Bolwarra vs Gorae

Gorae is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 49 in Bolwarra. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bolwarra, about half of households are couple families. In Gorae, most households are couple families. On these figures, Bolwarra tends to suit older residents, while Gorae suits families with children and 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

Gorae

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 34/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (73% vs 62%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Gorae

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 26%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Bolwarra

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($220/wk vs $460/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (16% vs 24%)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Bolwarra

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (23/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (259 min vs 264 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (347.4 km vs 350.5 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Bolwarra

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (23/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 11%)
  • But Gorae carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 34/100)

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

Investors

Gorae

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (25.5% vs 7.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Bolwarra Gorae
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.

Bolwarra Gorae
Walkability 23 / 0
Bolwarra — Walkability: 23/100 Gorae — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 66 / 87
Bolwarra — Safety: 66/100 Gorae — Safety: 87/100
Low fire risk 5 / 9
Bolwarra — Low fire risk: 5/100 Gorae — Low fire risk: 9/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Bolwarra — Low flood risk: 100/100 Gorae — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Bolwarra has more residents (647 vs 236); Gorae rents higher ($460/wk vs $220/wk).

Bolwarra Gorae
Population 647
+64% vs other
 236
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.7% +25.5%
Median age 49 40
Median household income $72,488/yr $97,500/yr
+35% vs other
Median weekly rent $220/wk $460/wk
+109% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bolwarra Gorae
0-4 4.9% / 8.9%
Bolwarra — 0-4: 4.9% Gorae — 0-4: 8.9%
5-14 10.7% / 12.3%
Bolwarra — 5-14: 10.7% Gorae — 5-14: 12.3%
15-19 5.6% / 4.7%
Bolwarra — 15-19: 5.6% Gorae — 15-19: 4.7%
20-24 2.2% / 7.6%
Bolwarra — 20-24: 2.2% Gorae — 20-24: 7.6%
25-34 8.5% / 13.1%
Bolwarra — 25-34: 8.5% Gorae — 25-34: 13.1%
35-44 12.1% / 10.6%
Bolwarra — 35-44: 12.1% Gorae — 35-44: 10.6%
45-54 13.3% / 18.6%
Bolwarra — 45-54: 13.3% Gorae — 45-54: 18.6%
55-64 18.5% / 12.7%
Bolwarra — 55-64: 18.5% Gorae — 55-64: 12.7%
65-74 13.9% / 8.1%
Bolwarra — 65-74: 13.9% Gorae — 65-74: 8.1%
75-84 7.9% / 1.3%
Bolwarra — 75-84: 7.9% Gorae — 75-84: 1.3%
85+ 1.5% / 1.3%
Bolwarra — 85+: 1.5% Gorae — 85+: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bolwarra 53.1% couple families
Bolwarra — Couple Families: 53.1% Bolwarra — Lone Person: 34.7% Bolwarra — One Parent Families: 8.8% Bolwarra — Group Household: 3.4%
Gorae 67.9% couple families
Gorae — Couple Families: 67.9% Gorae — Lone Person: 26.8% Gorae — One Parent Families: 5.4% Gorae — Group Household: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bolwarra 10.5% renting
Bolwarra — Owned Outright: 52.9% Bolwarra — Mortgage: 36.6% Bolwarra — Renting: 10.5%
Gorae 0.0% renting
Gorae — Owned Outright: 48.6% Gorae — Mortgage: 51.4% Gorae — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bolwarra 94.2% houses
Bolwarra — Houses: 94.2% Bolwarra — Flats / Apartments: 5.8%
Gorae 100.0% houses
Gorae — Houses: 100.0% Gorae — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Bolwarra Gorae
Certificate III & IV 20.9% / 19.5%
Bolwarra — Certificate III & IV: 20.9% Gorae — Certificate III & IV: 19.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.2% / 8.1%
Bolwarra — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2% Gorae — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1%
Bachelor Degree 7.0% / 7.2%
Bolwarra — Bachelor Degree: 7.0% Gorae — Bachelor Degree: 7.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.7% / 1.3%
Bolwarra — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7% Gorae — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3%
Postgraduate Degree 0.6% / 1.7%
Bolwarra — Postgraduate Degree: 0.6% Gorae — Postgraduate Degree: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).

Property market

Bolwarra Gorae
Median house price $725,000 —
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Bolwarra has more rural and farming land (85% vs 30%).

Bolwarra Gorae
Rural and farming 85% 30%
Parks and recreation 8% 70%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 0%
Environmental 3% 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

Bolwarra Gorae
New dwellings approved 60
across Glenelg
same for both
Approvals change year on year -65%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Bolwarra Gorae
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 38% of VIC Higher than 69% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 81% of VIC Higher than 37% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 6% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 73% of VIC Higher than 31% of VIC

Liveability

Bolwarra is more walkable (23 vs 0).

Bolwarra Gorae
Grade C —
Score 35/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Bolwarra carries more crime risk (34 vs 13).

Bolwarra Gorae
Bushfire High
95/100
 High
91/100
Crime Low
34/100
 Low
13/100
Flood None
0/100
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
33/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Bolwarra Gorae
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Bolwarra

  • Bolwarra Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Gorae

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Bolwarra Gorae
Parks & reserves 4 2
Waterways 0 9

Mobility

Gorae sits further from the CBD (350.5 km vs 347.4 km).

Bolwarra Gorae
Walkability score 23/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 347.4 km 350.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 259 min 264 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 3305
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 33
postcode 3305
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.

Bolwarra Gorae
Car (driver) 86.2% / 79.1%
Bolwarra — Car (driver): 86.2% Gorae — Car (driver): 79.1%
Worked from Home 9.5% / 12.7%
Bolwarra — Worked from Home: 9.5% Gorae — Worked from Home: 12.7%
Car (passenger) 3.0% / 3.6%
Bolwarra — Car (passenger): 3.0% Gorae — Car (passenger): 3.6%
Walked Only 1.3% / 4.5%
Bolwarra — Walked Only: 1.3% Gorae — Walked Only: 4.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (86.2%).

Setting

Bolwarra Gorae
Elevation 42 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 70 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.2 km 9.2 km

NBN connectivity

Bolwarra Gorae
Connectivity score 36/100 27/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 8%
281 premises
 0%
82 premises

Climate

Bolwarra Gorae
Annual rainfall 661 mm 860 mm
Summer max (Jan) — 22.2°C
Winter min (Jul) — 6.6°C

Council rates

Bolwarra Gorae
Average residential rate $1,852/yr
same for both
Council Glenelg
same for both

Federal electorate

Bolwarra Gorae
Division Wannon
same for both
Member Dan Tehan
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bolwarra Gorae
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bolwarra

Acreage Coastal

Gorae

Rural Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bolwarra

Bolwarra vs Portland North Bolwarra vs Heathmere Bolwarra vs Allestree Bolwarra vs Dutton Way

Other comparisons with Gorae

Gorae vs Heywood Gorae vs Portland North Gorae vs Heathmere Gorae vs Gorae West Gorae vs Drumborg
Full data on Bolwarra Full data on Gorae
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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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