Chiltern vs Barnawartha

Barnawartha is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 50 in Chiltern. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Chiltern, about half of households are people living alone. In Barnawartha, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Chiltern: a median of $586,000, against $520,000 in Barnawartha, though rent is higher in Barnawartha. On these figures, Chiltern tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Barnawartha suits families with children and 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

Chiltern

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (4 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (8 vs 3)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • But Barnawartha carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 45/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Barnawartha

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($281,500 vs $510,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($519,750 vs $586,500)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Chiltern

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($260/wk vs $293/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Chiltern

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (186 min vs 195 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (293.2 km vs 302.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Chiltern has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 13%)
  • Barnawartha carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 45/100)

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

Investors

Barnawartha

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (9.2% vs -1.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Chiltern Barnawartha
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.

Chiltern Barnawartha
Walkability 0 / 0
Chiltern — Walkability: 0/100 Barnawartha — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 55 / 74
Chiltern — Safety: 55/100 Barnawartha — Safety: 74/100
Low fire risk 34 / 24
Chiltern — Low fire risk: 34/100 Barnawartha — Low fire risk: 24/100
Low flood risk 76 / 34
Chiltern — Low flood risk: 76/100 Barnawartha — Low flood risk: 34/100

Demographics

Chiltern has more residents (1,580 vs 987); Barnawartha has higher household incomes ($90,584 vs $67,860).

Chiltern Barnawartha
Population 1,580
+38% vs other
 987
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -1.6% +9.2%
Median age 50 40
Median household income $67,860/yr $90,584/yr
+33% vs other
Median weekly rent $260/wk $293/wk
+13% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Chiltern Barnawartha
0-4 4.3% / 7.6%
Chiltern — 0-4: 4.3% Barnawartha — 0-4: 7.6%
5-14 10.7% / 13.0%
Chiltern — 5-14: 10.7% Barnawartha — 5-14: 13.0%
15-19 6.5% / 6.5%
Chiltern — 15-19: 6.5% Barnawartha — 15-19: 6.5%
20-24 3.9% / 4.3%
Chiltern — 20-24: 3.9% Barnawartha — 20-24: 4.3%
25-34 8.2% / 13.0%
Chiltern — 25-34: 8.2% Barnawartha — 25-34: 13.0%
35-44 9.1% / 13.0%
Chiltern — 35-44: 9.1% Barnawartha — 35-44: 13.0%
45-54 15.0% / 14.1%
Chiltern — 45-54: 15.0% Barnawartha — 45-54: 14.1%
55-64 17.5% / 15.1%
Chiltern — 55-64: 17.5% Barnawartha — 55-64: 15.1%
65-74 14.9% / 9.3%
Chiltern — 65-74: 14.9% Barnawartha — 65-74: 9.3%
75-84 9.1% / 3.6%
Chiltern — 75-84: 9.1% Barnawartha — 75-84: 3.6%
85+ 1.5% / 0.3%
Chiltern — 85+: 1.5% Barnawartha — 85+: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Chiltern 35.6% couple families
Chiltern — Couple Families: 35.6% Chiltern — Lone Person: 45.0% Chiltern — One Parent Families: 13.1% Chiltern — Group Household: 4.4% Chiltern — Other Families: 2.0%
Barnawartha 55.1% couple families
Barnawartha — Couple Families: 55.1% Barnawartha — Lone Person: 30.9% Barnawartha — One Parent Families: 9.3% Barnawartha — Group Household: 4.7% Barnawartha — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Chiltern 11.8% renting
Chiltern — Owned Outright: 45.7% Chiltern — Mortgage: 42.5% Chiltern — Renting: 11.8%
Barnawartha 8.0% renting
Barnawartha — Owned Outright: 35.4% Barnawartha — Mortgage: 56.6% Barnawartha — Renting: 8.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Chiltern Barnawartha
Certificate III & IV 19.6% / 23.0%
Chiltern — Certificate III & IV: 19.6% Barnawartha — Certificate III & IV: 23.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.8% / 7.5%
Chiltern — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8% Barnawartha — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.5%
Bachelor Degree 8.5% / 6.2%
Chiltern — Bachelor Degree: 8.5% Barnawartha — Bachelor Degree: 6.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.6% / 2.2%
Chiltern — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6% Barnawartha — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2%
Postgraduate Degree 1.9% / 1.5%
Chiltern — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9% Barnawartha — Postgraduate Degree: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).

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.

