Byrneside vs Merrigum
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Byrneside, most households are couple families. On these figures, Byrneside tends to suit couples, while Merrigum 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Byrneside is already more of a family suburb (75% vs 53%)
- Merrigum has more schools rated above their peers (1 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
Merrigum
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (20% vs 6%)
- has cheaper rent ($180/wk vs $230/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Byrneside
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (132 min vs 139 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (189 km vs 195.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs smaller dwellings, 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
Byrneside and Merrigum 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
Merrigum has more residents (679 vs 161); Byrneside rents higher ($230/wk vs $180/wk).
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 161 | 679 +322% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.9% | +0.0% |
| Median age | 46 | 47 |
| Median household income | $61,048/yr +12% vs other | $53,560/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $230/wk +22% vs other | $180/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.8%).
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 (1.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $312,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $650,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 87 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 97% same for both | |
| Infrastructure and transport | 3% | 1% |
| Residential | 0% | 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
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 649 across Greater Shepparton same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -23% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 21% of VIC | Higher than 12% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 16% of VIC | Higher than 26% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 54% of VIC | Higher than 57% of VIC |
Liveability
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 19/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 53/100 | Moderate 56/100 |
| Flood | High 86/100 | High 88/100 |
| 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
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Byrneside
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Merrigum
- Merrigum Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 5 | 1 |
Mobility
Merrigum sits further from the CBD (195.1 km vs 189 km).
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 189 km | 195.1 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 132 min | 139 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3617 | 0.0% postcode 3618 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | — | 68 postcode 3618 |
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 (75.9%).
Setting
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 109 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 113 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 65 premises | 0% 309 premises |
Climate
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 453 mm | 436 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.9°C | 31.1°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.6°C | 3.8°C |
Council rates
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,449/yr same for both | |
| Council | Greater Shepparton same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Nicholls same for both | |
| Member | Sam Birrell same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Byrneside | Merrigum | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Byrneside
Merrigum
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Byrneside
Other comparisons with Merrigum
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.