Dereel vs Mount Mercer
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mount Mercer, most households are couple families. On these figures, Dereel tends to suit people living alone, while Mount Mercer 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
Dereel
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (7 vs 1)
- carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 94/100)
- But Mount Mercer is already more of a family suburb (71% vs 57%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Mount Mercer
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (14% vs 24%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Mount Mercer
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (13% vs 1%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 24%)
- has cheaper rent ($258/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Mount Mercer
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (129.3 km vs 144.6 km)
- has a shorter drive in (102 min vs 111 min)
- But Dereel is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Dereel
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 94/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Mount Mercer
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (36.2% vs 24.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dereel and Mount Mercer 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
Dereel has more residents (664 vs 94); Mount Mercer has higher household incomes ($101,816 vs $65,312).
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 664 +86% vs other | 94 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +24.6% | +36.2% |
| Median age | 46 | 45 |
| Median household income | $65,312/yr | $101,816/yr +56% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk +14% vs other | $258/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.5%).
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 (4.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $535,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $382,500 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 153 days from 3 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Mount Mercer has more rural and farming land (97% vs 64%); Dereel has more land zoned for conservation (24% vs 3%).
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 64% | 97% |
| Environmental | 24% | 3% |
| Residential | 5% | 0% |
| 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
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 186 across Golden Plains same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +10% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 26% of VIC | Higher than 74% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 76% of VIC | Higher than 32% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 38% of VIC | Higher than 37% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 45% of VIC | Higher than 31% of VIC |
Liveability
Dereel is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 30/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Mount Mercer carries more crime risk (94 vs 36); Dereel carries more bushfire risk (78 vs 66).
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 78/100 | Moderate 66/100 |
| Crime | Low 36/100 | High 94/100 |
| Flood | Low 22/100 | Low 24/100 |
| 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
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 7 | 1 |
| Waterways | 17 | 6 |
Mobility
Dereel sits further from the CBD (144.6 km vs 129.3 km).
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 13/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 144.6 km +11% vs other | 129.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 111 min | 102 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 3352 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 51 postcode 3352 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 (77.6%).
Setting
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 337 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 334 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 27/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 305 premises | 0% 32 premises |
Climate
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 502 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.3°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,052/yr same for both | |
| Council | Golden Plains same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dereel | Mount Mercer | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Dereel
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Dereel
Other comparisons with Mount Mercer
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.