Buln Buln East vs Shady Creek
Shady Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 50 in Buln Buln East. 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, Shady Creek 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Buln Buln East has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 90%)
- Shady Creek carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 55/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Shady Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 24%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Shady Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Buln Buln East
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (89 min vs 96 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (111.1 km vs 116.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Shady Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 55/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Buln Buln East
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (11.0% vs 3.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Buln Buln East and Shady Creek 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
Buln Buln East rents higher ($250/wk vs $200/wk); Buln Buln East skews older (50 vs 42).
| Buln Buln East | Shady Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 182 | 186 +2% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +11.0% | +3.3% |
| Median age | 50 | 42 |
| Median household income | $94,224/yr | $109,200/yr +16% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk +20% vs other | $200/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).
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 (4.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 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 (21.0%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Shady Creek has more rural and farming land (93% vs 83%).
| Buln Buln East | Shady Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 83% | 93% |
| Parks and recreation | 17% | 2% |
| Other and special use | 0% | 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
| Buln Buln East | Shady Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 619 across Baw Baw same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +49% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Buln Buln East | Shady Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 64% of VIC | Higher than 82% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 13% of VIC | Higher than 53% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 57% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 22% of VIC | Higher than 26% of VIC |
Liveability
| Buln Buln East | Shady Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Shady Creek carries more flood risk (47 vs 0); Buln Buln East carries more crime risk (55 vs 25).
| Buln Buln East | Shady Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 99/100 | High 97/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 55/100 | Low 25/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 | Moderate 47/100 |
| 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
| Buln Buln East | Shady Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Buln Buln East | Shady Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 14 | 10 |
Mobility
Shady Creek sits further from the CBD (116.3 km vs 111.1 km).
| Buln Buln East | Shady Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 111.1 km | 116.3 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 89 min | 96 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 3821 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 55 postcode 3821 same for both | |
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 (58.3%).
Setting
| Buln Buln East | Shady Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 144 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 100 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Buln Buln East | Shady Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 23/100 | 25/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 56 premises | 0% 59 premises |
Climate
| Buln Buln East | Shady Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,090 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Buln Buln East | Shady Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,138/yr same for both | |
| Council | Baw Baw same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Buln Buln East | Shady Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Monash same for both | |
| Member | Mary Aldred same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Buln Buln East | Shady Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Buln Buln East
Other comparisons with Shady Creek
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.