%
65-74 19.9% / 21.1%
Barwon Downs — 65-74: 19.9% Murroon — 65-74: 21.1%
75-84 2.9% / 10.5%
Barwon Downs — 75-84: 2.9% Murroon — 75-84: 10.5%
85+ 4.4% / —
Barwon Downs — 85+: 4.4% Murroon — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Barwon Downs 65.8% lone person
Barwon Downs — Lone Person: 65.8% Barwon Downs — Couple Families: 26.3% Barwon Downs — One Parent Families: 7.9%
Murroon 33.3% lone person
Murroon — Lone Person: 33.3% Murroon — Couple Families: 46.7% Murroon — One Parent Families: 20.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Barwon Downs 6.1% renting
Barwon Downs — Owned Outright: 51.0% Barwon Downs — Mortgage: 42.9% Barwon Downs — Renting: 6.1%
Murroon 19.4% renting
Murroon — Owned Outright: 44.4% Murroon — Mortgage: 36.1% Murroon — Renting: 19.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Barwon Downs 100.0% houses
Barwon Downs — Houses: 100.0%
Murroon 100.0% houses
Murroon — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Barwon Downs Murroon
Bachelor Degree 16.9% / 11.6%
Barwon Downs — Bachelor Degree: 16.9% Murroon — Bachelor Degree: 11.6%
Certificate III & IV 14.7% / 11.6%
Barwon Downs — Certificate III & IV: 14.7% Murroon — Certificate III & IV: 11.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.8% / 5.3%
Barwon Downs — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8% Murroon — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.7% / 5.3%
Barwon Downs — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7% Murroon — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.3%
Postgraduate Degree 2.9% / 4.2%
Barwon Downs — Postgraduate Degree: 2.9% Murroon — Postgraduate Degree: 4.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.9%).

Property market

Barwon Downs Murroon
Median house price $708,000 —
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Murroon has more rural and farming land (100% vs 30%).

Barwon Downs Murroon
Rural and farming 30% 100%
Parks and recreation 70% 0%
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

Barwon Downs Murroon
New dwellings approved 226
across Colac Otway
same for both
Approvals change year on year +64%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Barwon Downs Murroon
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 12% of VIC Higher than 52% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 60% of VIC
same for both
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 62% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 70% of VIC Higher than 47% of VIC

Liveability

Barwon Downs Murroon
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Barwon Downs carries more crime risk (61 vs 17); Murroon carries more flood risk (57 vs 42).

Barwon Downs Murroon
Bushfire High
86/100
 High
91/100
Crime Moderate
61/100
 Low
17/100
Flood Moderate
42/100
 Moderate
57/100
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

Barwon Downs Murroon
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

Barwon Downs Murroon
Parks & reserves 2 0
Waterways 36 4

Mobility

Barwon Downs sits further from the CBD (157.3 km vs 151 km).

Barwon Downs Murroon
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 157.3 km
+4% vs other
 151 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 126 min 119 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 3243
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 36
postcode 3243
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.

Barwon Downs Murroon
Car (driver) 61.9% / 49.0%
Barwon Downs — Car (driver): 61.9% Murroon — Car (driver): 49.0%
Worked from Home 31.7% / 32.7%
Barwon Downs — Worked from Home: 31.7% Murroon — Worked from Home: 32.7%
Car (passenger) 6.3% / 6.1%
Barwon Downs — Car (passenger): 6.3% Murroon — Car (passenger): 6.1%
Walked Only — / 12.2%
Barwon Downs — Walked Only: not among its largest Murroon — Walked Only: 12.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (61.9%).

Setting

Barwon Downs Murroon
Elevation 238 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 146 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 15.0 km 19.4 km

NBN connectivity

Barwon Downs Murroon
Connectivity score 30/100 29/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
122 premises
 0%
48 premises

Climate

Barwon Downs Murroon
Annual rainfall 607 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Barwon Downs Murroon
Average residential rate $2,023/yr
same for both
Council Colac Otway
same for both

Federal electorate

Barwon Downs Murroon
Division Wannon
same for both
Member Dan Tehan
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Barwon Downs Murroon
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Barwon Downs

Retirees River Rural

Murroon

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Barwon Downs

Barwon Downs vs Lorne Barwon Downs vs Forrest Barwon Downs vs Gerangamete Barwon Downs vs Pennyroyal

Other comparisons with Murroon

Murroon vs Birregurra Murroon vs Deans Marsh Murroon vs Gerangamete Murroon vs Pennyroyal Murroon vs Yeodene
Full data on Barwon Downs Full data on Murroon
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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