Beech Forest vs Gellibrand
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Beech Forest, most households are people living alone. In Gellibrand, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Gellibrand: a median of $650,000, against $471,000 in Beech Forest, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Beech Forest tends to suit people living alone, families with children, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Gellibrand suits older residents.
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
- Beech Forest carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 40/100)
- Gellibrand is already more of a family suburb (47% vs 29%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Beech Forest
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($471,250 vs $650,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Beech Forest
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (16% vs 4%)
- has cheaper rent ($185/wk vs $235/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Gellibrand
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (139 min vs 164 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (180.5 km vs 201.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Beech Forest carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 40/100)
- Gellibrand has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 14%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Beech Forest
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (52.4% vs 9.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Beech Forest and Gellibrand 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
Gellibrand has more residents (230 vs 125); Gellibrand has higher household incomes ($64,116 vs $43,680).
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 125 | 230 +84% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +52.4% | +9.5% |
| Median age | 50 | 52 |
| Median household income | $43,680/yr | $64,116/yr +47% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $185/wk | $235/wk +27% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.4%).
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 (4.8%).
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 (18.4%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $471,250 | $650,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $215,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 83 days from 4 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Gellibrand has more rural and farming land (48% vs 31%).
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks and recreation | 69% | 52% |
| Rural and farming | 31% | 48% |
| 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
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 226 across Colac Otway same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +64% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 4% of VIC | Higher than 25% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 51% of VIC | Higher than 47% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 66% of VIC | Higher than 65% of VIC |
Liveability
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Gellibrand carries more flood risk (50 vs 0); Gellibrand carries more crime risk (40 vs 17).
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 85/100 | High 88/100 |
| Crime | Low 17/100 | Moderate 40/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 | Moderate 50/100 |
| 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
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 4 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 32 | 12 |
Mobility
Beech Forest sits further from the CBD (201.7 km vs 180.5 km).
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 201.7 km +11% vs other | 180.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 164 min | 139 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3237 | 0.0% postcode 3239 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 39 postcode 3237 | 43 postcode 3239 |
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 (63.4%).
Setting
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 522 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 88 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 13.8 km | 24.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 125 premises | 0% 154 premises |
Climate
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,070 mm | 607 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,023/yr same for both | |
| Council | Colac Otway same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Beech Forest | Gellibrand | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Beech Forest
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Beech Forest
Other comparisons with Gellibrand
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.