Diggers Rest vs Bulla

Diggers Rest is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 45 in Bulla. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Diggers Rest, about half of households are couple families. In Bulla, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Bulla: a median of $980,000, against $673,000 in Diggers Rest, though rent is higher in Diggers Rest. Bulla is closer to the city centre: 30.4 km, against 37.2 km. On these figures, Diggers Rest tends to suit young adults, families with children, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Bulla suits 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

Diggers Rest

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (4 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (9 vs 4)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Diggers Rest

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($672,750 vs $980,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 28%)
  • But Bulla has cheaper land ($395,000 vs $585,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

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

  • Diggers Rest has a bigger rental market to choose from (21% vs 9%)
  • Bulla has cheaper rent ($348/wk vs $397/wk)

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

  • Diggers Rest is more walkable (59/100 vs 0/100)
  • Bulla sits closer to the CBD (30.4 km vs 37.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Diggers Rest

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (59/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (69/100 vs 91/100)
  • But Bulla has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 10%)

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

Investors

Diggers Rest

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (105.2% vs -1.0%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.8% vs 2.1%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Diggers Rest Bulla
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.

Diggers Rest Bulla
Walkability 59 / 0
Diggers Rest — Walkability: 59/100 Bulla — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 31 / 9
Diggers Rest — Safety: 31/100 Bulla — Safety: 9/100
Low fire risk 25 / 68
Diggers Rest — Low fire risk: 25/100 Bulla — Low fire risk: 68/100
Low flood risk 85 / 75
Diggers Rest — Low flood risk: 85/100 Bulla — Low flood risk: 75/100

Demographics

Diggers Rest has more residents (5,669 vs 668); Bulla skews older (45 vs 33).

Diggers Rest Bulla
Population 5,669
+88% vs other
 668
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +105.2% -1.0%
Median age 33 45
Median household income $103,532/yr
+13% vs other
 $90,376/yr
Median weekly rent $397/wk
+12% vs other
 $348/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Diggers Rest Bulla
0-4 9.2% / 4.0%
Diggers Rest — 0-4: 9.2% Bulla — 0-4: 4.0%
5-14 11.8% / 10.8%
Diggers Rest — 5-14: 11.8% Bulla — 5-14: 10.8%
15-19 3.9% / 6.1%
Diggers Rest — 15-19: 3.9% Bulla — 15-19: 6.1%
20-24 5.7% / 6.4%
Diggers Rest — 20-24: 5.7% Bulla — 20-24: 6.4%
25-34 23.4% / 11.1%
Diggers Rest — 25-34: 23.4% Bulla — 25-34: 11.1%
35-44 16.4% / 11.5%
Diggers Rest — 35-44: 16.4% Bulla — 35-44: 11.5%
45-54 10.1% / 16.6%
Diggers Rest — 45-54: 10.1% Bulla — 45-54: 16.6%
55-64 9.9% / 12.3%
Diggers Rest — 55-64: 9.9% Bulla — 55-64: 12.3%
65-74 6.7% / 14.5%
Diggers Rest — 65-74: 6.7% Bulla — 65-74: 14.5%
75-84 2.5% / 7.2%
Diggers Rest — 75-84: 2.5% Bulla — 75-84: 7.2%
85+ 0.4% / 1.5%
Diggers Rest — 85+: 0.4% Bulla — 85+: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Diggers Rest 50.3% couple families
Diggers Rest — Couple Families: 50.3% Diggers Rest — Lone Person: 29.1% Diggers Rest — One Parent Families: 15.4% Diggers Rest — Group Household: 3.3% Diggers Rest — Other Families: 1.8%
Bulla 59.4% couple families
Bulla — Couple Families: 59.4% Bulla — Lone Person: 22.5% Bulla — One Parent Families: 13.8% Bulla — Group Household: 2.5% Bulla — Other Families: 1.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Diggers Rest 21.1% renting
Diggers Rest — Owned Outright: 20.7% Diggers Rest — Mortgage: 58.2% Diggers Rest — Renting: 21.1%
Bulla 9.3% renting
Bulla — Owned Outright: 44.9% Bulla — Mortgage: 45.8% Bulla — Renting: 9.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Diggers Rest Bulla
Certificate III & IV 16.3% / 18.4%
Diggers Rest — Certificate III & IV: 16.3% Bulla — Certificate III & IV: 18.4%
Bachelor Degree 12.0% / 7.0%
Diggers Rest — Bachelor Degree: 12.0% Bulla — Bachelor Degree: 7.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.8% / 8.2%
Diggers Rest — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8% Bulla — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2%
Postgraduate Degree 3.6% / 1.9%
Diggers Rest — Postgraduate Degree: 3.6% Bulla — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.9% / 1.6%
Diggers Rest — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9% Bulla — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).

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.

