Carapooee vs St Arnaud East
St Arnaud East is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 59 in Carapooee. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Carapooee, most households are people living alone. In St Arnaud East, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Carapooee tends to suit people living alone, while St Arnaud East suits 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
St Arnaud East
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (67% vs 36%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 90%)
- But Carapooee carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 95/100)
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
St Arnaud East
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $160/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Carapooee sits closer to the CBD (224.9 km vs 233.7 km)
- St Arnaud East is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Carapooee carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 95/100)
- St Arnaud East is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
St Arnaud East
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (23.5% vs -6.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Carapooee and St Arnaud East 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
Carapooee rents higher ($160/wk vs $0/wk); St Arnaud East has more residents (100 vs 60).
| Carapooee | St Arnaud East | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 60 | 100 +67% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -6.2% | +23.5% |
| Median age | 59 | 51 |
| Median household income | $46,800/yr | $71,500/yr +53% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $160/wk (not reported on the other side) | — |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.3%).
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 (31.7%).
Zoning mix
Carapooee has more rural and farming land (97% vs 74%).
| Carapooee | St Arnaud East | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 97% | 74% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% | 25% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Carapooee | St Arnaud East | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 28 across Northern Grampians same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -62% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Carapooee | St Arnaud East | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 7% of VIC | Higher than 36% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 20% of VIC | Higher than 72% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 25% of VIC | Higher than 26% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 12% of VIC | Higher than 28% of VIC |
Liveability
St Arnaud East is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Carapooee | St Arnaud East | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Carapooee carries more bushfire risk (36 vs 0); Carapooee carries more flood risk (49 vs 13).
| Carapooee | St Arnaud East | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 36/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 27/100 | High 95/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 49/100 | Low 13/100 |
| 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
| Carapooee | St Arnaud East | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Carapooee | St Arnaud East | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 5 same for both | |
| Waterways | 8 | 2 |
Mobility
St Arnaud East sits further from the CBD (233.7 km vs 224.9 km).
| Carapooee | St Arnaud East | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 224.9 km | 233.7 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 168 min | 164 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 3477 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 3477 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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Carapooee | St Arnaud East | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 231 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 222 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Carapooee | St Arnaud East | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 16/100 | 26/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 26 premises | 0% 37 premises |
Climate
| Carapooee | St Arnaud East | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 453 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Carapooee | St Arnaud East | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,730/yr same for both | |
| Council | Northern Grampians same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Carapooee | St Arnaud East | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Carapooee | St Arnaud East | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Carapooee
Other comparisons with St Arnaud East
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.