Buchan South vs Nowa Nowa

Buchan South is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 55 in Nowa Nowa. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Buchan South tends to suit families with children.

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

Buchan South

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (8 vs 1)
  • carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 81/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (60% vs 42%)

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

First-home buyers

Nowa Nowa

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 33%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Buchan South

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 21%)
  • has cheaper rent ($125/wk vs $210/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Nowa Nowa

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (239 min vs 260 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (325.9 km vs 348.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Buchan South

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 81/100)

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

Investors

Buchan South

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (24.4% vs 2.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
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.

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
Walkability 0 / 0
Buchan South — Walkability: 0/100 Nowa Nowa — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 49 / 19
Buchan South — Safety: 49/100 Nowa Nowa — Safety: 19/100
Low fire risk 9 / 10
Buchan South — Low fire risk: 9/100 Nowa Nowa — Low fire risk: 10/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Buchan South — Low flood risk: 100/100 Nowa Nowa — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Nowa Nowa has more residents (199 vs 102); Nowa Nowa rents higher ($210/wk vs $125/wk).

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
Population 102 199
+95% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +24.4% +2.6%
Median age 46 55
Median household income $61,724/yr
+15% vs other
 $52,624/yr
Median weekly rent $125/wk $210/wk
+68% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
0-4 8.8% / 1.5%
Buchan South — 0-4: 8.8% Nowa Nowa — 0-4: 1.5%
5-14 9.8% / 8.0%
Buchan South — 5-14: 9.8% Nowa Nowa — 5-14: 8.0%
15-19 — / 5.0%
Buchan South — 15-19: not among its largest Nowa Nowa — 15-19: 5.0%
20-24 2.9% / 2.0%
Buchan South — 20-24: 2.9% Nowa Nowa — 20-24: 2.0%
25-34 17.6% / 4.0%
Buchan South — 25-34: 17.6% Nowa Nowa — 25-34: 4.0%
35-44 8.8% / 14.1%
Buchan South — 35-44: 8.8% Nowa Nowa — 35-44: 14.1%
45-54 10.8% / 14.1%
Buchan South — 45-54: 10.8% Nowa Nowa — 45-54: 14.1%
55-64 17.6% / 22.1%
Buchan South — 55-64: 17.6% Nowa Nowa — 55-64: 22.1%
65-74 15.7% / 21.1%
Buchan South — 65-74: 15.7% Nowa Nowa — 65-74: 21.1%
75-84 11.8% / 8.0%
Buchan South — 75-84: 11.8% Nowa Nowa — 75-84: 8.0%
85+ 3.9% / —
Buchan South — 85+: 3.9% Nowa Nowa — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Buchan South 40.0% lone person
Buchan South — Lone Person: 40.0% Buchan South — Couple Families: 44.0% Buchan South — One Parent Families: 16.0% Buchan South — Group Household: 0.0%
Nowa Nowa 42.1% lone person
Nowa Nowa — Lone Person: 42.1% Nowa Nowa — Couple Families: 24.6% Nowa Nowa — One Parent Families: 17.5% Nowa Nowa — Group Household: 15.8%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Buchan South 0.0% renting
Buchan South — Owned Outright: 69.2% Buchan South — Mortgage: 30.8% Buchan South — Renting: 0.0%
Nowa Nowa 14.3% renting
Nowa Nowa — Owned Outright: 52.9% Nowa Nowa — Mortgage: 32.9% Nowa Nowa — Renting: 14.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Buchan South 100.0% houses
Buchan South — Houses: 100.0%
Nowa Nowa 101.3% houses
Nowa Nowa — Houses: 101.3%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
Certificate III & IV 22.5% / 15.6%
Buchan South — Certificate III & IV: 22.5% Nowa Nowa — Certificate III & IV: 15.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.9% / 6.5%
Buchan South — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.9% Nowa Nowa — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.5%
Bachelor Degree 4.9% / 7.0%
Buchan South — Bachelor Degree: 4.9% Nowa Nowa — Bachelor Degree: 7.0%
Postgraduate Degree 3.9% / 3.0%
Buchan South — Postgraduate Degree: 3.9% Nowa Nowa — Postgraduate Degree: 3.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.9% / 2.0%
Buchan South — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.9% Nowa Nowa — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.5%).

Property market

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
Median house price — $200,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Buchan South has more rural and farming land (17% vs 5%).

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
Parks and recreation 83% 93%
Rural and farming 17% 5%
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

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
New dwellings approved 386
across East Gippsland
same for both
Approvals change year on year +50%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 23% of VIC Higher than 11% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 56% of VIC Higher than 44% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 51% of VIC —
NBN connectivity Higher than 69% of VIC Higher than 64% of VIC

Liveability

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Nowa Nowa carries more crime risk (81 vs 51).

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
Bushfire High
91/100
 High
90/100
Crime Moderate
51/100
 High
81/100
Flood None
0/100
same for both
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

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
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

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
Cafes & restaurants 0 2
Parks & reserves 8 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Waterways 21 11

Mobility

Buchan South sits further from the CBD (348.4 km vs 325.9 km).

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 348.4 km
+6% vs other
 325.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 260 min 239 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 3885
 0.0%
postcode 3887
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 55
postcode 3885
 79
postcode 3887

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.

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
Car (driver) 61.5% / 71.0%
Buchan South — Car (driver): 61.5% Nowa Nowa — Car (driver): 71.0%
Worked from Home 30.8% / 17.4%
Buchan South — Worked from Home: 30.8% Nowa Nowa — Worked from Home: 17.4%
Walked Only 7.7% / 4.3%
Buchan South — Walked Only: 7.7% Nowa Nowa — Walked Only: 4.3%
Car (passenger) — / 7.2%
Buchan South — Car (passenger): not among its largest Nowa Nowa — Car (passenger): 7.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (71.0%).

Setting

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
Elevation 181 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 141 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 30.4 km 19.3 km

NBN connectivity

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
68 premises
 0%
106 premises

Council rates

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
Average residential rate $1,807/yr
same for both
Council East Gippsland
same for both

Federal electorate

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
Division Gippsland
same for both
Member Darren Chester
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Buchan South Nowa Nowa
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Buchan South

Retirees River Rural Young Families

Nowa Nowa

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Buchan South

Buchan South vs Buchan Buchan South vs Bete Bolong Buchan South vs Wairewa

Other comparisons with Nowa Nowa

Nowa Nowa vs Bruthen Nowa Nowa vs Toorloo Arm Nowa Nowa vs Tambo Upper Nowa Nowa vs Wairewa
Full data on Buchan South Full data on Nowa Nowa
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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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