Diggers Rest Bulla
India 6.8% / 0.6%
Diggers Rest — India: 6.8% Bulla — India: 0.6%
Italy 1.1% / 4.0%
Diggers Rest — Italy: 1.1% Bulla — Italy: 4.0%
Philippines 2.5% / —
Diggers Rest — Philippines: 2.5% Bulla — Philippines: not among its largest
New Zealand 1.5% / 1.0%
Diggers Rest — New Zealand: 1.5% Bulla — New Zealand: 1.0%
England 1.7% / —
Diggers Rest — England: 1.7% Bulla — England: not among its largest
Malaysia — / 1.0%
Diggers Rest — Malaysia: not among its largest Bulla — Malaysia: 1.0%
China — / 0.9%
Diggers Rest — China: not among its largest Bulla — China: 0.9%
Scotland — / 0.9%
Diggers Rest — Scotland: not among its largest Bulla — Scotland: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Diggers Rest 92.6% houses
Diggers Rest — Houses: 92.6% Diggers Rest — Townhouses: 7.3% Diggers Rest — Flats / Apartments: 0.1%
Bulla 100.9% houses
Bulla — Houses: 100.9% Bulla — Townhouses: 0.0% Bulla — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Diggers Rest Bulla
Median house price $672,750 $980,000
Median unit price $540,000 —
Median land price $585,000 $395,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 27 days
from 135 sales
 46 days
from 4 sales

Zoning mix

Diggers Rest Bulla
Rural and farming 89% 80%
Residential 8%
same for both
Other and special use 0% 5%
Environmental 0% 3%
Infrastructure and transport 2%
same for both
Parks and recreation 0% 2%
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

Diggers Rest Bulla
New dwellings approved 4,602
across Melton
 3,063
across Hume
Approvals change year on year +5% +0%

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Diggers Rest Bulla
Houses 3.8%
$530/wk on $732K
 2.1%
$600/wk on $1.48M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Diggers Rest Bulla
House price Higher than 27% of VIC —
Income Higher than 76% of VIC Higher than 60% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 87% of VIC Higher than 39% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 94% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 79% of VIC Higher than 38% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 94% of VIC Higher than 61% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 52% of VIC Higher than 1% of VIC

Liveability

Diggers Rest is more walkable (59 vs 0); Diggers Rest scores higher overall (46 vs 39).

Diggers Rest Bulla
Grade C
same for both
Score 46/100 39/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
same for both

Risk profile

Diggers Rest carries more bushfire risk (75 vs 32); Bulla carries more flood risk (25 vs 15).

Diggers Rest Bulla
Bushfire High
75/100
 Low
32/100
Crime Moderate
69/100
 High
91/100
Flood Low
15/100
 Low
25/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise High
70/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 4
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Diggers Rest Bulla
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 Diggers Rest

  • Diggers Rest Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Bulla

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Diggers Rest Bulla
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 2 1
Parks & reserves 9 4
Childcare 4 0
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 4 3

Mobility

Diggers Rest sits further from the CBD (37.2 km vs 30.4 km).

Diggers Rest Bulla
Walkability score 59/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 37.2 km
+18% vs other
 30.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 37 min 35 min
Public transport score 79/100
Rail · Bus
 28/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 72.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 4.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 2 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 3427
 0.4%
postcode 3428
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 50
postcode 3427
 53
postcode 3428

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.

Diggers Rest Bulla
Car (driver) 64.6% / 71.0%
Diggers Rest — Car (driver): 64.6% Bulla — Car (driver): 71.0%
Worked from Home 26.3% / 22.0%
Diggers Rest — Worked from Home: 26.3% Bulla — Worked from Home: 22.0%
Car (passenger) 3.5% / 3.9%
Diggers Rest — Car (passenger): 3.5% Bulla — Car (passenger): 3.9%
Train 5.2% / —
Diggers Rest — Train: 5.2% Bulla — Train: not among its largest
Walked Only 0.2% / 1.9%
Diggers Rest — Walked Only: 0.2% Bulla — Walked Only: 1.9%
Bus 0.2% / 1.2%
Diggers Rest — Bus: 0.2% Bulla — Bus: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (71.0%).

Setting

Diggers Rest Bulla
Elevation 212 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 150 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 30.1 km 25.2 km

NBN connectivity

Diggers Rest Bulla
Connectivity score 88/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 80%
3,418 premises
 0%
263 premises

Climate

Diggers Rest Bulla
Annual rainfall 518 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.0°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Diggers Rest Bulla
PM2.5 4.4 µg/m³ —
PM10 — 18.9 µg/m³
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Diggers Rest Bulla
Average residential rate $1,779/yr $1,715/yr
Council Melton Hume

Federal electorate

Diggers Rest Bulla
Division Hawke
same for both
Member Sam Rae
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Diggers Rest Bulla
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Diggers Rest

Acreage Outer Young Families

Bulla

Outer

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Diggers Rest

Diggers Rest vs Sunbury Diggers Rest vs Gisborne South Diggers Rest vs Toolern Vale Diggers Rest vs Plumpton Diggers Rest vs Keilor North

Other comparisons with Bulla

Bulla vs Sunbury Bulla vs Greenvale Bulla vs Oaklands Junction Bulla vs Wildwood Bulla vs Keilor North Bulla vs Melbourne Airport
Full data on Diggers Rest Full data on Bulla
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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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