Bears Lagoon vs Calivil

Calivil is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 44 in Bears Lagoon. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bears Lagoon, most households rent. In Calivil, the large majority of households own their home. On these figures, Bears Lagoon tends to suit renters and people living alone, while Calivil suits 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

Too close to call

Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

  • Bears Lagoon has a bigger rental market to choose from (62% vs 17%)
  • Calivil has cheaper rent ($100/wk vs $125/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Bears Lagoon

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (149 min vs 155 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (210.6 km vs 215.8 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Investors

Calivil

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (0.0% vs -26.4%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Bears Lagoon Calivil
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.

Bears Lagoon Calivil
Walkability 0 / 0
Bears Lagoon — Walkability: 0/100 Calivil — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 48 / 44
Bears Lagoon — Safety: 48/100 Calivil — Safety: 44/100
Low fire risk 44 / 88
Bears Lagoon — Low fire risk: 44/100 Calivil — Low fire risk: 88/100
Low flood risk 3 / 16
Bears Lagoon — Low flood risk: 3/100 Calivil — Low flood risk: 16/100

Demographics

Calivil has more residents (178 vs 53); Bears Lagoon rents higher ($125/wk vs $100/wk).

Bears Lagoon Calivil
Population 53 178
+236% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -26.4% +0.0%
Median age 44 38
Median household income $66,248/yr $75,348/yr
+14% vs other
Median weekly rent $125/wk
+20% vs other
 $100/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bears Lagoon Calivil
0-4 — / 6.7%
Bears Lagoon — 0-4: not among its largest Calivil — 0-4: 6.7%
5-14 17.0% / 18.0%
Bears Lagoon — 5-14: 17.0% Calivil — 5-14: 18.0%
15-19 7.5% / 6.7%
Bears Lagoon — 15-19: 7.5% Calivil — 15-19: 6.7%
20-24 9.4% / 7.3%
Bears Lagoon — 20-24: 9.4% Calivil — 20-24: 7.3%
25-34 9.4% / 11.2%
Bears Lagoon — 25-34: 9.4% Calivil — 25-34: 11.2%
35-44 13.2% / 13.5%
Bears Lagoon — 35-44: 13.2% Calivil — 35-44: 13.5%
45-54 18.9% / 12.9%
Bears Lagoon — 45-54: 18.9% Calivil — 45-54: 12.9%
55-64 15.1% / 9.6%
Bears Lagoon — 55-64: 15.1% Calivil — 55-64: 9.6%
65-74 7.5% / 18.0%
Bears Lagoon — 65-74: 7.5% Calivil — 65-74: 18.0%
75-84 11.3% / —
Bears Lagoon — 75-84: 11.3% Calivil — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ — / —
Bears Lagoon — 85+: not among its largest Calivil — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bears Lagoon 41.2% lone person
Bears Lagoon — Lone Person: 41.2% Bears Lagoon — Couple Families: 29.4% Bears Lagoon — One Parent Families: 29.4% Bears Lagoon — Other Families: 0.0%
Calivil 31.9% lone person
Calivil — Lone Person: 31.9% Calivil — Couple Families: 38.3% Calivil — One Parent Families: 19.1% Calivil — Other Families: 10.6%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bears Lagoon 62.5% renting
Bears Lagoon — Owned Outright: 37.5% Bears Lagoon — Mortgage: 0.0% Bears Lagoon — Renting: 62.5%
Calivil 17.4% renting
Calivil — Owned Outright: 56.5% Calivil — Mortgage: 26.1% Calivil — Renting: 17.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bears Lagoon 100.0% houses
Bears Lagoon — Houses: 100.0%
Calivil 100.0% houses
Calivil — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Bears Lagoon Calivil
Certificate III & IV 11.3% / 15.7%
Bears Lagoon — Certificate III & IV: 11.3% Calivil — Certificate III & IV: 15.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.7% / 6.7%
Bears Lagoon — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.7% Calivil — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.7%
Bachelor Degree — / 5.6%
Bears Lagoon — Bachelor Degree: not among its largest Calivil — Bachelor Degree: 5.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 1.7%
Bears Lagoon — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Calivil — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).

Zoning mix

Bears Lagoon Calivil
Rural and farming 98% 100%
Parks and recreation 1% 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

Bears Lagoon Calivil
New dwellings approved 27
across Loddon
same for both
Approvals change year on year +150%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Bears Lagoon Calivil
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 27% of VIC Higher than 42% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 41% of VIC Higher than 47% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 27% of VIC —
NBN connectivity Higher than 36% of VIC Higher than 22% of VIC

Liveability

Bears Lagoon Calivil
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Bears Lagoon carries more bushfire risk (56 vs 12); Bears Lagoon carries more flood risk (97 vs 84).

Bears Lagoon Calivil
Bushfire Moderate
56/100
 Low
12/100
Crime Moderate
52/100
 Moderate
56/100
Flood High
97/100
 High
84/100
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

Bears Lagoon Calivil
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

Bears Lagoon Calivil
Parks & reserves 1
same for both
Waterways 15 28

Mobility

Calivil sits further from the CBD (215.8 km vs 210.6 km).

Bears Lagoon Calivil
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 210.6 km 215.8 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 149 min 155 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 3517
 0.0%
postcode 3573
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 58
postcode 3517
 49
postcode 3573

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.

Bears Lagoon Calivil
Car (driver) 52.6% / 55.0%
Bears Lagoon — Car (driver): 52.6% Calivil — Car (driver): 55.0%
Worked from Home 47.4% / 35.0%
Bears Lagoon — Worked from Home: 47.4% Calivil — Worked from Home: 35.0%
Walked Only — / 10.0%
Bears Lagoon — Walked Only: not among its largest Calivil — Walked Only: 10.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (55.0%).

Setting

Bears Lagoon Calivil
Elevation 109 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 102 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Bears Lagoon Calivil
Connectivity score 28/100 22/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
32 premises
 0%
71 premises

Climate

Bears Lagoon Calivil
Annual rainfall 411 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Bears Lagoon Calivil
Average residential rate $1,353/yr
same for both
Council Loddon
same for both

Federal electorate

Bears Lagoon Calivil
Division Mallee
same for both
Member Anne Webster
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bears Lagoon Calivil
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bears Lagoon

River Rural

Calivil

Family Rural

More comparisons

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Other comparisons with Calivil

Calivil vs Mitiamo Calivil vs Yarrawalla
Full data on Bears Lagoon Full data on Calivil
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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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