Bears Lagoon vs Serpentine
Serpentine is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 44 in Bears Lagoon. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bears Lagoon, most households rent. In Serpentine, the large majority of households own their home and about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Bears Lagoon tends to suit renters, while Serpentine 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
Serpentine
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 52/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Bears Lagoon
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (8% vs 17%)
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%)
- Serpentine has cheaper rent ($100/wk vs $125/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Serpentine
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (197.5 km vs 210.6 km)
- has a shorter drive in (141 min vs 149 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Serpentine
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more GPs (2 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 52/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Serpentine
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (15.6% vs -26.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bears Lagoon and Serpentine 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
Serpentine has more residents (222 vs 53); Bears Lagoon rents higher ($125/wk vs $100/wk).
| Bears Lagoon | Serpentine | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 53 | 222 +319% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -26.4% | +15.6% |
| Median age | 44 | 40 |
| Median household income | $66,248/yr | $66,300/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $125/wk +20% vs other | $100/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (18.0%).
Zoning mix
| Bears Lagoon | Serpentine | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 98% | 97% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% same for both | |
| Residential | 0% | 1% |
| 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 | Serpentine | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 27 across Loddon same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +150% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Bears Lagoon | Serpentine | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 27% of VIC same for both | |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 41% of VIC | Higher than 55% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 27% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 36% of VIC | Higher than 68% of VIC |
Liveability
| Bears Lagoon | Serpentine | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Bears Lagoon carries more bushfire risk (56 vs 19); Bears Lagoon carries more crime risk (52 vs 30).
| Bears Lagoon | Serpentine | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 56/100 | Low 19/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 52/100 | Low 30/100 |
| Flood | High 97/100 | High 96/100 |
| 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 | Serpentine | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Serpentine | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| GPs | 0 | 2 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 15 | 4 |
Mobility
Bears Lagoon sits further from the CBD (210.6 km vs 197.5 km).
| Bears Lagoon | Serpentine | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 210.6 km +6% vs other | 197.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 149 min | 141 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 3517 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 58 postcode 3517 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 (62.4%).
Setting
| Bears Lagoon | Serpentine | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 109 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 119 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Bears Lagoon | Serpentine | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 32 premises | 0% 103 premises |
Climate
| Bears Lagoon | Serpentine | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 411 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Bears Lagoon | Serpentine | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,353/yr same for both | |
| Council | Loddon same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bears Lagoon | Serpentine | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bears Lagoon | Serpentine | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Serpentine
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Bears Lagoon
Other comparisons with Serpentine
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.