Byawatha vs Dockers Plains
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Byawatha, about half of households are couple families. In Dockers Plains, most households are couple families. On these figures, Byawatha tends to suit older residents, while Dockers Plains suits people living alone, families with children, and couples.
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
Byawatha
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (60/100 vs 82/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (77% vs 69%)
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
Dockers Plains
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (18% vs 7%)
- has cheaper rent ($195/wk vs $300/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 18%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Dockers Plains
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (173 min vs 178 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (266.5 km vs 273.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Byawatha
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 10%)
- carries lower crime risk (60/100 vs 82/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Dockers Plains
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (9.3% vs 3.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Byawatha and Dockers Plains 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
Byawatha has more residents (160 vs 59); Byawatha rents higher ($300/wk vs $195/wk).
| Byawatha | Dockers Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 160 +63% vs other | 59 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +3.2% | +9.3% |
| Median age | 51 | 50 |
| Median household income | $88,192/yr +4% vs other | $84,448/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk +35% vs other | $195/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.1%).
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 (19.4%).
Zoning mix
| Byawatha | Dockers Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 88% | 98% |
| Parks and recreation | 11% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 2% |
| 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
| Byawatha | Dockers Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 238 across Wangaratta same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +329% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Byawatha | Dockers Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 58% of VIC | Higher than 52% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 48% of VIC | Higher than 11% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 44% of VIC | Higher than 43% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 65% of VIC | Higher than 52% of VIC |
Liveability
| Byawatha | Dockers Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Byawatha carries more bushfire risk (60 vs 0); Dockers Plains carries more flood risk (75 vs 44).
| Byawatha | Dockers Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 60/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 60/100 | High 82/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 44/100 | High 75/100 |
| 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
| Byawatha | Dockers Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Byawatha | Dockers Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 0 |
| Waterways | 2 | 1 |
Mobility
Byawatha sits further from the CBD (273.1 km vs 266.5 km).
| Byawatha | Dockers Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 273.1 km +2% vs other | 266.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 178 min | 173 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 3678 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 78 postcode 3678 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 (77.3%).
Setting
| Byawatha | Dockers Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 195 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 151 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Byawatha | Dockers Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 73 premises | 0% 25 premises |
Climate
| Byawatha | Dockers Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 565 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 2.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Byawatha | Dockers Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,962/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wangaratta same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Byawatha | Dockers Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Byawatha | Dockers Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Byawatha
Other comparisons with Dockers Plains
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.