Chiltern Barnawartha
England 4.1% / 2.5%
Chiltern — England: 4.1% Barnawartha — England: 2.5%
New Zealand 0.9% / 1.0%
Chiltern — New Zealand: 0.9% Barnawartha — New Zealand: 1.0%
Germany 0.9% / 0.4%
Chiltern — Germany: 0.9% Barnawartha — Germany: 0.4%
Scotland 0.5% / —
Chiltern — Scotland: 0.5% Barnawartha — Scotland: not among its largest
India — / 0.4%
Chiltern — India: not among its largest Barnawartha — India: 0.4%
France 0.3% / —
Chiltern — France: 0.3% Barnawartha — France: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Chiltern 92.9% houses
Chiltern — Houses: 92.9% Chiltern — Townhouses: 2.1% Chiltern — Flats / Apartments: 5.0%
Barnawartha 95.2% houses
Barnawartha — Houses: 95.2% Barnawartha — Townhouses: 4.2% Barnawartha — Flats / Apartments: 0.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Chiltern Barnawartha
Median house price $586,500 $519,750
Median unit price $275,000 —
Median land price $510,000 $281,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 40 days
from 5 sales
 48 days
from 4 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Chiltern Barnawartha
3 bed $625K / $532K
Chiltern — 3 bed: $625K (23 sales) Barnawartha — 3 bed: $532K (14 sales)

23 vs 14 sales

4 bed $645K / $412K
Chiltern — 4 bed: $645K (5 sales) Barnawartha — 4 bed: $412K (12 sales)

5 vs 12 sales

Zoning mix

Barnawartha has more rural and farming land (86% vs 53%).

Chiltern Barnawartha
Rural and farming 53% 86%
Parks and recreation 45% 6%
Residential 1% 3%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 3%
Industrial 0% 1%
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

Chiltern Barnawartha
New dwellings approved 120
across Indigo
same for both
Approvals change year on year +15%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Chiltern Barnawartha
House price Higher than 18% of VIC —
Income Higher than 29% of VIC Higher than 60% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 63% of VIC Higher than 43% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 69% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 18% of VIC Higher than 65% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 84% of VIC Higher than 63% of VIC

Liveability

Chiltern Barnawartha
Grade D
same for both
Score 26/100 22/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Barnawartha carries more flood risk (66 vs 24); Chiltern carries more crime risk (45 vs 26).

Chiltern Barnawartha
Bushfire Moderate
66/100
 High
76/100
Crime Moderate
45/100
 Low
26/100
Flood Low
24/100
 Moderate
66/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Chiltern Barnawartha
Inside the suburb 2 1
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1
same for both

Schools in Chiltern

  • Chiltern Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Joseph's School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Barnawartha

  • Barnawartha Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Chiltern Barnawartha
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 8 3
Childcare 4 1
GPs 1 2
Pharmacies 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 1
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 19 2

Mobility

Barnawartha sits further from the CBD (302.4 km vs 293.2 km).

Chiltern Barnawartha
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 293.2 km 302.4 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 186 min 195 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 3683
 0.7%
postcode 3688
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 64
postcode 3683
 82
postcode 3688

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.

Chiltern Barnawartha
Car (driver) 76.5% / 79.7%
Chiltern — Car (driver): 76.5% Barnawartha — Car (driver): 79.7%
Worked from Home 15.4% / 12.9%
Chiltern — Worked from Home: 15.4% Barnawartha — Worked from Home: 12.9%
Walked Only 5.0% / 2.9%
Chiltern — Walked Only: 5.0% Barnawartha — Walked Only: 2.9%
Car (passenger) 3.2% / 4.5%
Chiltern — Car (passenger): 3.2% Barnawartha — Car (passenger): 4.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.7%).

Setting

Chiltern Barnawartha
Elevation 221 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 168 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Chiltern Barnawartha
Connectivity score 75/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 45%
767 premises
 0%
376 premises

Climate

Chiltern Barnawartha
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

Chiltern Barnawartha
Average residential rate $1,828/yr
same for both
Council Indigo
same for both

Federal electorate

Chiltern Barnawartha
Division Indi
same for both
Member Helen Haines
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Chiltern Barnawartha
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Chiltern

Affordable Retirees Rural

Barnawartha

Affordable Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Chiltern

Chiltern vs Beechworth Chiltern vs Eldorado Chiltern vs Springhurst Chiltern vs Indigo Valley Chiltern vs Wooragee Chiltern vs Byawatha

Other comparisons with Barnawartha

Barnawartha vs Indigo Valley Barnawartha vs Barnawartha North Barnawartha vs Browns Plains Barnawartha vs Cornishtown
Full data on Chiltern Full data on Barnawartha
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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