Bulart vs Melville Forest
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Bulart tends to suit families with children, while Melville Forest suits 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
Bulart
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 44/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (85% vs 57%)
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
Melville Forest
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Bulart
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 44/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Melville Forest
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (50.0% vs 11.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bulart and Melville Forest 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
Bulart has higher household incomes ($108,316 vs $61,724); Bulart rents higher ($250/wk vs $150/wk).
| Bulart | Melville Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 104 +39% vs other | 63 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +11.8% | +50.0% |
| Median age | 38 | 36 |
| Median household income | $108,316/yr +43% vs other | $61,724/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk +40% vs other | $150/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.9%).
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 (18.3%).
Zoning mix
| Bulart | Melville Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 94% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% | 6% |
| 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
| Bulart | Melville Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 43 across Southern Grampians same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +200% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Bulart | Melville Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 80% of VIC | Higher than 23% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 14% of VIC | Higher than 55% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 63% of VIC | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 40% of VIC | Higher than 68% of VIC |
Liveability
| Bulart | Melville Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Melville Forest carries more crime risk (44 vs 12); Melville Forest carries more bushfire risk (38 vs 13).
| Bulart | Melville Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 13/100 | Low 38/100 |
| Crime | Low 12/100 | Moderate 44/100 |
| 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
| Bulart | Melville Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Bulart | Melville Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 1 |
| Waterways | 3 same for both | |
Mobility
| Bulart | Melville Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 330.4 km | 331.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 233 min | 232 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 3314 | 0.0% postcode 3315 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 40 postcode 3314 | 32 postcode 3315 |
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 (62.5%).
Setting
| Bulart | Melville Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 236 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 246 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Bulart | Melville Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 45 premises | 0% 26 premises |
Climate
| Bulart | Melville Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 604 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Bulart | Melville Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,892/yr same for both | |
| Council | Southern Grampians same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bulart | Melville Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bulart | Melville Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Bulart
Other comparisons with Melville Forest
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.