Buckley vs Wurdiboluc
Buckley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 49 in Wurdiboluc. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Buckley, most households are couple families. In Wurdiboluc, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Buckley tends to suit families with children and couples, while Wurdiboluc 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
Buckley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Wurdiboluc
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($115/wk vs $360/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (6% vs 17%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Buckley
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (77 min vs 84 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (106.2 km vs 114.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Wurdiboluc
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 14%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Buckley and Wurdiboluc 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
Buckley rents higher ($360/wk vs $115/wk); Buckley has more residents (228 vs 147).
| Buckley | Wurdiboluc | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 228 +36% vs other | 147 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +8.1% | +6.5% |
| Median age | 40 | 49 |
| Median household income | $112,632/yr +6% vs other | $105,456/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $360/wk +68% vs other | $115/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (3.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Buckley has more rural and farming land (90% vs 75%).
| Buckley | Wurdiboluc | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 90% | 75% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 25% |
| Parks and recreation | 7% | 0% |
| Environmental | 1% | 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
| Buckley | Wurdiboluc | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 300 across Surf Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +57% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Buckley | Wurdiboluc | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 85% of VIC | Higher than 77% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 21% of VIC | Higher than 46% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 90% of VIC | Higher than 47% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 55% of VIC | Higher than 64% of VIC |
Liveability
| Buckley | Wurdiboluc | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Buckley carries more flood risk (65 vs 55).
| Buckley | Wurdiboluc | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 26/100 | Low 21/100 |
| Crime | Low 37/100 | Moderate 41/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 65/100 | Moderate 55/100 |
| 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
| Buckley | Wurdiboluc | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Buckley | Wurdiboluc | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 same for both | |
Mobility
Wurdiboluc sits further from the CBD (114.4 km vs 106.2 km).
| Buckley | Wurdiboluc | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 106.2 km | 114.4 km +8% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 77 min | 84 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.6% postcode 3240 | 0.5% postcode 3241 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 62 postcode 3240 | 47 postcode 3241 |
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 (65.2%).
Setting
| Buckley | Wurdiboluc | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 121 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 136 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 23.2 km | 17.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Buckley | Wurdiboluc | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 93 premises | 0% 58 premises |
Climate
| Buckley | Wurdiboluc | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 599 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 23.2°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.6°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Buckley | Wurdiboluc | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,314/yr same for both | |
| Council | Surf Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Buckley | Wurdiboluc | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Buckley | Wurdiboluc | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Buckley
Wurdiboluc
More comparisons
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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.