Cudgewa vs Colac Colac

Colac Colac is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 54 in Cudgewa. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Cudgewa, about half of households are people living alone. In Colac Colac, most households are couple families. On these figures, Cudgewa tends to suit people living alone, while Colac Colac 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

Cudgewa

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (40/100 vs 67/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (97% vs 83%)
  • But Colac Colac is already more of a family suburb (64% vs 42%)

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

First-home buyers

Cudgewa

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 25%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Cudgewa has cheaper rent ($130/wk vs $200/wk)
  • Colac Colac has a bigger rental market to choose from (17% vs 5%)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Cudgewa

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (40/100 vs 67/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 18%)
  • But Colac Colac has more units and townhouses to downsize into (17% vs 3%)

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

Investors

Colac Colac

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (19.6% vs -2.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Cudgewa Colac Colac
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.

Cudgewa Colac Colac
Walkability 0 / 0
Cudgewa — Walkability: 0/100 Colac Colac — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 60 / 33
Cudgewa — Safety: 60/100 Colac Colac — Safety: 33/100
Low fire risk 5 / 1
Cudgewa — Low fire risk: 5/100 Colac Colac — Low fire risk: 1/100
Low flood risk 47 / 19
Cudgewa — Low flood risk: 47/100 Colac Colac — Low flood risk: 19/100

Demographics

Cudgewa has more residents (254 vs 61); Colac Colac rents higher ($200/wk vs $130/wk).

Cudgewa Colac Colac
Population 254
+76% vs other
 61
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -2.7% +19.6%
Median age 54 50
Median household income $66,612/yr $71,500/yr
+7% vs other
Median weekly rent $130/wk $200/wk
+54% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Cudgewa Colac Colac
0-4 1.2% / 4.9%
Cudgewa — 0-4: 1.2% Colac Colac — 0-4: 4.9%
5-14 8.7% / 9.8%
Cudgewa — 5-14: 8.7% Colac Colac — 5-14: 9.8%
15-19 7.9% / 4.9%
Cudgewa — 15-19: 7.9% Colac Colac — 15-19: 4.9%
20-24 2.4% / —
Cudgewa — 20-24: 2.4% Colac Colac — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 8.7% / —
Cudgewa — 25-34: 8.7% Colac Colac — 25-34: not among its largest
35-44 7.1% / 11.5%
Cudgewa — 35-44: 7.1% Colac Colac — 35-44: 11.5%
45-54 16.5% / 16.4%
Cudgewa — 45-54: 16.5% Colac Colac — 45-54: 16.4%
55-64 22.8% / 11.5%
Cudgewa — 55-64: 22.8% Colac Colac — 55-64: 11.5%
65-74 18.1% / 13.1%
Cudgewa — 65-74: 18.1% Colac Colac — 65-74: 13.1%
75-84 6.3% / 4.9%
Cudgewa — 75-84: 6.3% Colac Colac — 75-84: 4.9%
85+ 1.2% / —
Cudgewa — 85+: 1.2% Colac Colac — 85+: not among its largest

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

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Cudgewa 29.1% couple families
Cudgewa — Couple Families: 29.1% Cudgewa — Lone Person: 47.3% Cudgewa — One Parent Families: 12.7% Cudgewa — Group Household: 10.9%
Colac Colac 64.3% couple families
Colac Colac — Couple Families: 64.3% Colac Colac — Lone Person: 35.7% Colac Colac — One Parent Families: 0.0% Colac Colac — Group Household: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Cudgewa 4.9% renting
Cudgewa — Owned Outright: 60.5% Cudgewa — Mortgage: 34.6% Cudgewa — Renting: 4.9%
Colac Colac 17.4% renting
Colac Colac — Owned Outright: 47.8% Colac Colac — Mortgage: 34.8% Colac Colac — Renting: 17.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Cudgewa 96.6% houses
Cudgewa — Houses: 96.6% Cudgewa — Flats / Apartments: 3.4%
Colac Colac 83.3% houses
Colac Colac — Houses: 83.3% Colac Colac — Flats / Apartments: 16.7%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Cudgewa Colac Colac
Certificate III & IV 16.5% / 19.7%
Cudgewa — Certificate III & IV: 16.5% Colac Colac — Certificate III & IV: 19.7%
Bachelor Degree 7.5% / 6.6%
Cudgewa — Bachelor Degree: 7.5% Colac Colac — Bachelor Degree: 6.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.1% / —
Cudgewa — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1% Colac Colac — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: not among its largest
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.2% / 4.9%
Cudgewa — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2% Colac Colac — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.9%
Postgraduate Degree 2.0% / —
Cudgewa — Postgraduate Degree: 2.0% Colac Colac — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.7%).

Zoning mix

Colac Colac has more rural and farming land (98% vs 67%).

Cudgewa Colac Colac
Rural and farming 67% 98%
Parks and recreation 32% 1%
Infrastructure and transport 1%
same for both
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

Cudgewa Colac Colac
New dwellings approved 19
across Towong
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Cudgewa Colac Colac
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 27% of VIC Higher than 35% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 56% of VIC Higher than 20% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption —
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 16% of VIC Higher than 41% of VIC

Liveability

Cudgewa Colac Colac
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
same for both

Risk profile

Colac Colac carries more crime risk (67 vs 40); Colac Colac carries more flood risk (81 vs 53).

Cudgewa Colac Colac
Bushfire High
95/100
 High
99/100
Crime Moderate
40/100
 Moderate
67/100
Flood Moderate
53/100
 High
81/100
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

Cudgewa Colac Colac
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

Cudgewa Colac Colac
Parks & reserves 3 2
Waterways 8 0

Mobility

Cudgewa Colac Colac
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 436.7 km 438.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 295 min
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 3705
 0.0%
postcode 3707
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 80
postcode 3705
 71
postcode 3707

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.

Cudgewa Colac Colac
Car (driver) 57.7% / 58.3%
Cudgewa — Car (driver): 57.7% Colac Colac — Car (driver): 58.3%
Worked from Home 34.2% / 29.2%
Cudgewa — Worked from Home: 34.2% Colac Colac — Worked from Home: 29.2%
Walked Only 4.5% / 12.5%
Cudgewa — Walked Only: 4.5% Colac Colac — Walked Only: 12.5%
Car (passenger) 3.6% / —
Cudgewa — Car (passenger): 3.6% Colac Colac — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (58.3%).

Setting

Cudgewa Colac Colac
Elevation 343 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 336 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Cudgewa Colac Colac
Connectivity score 19/100 29/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
76 premises
 0%
25 premises

Climate

Cudgewa Colac Colac
Annual rainfall 952 mm 947 mm
Summer max (Jan) 28.9°C 29.0°C
Winter min (Jul) 0.6°C 2.9°C

Council rates

Cudgewa Colac Colac
Average residential rate $1,875/yr
same for both
Council Towong
same for both

Federal electorate

Cudgewa Colac Colac
Division Indi
same for both
Member Helen Haines
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Cudgewa Colac Colac
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Cudgewa

Retirees Rural

Colac Colac

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Cudgewa

Cudgewa vs Corryong Cudgewa vs Walwa Cudgewa vs Towong Cudgewa vs Nariel Valley Cudgewa vs Tintaldra

Other comparisons with Colac Colac

Colac Colac vs Corryong Colac Colac vs Nariel Valley Colac Colac vs Thowgla Valley
Full data on Cudgewa Full data on Colac Colac
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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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