Caveat vs Ruffy

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Caveat, the large majority of households are people living alone. In Ruffy, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Caveat tends to suit people living alone, while Ruffy suits 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

Caveat

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 51/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, and childcare.

First-home buyers

Ruffy

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 22%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Caveat

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($50/wk vs $150/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (4% vs 10%)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Caveat

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (154.7 km vs 165.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Caveat

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 51/100)
  • But Ruffy has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 17%)

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

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

Caveat Ruffy
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.

Caveat Ruffy
Walkability 10 / 0
Caveat — Walkability: 10/100 Ruffy — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 65 / 49
Caveat — Safety: 65/100 Ruffy — Safety: 49/100
Low fire risk 72 / 49
Caveat — Low fire risk: 72/100 Ruffy — Low fire risk: 49/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Caveat — Low flood risk: 100/100 Ruffy — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Ruffy rents higher ($150/wk vs $50/wk); Ruffy has more residents (164 vs 59).

Caveat Ruffy
Population 59 164
+178% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +43.9% +46.4%
Median age 58 59
Median household income $71,500/yr $74,152/yr
+4% vs other
Median weekly rent $50/wk $150/wk
+200% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Caveat Ruffy
0-4 — / 3.7%
Caveat — 0-4: not among its largest Ruffy — 0-4: 3.7%
5-14 6.8% / 12.2%
Caveat — 5-14: 6.8% Ruffy — 5-14: 12.2%
15-19 5.1% / 1.8%
Caveat — 15-19: 5.1% Ruffy — 15-19: 1.8%
20-24 — / —
Caveat — 20-24: not among its largest Ruffy — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 5.1% / 6.7%
Caveat — 25-34: 5.1% Ruffy — 25-34: 6.7%
35-44 8.5% / 9.1%
Caveat — 35-44: 8.5% Ruffy — 35-44: 9.1%
45-54 22.0% / 7.3%
Caveat — 45-54: 22.0% Ruffy — 45-54: 7.3%
55-64 30.5% / 26.2%
Caveat — 55-64: 30.5% Ruffy — 55-64: 26.2%
65-74 11.9% / 21.3%
Caveat — 65-74: 11.9% Ruffy — 65-74: 21.3%
75-84 5.1% / 9.1%
Caveat — 75-84: 5.1% Ruffy — 75-84: 9.1%
85+ — / —
Caveat — 85+: not among its largest Ruffy — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Caveat 100.0% lone person
Caveat — Lone Person: 100.0% Caveat — Couple Families: 0.0% Caveat — Other Families: 0.0% Caveat — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Ruffy 50.0% lone person
Ruffy — Lone Person: 50.0% Ruffy — Couple Families: 31.6% Ruffy — Other Families: 10.5% Ruffy — One Parent Families: 7.9%
Lone Person Couple Families Other Families One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Caveat 0.0% renting
Caveat — Owned Outright: 75.0% Caveat — Mortgage: 25.0% Caveat — Renting: 0.0%
Ruffy 5.0% renting
Ruffy — Owned Outright: 71.7% Ruffy — Mortgage: 23.3% Ruffy — Renting: 5.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Caveat 100.0% houses
Caveat — Houses: 100.0%
Ruffy 100.0% houses
Ruffy — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Caveat Ruffy
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 16.9% / 8.5%
Caveat — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 16.9% Ruffy — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5%
Certificate III & IV 8.5% / 16.5%
Caveat — Certificate III & IV: 8.5% Ruffy — Certificate III & IV: 16.5%
Bachelor Degree 11.9% / 6.7%
Caveat — Bachelor Degree: 11.9% Ruffy — Bachelor Degree: 6.7%
Postgraduate Degree — / 7.3%
Caveat — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Ruffy — Postgraduate Degree: 7.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 4.3%
Caveat — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Ruffy — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.9%).

Zoning mix

Caveat Ruffy
Rural and farming 95% 100%
Parks and recreation 5% 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

Caveat Ruffy
New dwellings approved 82
across Murrindindi
 75
across Strathbogie
Approvals change year on year +83% +167%

Ranking within VIC

Caveat Ruffy
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 36% of VIC Higher than 40% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 71% of VIC Higher than 64% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 17% of VIC Higher than 60% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 7% of VIC Higher than 16% of VIC

Liveability

Caveat is more walkable (10 vs 0).

Caveat Ruffy
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Ruffy carries more bushfire risk (51 vs 28); Ruffy carries more crime risk (51 vs 35).

Caveat Ruffy
Bushfire Low
28/100
 Moderate
51/100
Crime Low
35/100
 Moderate
51/100
Flood None
0/100
same for both
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

Caveat Ruffy
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

Caveat Ruffy
Cafes & restaurants 0 1
Parks & reserves 4
same for both
Waterways 9 10

Mobility

Ruffy sits further from the CBD (165.6 km vs 154.7 km).

Caveat Ruffy
Walkability score 10/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 154.7 km 165.6 km
+7% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 127 min 124 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 3660
 0.6%
postcode 3666
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 46
postcode 3660
 54
postcode 3666

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.

Caveat Ruffy
Car (driver) 78.3% / 43.5%
Caveat — Car (driver): 78.3% Ruffy — Car (driver): 43.5%
Worked from Home 21.7% / 49.3%
Caveat — Worked from Home: 21.7% Ruffy — Worked from Home: 49.3%
Walked Only — / 7.2%
Caveat — Walked Only: not among its largest Ruffy — Walked Only: 7.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.3%).

Setting

Caveat Ruffy
Elevation 562 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 516 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Caveat Ruffy
Connectivity score 15/100 18/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
27 premises
 0%
62 premises

Climate

Caveat Ruffy
Annual rainfall 648 mm 865 mm
Summer max (Jan) — 27.2°C
Winter min (Jul) — 2.0°C

Council rates

Caveat Ruffy
Average residential rate $1,973/yr $2,476/yr
Council Murrindindi Strathbogie

Federal electorate

Caveat Ruffy
Division Indi
same for both
Member Helen Haines
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Caveat Ruffy
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Caveat

Rural

Ruffy

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Caveat

Caveat vs Yarck Caveat vs Highlands Caveat vs Molesworth Caveat vs Terip Terip

Other comparisons with Ruffy

Ruffy vs Creightons Creek Ruffy vs Highlands Ruffy vs Longwood East Ruffy vs Terip Terip
Full data on Caveat Full data on Ruffy
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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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