Bridgewater vs Arnold

Bridgewater is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 54 in Arnold. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bridgewater, most households are couple families. In Arnold, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Arnold tends to suit people living alone.

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

Bridgewater

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (64/100 vs 81/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (59% vs 50%)

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

First-home buyers

Bridgewater

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 23%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Arnold

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($100/wk vs $115/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Bridgewater

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (176.2 km vs 182.8 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Bridgewater

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (64/100 vs 81/100)

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

Investors

Arnold

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (19.1% vs -6.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Bridgewater Arnold
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.

Bridgewater Arnold
Walkability 0 / 0
Bridgewater — Walkability: 0/100 Arnold — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 36 / 19
Bridgewater — Safety: 36/100 Arnold — Safety: 19/100
Low fire risk 41 / 33
Bridgewater — Low fire risk: 41/100 Arnold — Low fire risk: 33/100
Low flood risk 33 / 13
Bridgewater — Low flood risk: 33/100 Arnold — Low flood risk: 13/100

Demographics

Bridgewater has more residents (133 vs 56); Bridgewater has higher household incomes ($92,092 vs $60,632).

Bridgewater Arnold
Population 133
+58% vs other
 56
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -6.3% +19.1%
Median age 49 54
Median household income $92,092/yr
+34% vs other
 $60,632/yr
Median weekly rent $115/wk
+13% vs other
 $100/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bridgewater Arnold
0-4 3.8% / 7.1%
Bridgewater — 0-4: 3.8% Arnold — 0-4: 7.1%
5-14 15.0% / 8.9%
Bridgewater — 5-14: 15.0% Arnold — 5-14: 8.9%
15-19 4.5% / 8.9%
Bridgewater — 15-19: 4.5% Arnold — 15-19: 8.9%
20-24 6.0% / —
Bridgewater — 20-24: 6.0% Arnold — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 6.0% / —
Bridgewater — 25-34: 6.0% Arnold — 25-34: not among its largest
35-44 12.0% / 16.1%
Bridgewater — 35-44: 12.0% Arnold — 35-44: 16.1%
45-54 18.8% / 8.9%
Bridgewater — 45-54: 18.8% Arnold — 45-54: 8.9%
55-64 11.3% / 19.6%
Bridgewater — 55-64: 11.3% Arnold — 55-64: 19.6%
65-74 18.0% / 12.5%
Bridgewater — 65-74: 18.0% Arnold — 65-74: 12.5%
75-84 6.8% / —
Bridgewater — 75-84: 6.8% Arnold — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ 3.8% / 16.1%
Bridgewater — 85+: 3.8% Arnold — 85+: 16.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bridgewater 58.8% couple families
Bridgewater — Couple Families: 58.8% Bridgewater — Lone Person: 41.2%
Arnold 50.0% couple families
Arnold — Couple Families: 50.0% Arnold — Lone Person: 50.0%
Couple Families Lone Person

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bridgewater 5.8% renting
Bridgewater — Owned Outright: 61.5% Bridgewater — Mortgage: 32.7% Bridgewater — Renting: 5.8%
Arnold 0.0% renting
Arnold — Owned Outright: 76.0% Arnold — Mortgage: 24.0% Arnold — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bridgewater 90.9% houses
Bridgewater — Houses: 90.9% Bridgewater — Flats / Apartments: 9.1%
Arnold 95.8% houses
Arnold — Houses: 95.8% Arnold — Flats / Apartments: 4.2%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Bridgewater Arnold
Certificate III & IV 11.3% / 21.4%
Bridgewater — Certificate III & IV: 11.3% Arnold — Certificate III & IV: 21.4%
Bachelor Degree 7.5% / 5.4%
Bridgewater — Bachelor Degree: 7.5% Arnold — Bachelor Degree: 5.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.0% / 7.1%
Bridgewater — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0% Arnold — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 7.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.0% / —
Bridgewater — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.0% Arnold — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.4%).

Zoning mix

Bridgewater Arnold
Rural and farming 96% 91%
Parks and recreation 2% 8%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 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

Bridgewater Arnold
New dwellings approved 27
across Loddon
same for both
Approvals change year on year +150%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Bridgewater Arnold
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 61% of VIC Higher than 21% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 40% of VIC Higher than 22% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption — Higher than 55% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 62% of VIC Higher than 41% of VIC

Liveability

Bridgewater Arnold
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Arnold carries more flood risk (87 vs 67); Arnold carries more crime risk (81 vs 64).

Bridgewater Arnold
Bushfire Moderate
59/100
 Moderate
67/100
Crime Moderate
64/100
 High
81/100
Flood Moderate
67/100
 High
87/100
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

Bridgewater Arnold
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

Bridgewater Arnold
Parks & reserves 2
same for both
Waterways 7 6

Mobility

Arnold sits further from the CBD (182.8 km vs 176.2 km).

Bridgewater Arnold
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 176.2 km 182.8 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 127 min 131 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 3516
 0.6%
postcode 3551
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 45
postcode 3516
 64
postcode 3551

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.

Bridgewater Arnold
Car (driver) 59.7% / 57.7%
Bridgewater — Car (driver): 59.7% Arnold — Car (driver): 57.7%
Worked from Home 30.6% / 26.9%
Bridgewater — Worked from Home: 30.6% Arnold — Worked from Home: 26.9%
Walked Only 4.8% / 15.4%
Bridgewater — Walked Only: 4.8% Arnold — Walked Only: 15.4%
Car (passenger) 4.8% / —
Bridgewater — Car (passenger): 4.8% Arnold — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (59.7%).

Setting

Bridgewater Arnold
Elevation 141 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 153 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Bridgewater Arnold
Connectivity score 30/100 29/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
74 premises
 0%
20 premises

Council rates

Bridgewater Arnold
Average residential rate $1,353/yr
same for both
Council Loddon
same for both

Federal electorate

Bridgewater Arnold
Division Mallee
same for both
Member Anne Webster
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bridgewater Arnold
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bridgewater

Retirees Rural

Arnold

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bridgewater

Bridgewater vs Inglewood Bridgewater vs Bridgewater On Loddon Bridgewater vs Newbridge Bridgewater vs Leichardt Bridgewater vs Bridgewater North Bridgewater vs Campbells Forest

Other comparisons with Arnold

Arnold vs Inglewood Arnold vs Newbridge Arnold vs Llanelly
Full data on Bridgewater Full data on Arnold
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or