Carboor vs Buffalo River

Carboor is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 54 in Buffalo River. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Buffalo River, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Carboor tends to suit share households and families with children, while Buffalo River 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

Buffalo River

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (52% vs 36%)

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

Carboor

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($120/wk vs $130/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Carboor

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (192 min vs 233 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (285.5 km vs 314 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Buffalo River

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (11.8% vs 2.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Carboor and Buffalo River drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Carboor Buffalo River
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Carboor Buffalo River
Walkability 0 / 0
Carboor — Walkability: 0/100 Buffalo River — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 83 / 86
Carboor — Safety: 83/100 Buffalo River — Safety: 86/100
Low fire risk 10 / 4
Carboor — Low fire risk: 10/100 Buffalo River — Low fire risk: 4/100
Low flood risk 63 / 49
Carboor — Low flood risk: 63/100 Buffalo River — Low flood risk: 49/100

Demographics

Buffalo River has more residents (285 vs 97); Buffalo River skews older (54 vs 47).

Carboor Buffalo River
Population 97 285
+194% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.1% +11.8%
Median age 47 54
Median household income $66,300/yr $73,892/yr
+11% vs other
Median weekly rent $120/wk $130/wk
+8% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Carboor Buffalo River
0-4 10.3% / 4.2%
Carboor — 0-4: 10.3% Buffalo River — 0-4: 4.2%
5-14 13.4% / 6.3%
Carboor — 5-14: 13.4% Buffalo River — 5-14: 6.3%
15-19 5.2% / 6.7%
Carboor — 15-19: 5.2% Buffalo River — 15-19: 6.7%
20-24 — / 4.9%
Carboor — 20-24: not among its largest Buffalo River — 20-24: 4.9%
25-34 13.4% / 6.0%
Carboor — 25-34: 13.4% Buffalo River — 25-34: 6.0%
35-44 10.3% / 8.4%
Carboor — 35-44: 10.3% Buffalo River — 35-44: 8.4%
45-54 4.1% / 13.7%
Carboor — 45-54: 4.1% Buffalo River — 45-54: 13.7%
55-64 20.6% / 22.8%
Carboor — 55-64: 20.6% Buffalo River — 55-64: 22.8%
65-74 19.6% / 19.3%
Carboor — 65-74: 19.6% Buffalo River — 65-74: 19.3%
75-84 3.1% / 6.0%
Carboor — 75-84: 3.1% Buffalo River — 75-84: 6.0%
85+ — / 2.1%
Carboor — 85+: not among its largest Buffalo River — 85+: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Carboor 44.0% lone person
Carboor — Lone Person: 44.0% Carboor — Couple Families: 36.0% Carboor — Group Household: 20.0% Carboor — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Buffalo River 40.6% lone person
Buffalo River — Lone Person: 40.6% Buffalo River — Couple Families: 47.8% Buffalo River — Group Household: 7.2% Buffalo River — One Parent Families: 4.3%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Carboor 7.5% renting
Carboor — Owned Outright: 65.0% Carboor — Mortgage: 27.5% Carboor — Renting: 7.5%
Buffalo River 16.7% renting
Buffalo River — Owned Outright: 52.8% Buffalo River — Mortgage: 30.6% Buffalo River — Renting: 16.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Carboor Buffalo River
England 5.2% / 1.8%
Carboor — England: 5.2% Buffalo River — England: 1.8%
Italy — / 1.8%
Carboor — Italy: not among its largest Buffalo River — Italy: 1.8%
New Zealand — / 1.1%
Carboor — New Zealand: not among its largest Buffalo River — New Zealand: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.2%).

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Carboor Buffalo River
Certificate III & IV 21.6% / 19.3%
Carboor — Certificate III & IV: 21.6% Buffalo River — Certificate III & IV: 19.3%
Bachelor Degree 7.2% / 11.6%
Carboor — Bachelor Degree: 7.2% Buffalo River — Bachelor Degree: 11.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 3.1% / 6.3%
Carboor — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.1% Buffalo River — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.3%
Postgraduate Degree 5.2% / 2.5%
Carboor — Postgraduate Degree: 5.2% Buffalo River — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 3.2%
Carboor — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Buffalo River — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Carboor 100.0% houses
Carboor — Houses: 100.0%
Buffalo River 100.0% houses
Buffalo River — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Zoning mix

Carboor Buffalo River
Rural and farming 77% 73%
Parks and recreation 22% 26%
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

Carboor Buffalo River
New dwellings approved 238
across Wangaratta
 32
across Alpine
Approvals change year on year +329% -42%

Ranking within VIC

Carboor Buffalo River
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 27% of VIC Higher than 40% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 40% of VIC Higher than 63% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 43% of VIC Higher than 24% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 7% of VIC Higher than 18% of VIC

Liveability

Carboor Buffalo River
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Buffalo River carries more flood risk (51 vs 37).

Carboor Buffalo River
Bushfire High
90/100
 High
96/100
Crime Low
17/100
 Low
14/100
Flood Low
37/100
 Moderate
51/100
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

Carboor Buffalo River
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

Carboor Buffalo River
Waterways 6 7

Mobility

Buffalo River sits further from the CBD (314 km vs 285.5 km).

Carboor Buffalo River
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 285.5 km 314 km
+10% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 192 min 233 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 3678
 0.3%
postcode 3737
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 78
postcode 3678
 50
postcode 3737

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.

Carboor Buffalo River
Car (driver) 64.6% / 75.2%
Carboor — Car (driver): 64.6% Buffalo River — Car (driver): 75.2%
Worked from Home 22.9% / 16.0%
Carboor — Worked from Home: 22.9% Buffalo River — Worked from Home: 16.0%
Walked Only 12.5% / 2.4%
Carboor — Walked Only: 12.5% Buffalo River — Walked Only: 2.4%
Car (passenger) — / 6.4%
Carboor — Car (passenger): not among its largest Buffalo River — Car (passenger): 6.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (75.2%).

Setting

Carboor Buffalo River
Elevation 350 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 387 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Carboor Buffalo River
Connectivity score 15/100 20/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
34 premises
 0%
91 premises

Climate

Carboor Buffalo River
Annual rainfall 964 mm 1,451 mm
Summer max (Jan) 30.4°C —
Winter min (Jul) 3.7°C —

Council rates

Carboor Buffalo River
Average residential rate $1,962/yr $1,945/yr
Council Wangaratta Alpine

Federal electorate

Carboor Buffalo River
Division Indi
same for both
Member Helen Haines
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Carboor Buffalo River
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Carboor

Family Rural Young Families

Buffalo River

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Carboor

Carboor vs Meadow Creek Carboor vs Edi Upper Carboor vs Bobinawarrah Carboor vs Whorouly South

Other comparisons with Buffalo River

Buffalo River vs Myrtleford Buffalo River vs Merriang Buffalo River vs Edi Upper Buffalo River vs Whorouly South
Full data on Carboor Full data on Buffalo River
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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.

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