Bowmans Forest vs Murmungee
Comparing Bowmans Forest and Murmungee, VIC: Bowmans Forest carries more flood risk (50 vs 0); Bowmans Forest rents higher ($160/wk vs $80/wk); and Murmungee sits further from the CBD (287.9 km vs 279.2 km).
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
Bowmans Forest
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 30/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Bowmans Forest
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (12% vs 26%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Murmungee
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($80/wk vs $160/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Bowmans Forest
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (279.2 km vs 287.9 km)
- has a shorter drive in (183 min vs 188 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Bowmans Forest
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 30/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Murmungee
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (21.1% vs 10.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bowmans Forest and Murmungee 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
Bowmans Forest rents higher ($160/wk vs $80/wk); Bowmans Forest has more residents (106 vs 69).
| Bowmans Forest | Murmungee | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 106 +35% vs other | 69 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +10.4% | +21.1% |
| Median age | 53 | 54 |
| Median household income | $107,692/yr +19% vs other | $87,724/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $160/wk +50% vs other | $80/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.1%).
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 (18.8%).
Zoning mix
Bowmans Forest has more rural and farming land (99% vs 61%).
| Bowmans Forest | Murmungee | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 61% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 38% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Bowmans Forest | Murmungee | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 238 across Wangaratta same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +329% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Bowmans Forest | Murmungee | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 80% of VIC | Higher than 58% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 50% of VIC | Higher than 36% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 81% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 66% of VIC | Higher than 60% of VIC |
Liveability
| Bowmans Forest | Murmungee | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Bowmans Forest carries more flood risk (50 vs 0); Murmungee carries more crime risk (30 vs 10).
| Bowmans Forest | Murmungee | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 69/100 | High 79/100 |
| Crime | Low 10/100 | Low 30/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 50/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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
| Bowmans Forest | Murmungee | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Bowmans Forest | Murmungee | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 4 same for both | |
| Waterways | 13 | 9 |
Mobility
Murmungee sits further from the CBD (287.9 km vs 279.2 km).
| Bowmans Forest | Murmungee | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 279.2 km | 287.9 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 183 min | 188 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3735 | 1.2% postcode 3747 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 48 postcode 3735 | 68 postcode 3747 |
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 (71.4%).
Setting
| Bowmans Forest | Murmungee | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 209 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 298 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Bowmans Forest | Murmungee | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 43 premises | 0% 39 premises |
Climate
| Bowmans Forest | Murmungee | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 984 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Bowmans Forest | Murmungee | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,962/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wangaratta same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bowmans Forest | Murmungee | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bowmans Forest | Murmungee | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Bowmans Forest
Other comparisons with Murmungee
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.