Carisbrook vs Simson
Carisbrook is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 57 in Simson. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Carisbrook tends to suit families with children, while Simson suits share households and older residents.
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
Carisbrook
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (6 vs 2)
- is already more of a family suburb (56% vs 41%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Simson
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (13% vs 21%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Carisbrook
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (120 min vs 132 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (166.2 km vs 171.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Simson
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 23%)
Weighs 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
Carisbrook and Simson 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
Carisbrook has more residents (1,192 vs 76); Simson has higher household incomes ($80,184 vs $62,660).
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,192 +94% vs other | 76 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.9% | +10.1% |
| Median age | 45 | 57 |
| Median household income | $62,660/yr | $80,184/yr +28% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $223/wk +4% vs other | $214/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (5.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $467,500 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $132,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 82 days from 16 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Carisbrook has more rural and farming land (89% vs 48%).
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 89% | 48% |
| Parks and recreation | 5% | 37% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 3% | 15% |
| Industrial | 2% | 0% |
| Residential | 1% | 0% |
| 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
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 40 across Central Goldfields same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +129% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 6% of VIC | — |
| Income | Higher than 23% of VIC | Higher than 47% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 6% of VIC | Higher than 57% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 92% of VIC | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 18% of VIC | Higher than 14% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 75% of VIC | Higher than 69% of VIC |
Liveability
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 11/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Carisbrook carries more bushfire risk (74 vs 0); Simson carries more flood risk (83 vs 66).
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 74/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | High 71/100 | Moderate 68/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 66/100 | High 83/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 2 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Carisbrook
- Carisbrook Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Simson
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 6 | 2 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 7 | 0 |
Mobility
Simson sits further from the CBD (171.4 km vs 166.2 km).
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 166.2 km | 171.4 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 120 min | 132 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 3464 | 0.2% postcode 3465 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 55 postcode 3464 | 36 postcode 3465 |
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 (80.5%).
Setting
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 211 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 213 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 61/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 36% 581 premises | 0% 40 premises |
Climate
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 510 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,555/yr same for both | |
| Council | Central Goldfields same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Carisbrook | Simson | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Carisbrook
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Carisbrook
Other comparisons with Simson
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.