Carlyle vs Rutherglen
Rutherglen is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 56 in Carlyle. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Carlyle, the large majority of households are couple families. In Rutherglen, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Carlyle tends to suit couples and older residents, while Rutherglen 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
Rutherglen
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (16 vs 1)
- has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
- But Carlyle is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 51%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Carlyle
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 23%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Carlyle
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 19%)
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Rutherglen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (296.6 km vs 305.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Carlyle has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 27%)
- Rutherglen has more GPs (2 vs 0)
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
Carlyle and Rutherglen 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
Rutherglen has more residents (2,579 vs 82); Carlyle has higher household incomes ($127,764 vs $67,912).
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 82 | 2,579 +3045% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +3.8% | +8.5% |
| Median age | 56 | 48 |
| Median household income | $127,764/yr +47% vs other | $67,912/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $250/wk +25% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.0%).
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 (18.3%).
Property market
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $555,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $320,550 |
| Median land price | — | $265,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 84 days from 32 sales |
Zoning mix
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 89% same for both | |
| Parks and recreation | 11% | 3% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 4% |
| Residential | 0% | 3% |
| 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
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 120 across Indigo same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +15% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 4.1% $550/wk on $690K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 20% of VIC |
| Income | Higher than 94% of VIC | Higher than 29% of VIC |
| Schools | — | Higher than 24% of VIC |
| Walkability | Higher than 40% of VIC | Higher than 48% of VIC |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 66% of VIC |
| EV adoption | Higher than 48% of VIC | Higher than 49% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 62% of VIC | Higher than 78% of VIC |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 76% of VIC |
Liveability
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 28/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Carlyle carries more flood risk (78 vs 45).
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 23/100 | Low 19/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 51/100 | Moderate 50/100 |
| Flood | High 78/100 | Moderate 45/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 2 within 5 km |
Schools
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 3 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 2 |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Carlyle
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Rutherglen
- Rutherglen Primary School Government · Primary at peers
- St Mary's School Catholic · Primary at peers
- Rutherglen High School Government · Secondary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 5 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 16 |
| Childcare | 0 | 2 |
| GPs | 0 | 2 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 2 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 5 same for both | |
Mobility
Carlyle sits further from the CBD (305.5 km vs 296.6 km).
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 305.5 km +3% vs other | 296.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 197 min | 193 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 3685 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 67 postcode 3685 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 (77.9%).
Setting
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 148 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 157 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 67/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 38 premises | 42% 1,370 premises |
Climate
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 567 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 2.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,828/yr same for both | |
| Council | Indigo same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Carlyle | Rutherglen | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Rutherglen
More comparisons
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Other comparisons with Rutherglen
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.