Cudgewa vs Walwa
Cudgewa is the younger of the two, with a median age of 54 against 63 in Walwa. 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 Walwa, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Walwa tends to suit people living alone 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
Cudgewa
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (42% vs 29%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Cudgewa
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 17%)
- has cheaper rent ($130/wk vs $160/wk)
- But Walwa has a bigger rental market to choose from (20% vs 5%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Cudgewa sits closer to the CBD (436.7 km vs 441.4 km)
- Walwa has a shorter drive in (289 min vs 295 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Walwa
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more GPs (2 vs 0)
- has more residents already 65 and over (46% vs 26%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Walwa
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (7.9% vs -2.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Cudgewa and Walwa 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
Cudgewa has higher household incomes ($66,612 vs $48,048); Cudgewa has more residents (254 vs 191).
| Cudgewa | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 254 +25% vs other | 191 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -2.7% | +7.9% |
| Median age | 54 | 63 |
| Median household income | $66,612/yr +28% vs other | $48,048/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $130/wk | $160/wk +23% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (34.6%).
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 (4.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Cudgewa | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $363,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Walwa has more rural and farming land (91% vs 67%).
| Cudgewa | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 67% | 91% |
| Parks and recreation | 32% | 8% |
| 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 | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 19 across Towong same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Cudgewa | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 27% of VIC | Higher than 8% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 56% of VIC | Higher than 66% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 16% of VIC | Higher than 7% of VIC |
Liveability
| Cudgewa | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Cudgewa | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 95/100 | High 97/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 40/100 | Low 31/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 53/100 | Moderate 57/100 |
| 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 | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Cudgewa
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Walwa
- Walwa Primary School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Cudgewa | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 0 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| GPs | 0 | 2 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 2 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 8 | 9 |
Mobility
Walwa sits further from the CBD (441.4 km vs 436.7 km).
| Cudgewa | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 4/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 436.7 km | 441.4 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 295 min | 289 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3705 | 0.0% postcode 3709 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 80 postcode 3705 | 69 postcode 3709 |
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 (57.7%).
Setting
| Cudgewa | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 343 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 286 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Cudgewa | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 19/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 76 premises | 0% 45 premises |
Climate
| Cudgewa | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 952 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 0.6°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Cudgewa | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,875/yr same for both | |
| Council | Towong same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Cudgewa | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cudgewa | Walwa | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
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.