Deans Marsh vs Pennyroyal
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Pennyroyal, about half of households are couple families.
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
Deans Marsh
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 50/100)
- But Pennyroyal is already more of a family suburb (73% vs 61%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Deans Marsh
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 26%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Pennyroyal
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 17%)
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $288/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Deans Marsh
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (136.8 km vs 146 km)
- has a shorter drive in (112 min vs 119 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Deans Marsh
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 50/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Deans Marsh
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (36.8% vs 27.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Deans Marsh and Pennyroyal 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
Deans Marsh has more residents (368 vs 110); Deans Marsh rents higher ($288/wk vs $150/wk).
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 368 +70% vs other | 110 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +36.8% | +27.9% |
| Median age | 47 same for both | |
| Median household income | $90,012/yr | $99,632/yr +11% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $288/wk +48% vs other | $150/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.8%).
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 (6.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $915,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Deans Marsh has more rural and farming land (79% vs 7%); Pennyroyal has more land zoned for conservation (56% vs 0%).
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 79% | 7% |
| Environmental | 0% | 56% |
| Parks and recreation | 19% | 37% |
| 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
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 300 across Surf Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +57% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 60% of VIC | Higher than 72% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 75% of VIC | Higher than 54% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 77% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 42% of VIC | Higher than 32% of VIC |
Liveability
Deans Marsh is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Pennyroyal carries more crime risk (50 vs 26); Deans Marsh carries more flood risk (44 vs 31).
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 91/100 | High 94/100 |
| Crime | Low 26/100 | Moderate 50/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 44/100 | Low 31/100 |
| 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
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Deans Marsh
- Deans Marsh Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Pennyroyal
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 same for both | |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 2 |
| Waterways | 4 | 2 |
Mobility
Pennyroyal sits further from the CBD (146 km vs 136.8 km).
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 13/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 136.8 km | 146 km +7% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 112 min | 119 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.0% postcode 3235 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 60 postcode 3235 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 (55.6%).
Setting
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 229 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 267 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 14.2 km | 13.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 27/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 177 premises | 0% 57 premises |
Climate
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 599 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 23.2°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.6°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,314/yr same for both | |
| Council | Surf Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Deans Marsh | Pennyroyal | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Deans Marsh
Other comparisons with Pennyroyal
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.