Driffield vs Hazelwood
Driffield is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 51 in Hazelwood. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Driffield, most households are couple families. In Hazelwood, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Driffield tends to suit families with children and couples, while Hazelwood suits 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
Hazelwood
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (32/100 vs 73/100)
- But Driffield is already more of a family suburb (79% vs 54%)
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
Hazelwood
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($203/wk vs $225/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Driffield
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (156.4 km vs 161.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Hazelwood
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (32/100 vs 73/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 17%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Driffield
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.8% vs 2.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Driffield and Hazelwood 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
Hazelwood has more residents (189 vs 101); Driffield has higher household incomes ($97,500 vs $76,336).
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 101 | 189 +87% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +18.8% | +2.7% |
| Median age | 40 | 51 |
| Median household income | $97,500/yr +22% vs other | $76,336/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $225/wk +10% vs other | $203/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.8%).
Zoning mix
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Other and special use | 75% | 54% |
| Rural and farming | 23% | 31% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 14% |
| 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
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 529 across Latrobe (Vic.) same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +66% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 70% of VIC | Higher than 44% of VIC |
| Schools | — | Higher than 7% of VIC |
| Walkability | Higher than 49% of VIC | Higher than 19% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 28% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 45% of VIC | Higher than 55% of VIC |
Liveability
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Driffield carries more crime risk (73 vs 32); Hazelwood carries more flood risk (75 vs 37).
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 98/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 73/100 | Low 32/100 |
| Flood | Low 37/100 | High 75/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 3 within 5 km |
Schools
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 3 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | None | 1 Federation University Gippsland, 5.2 km |
Schools in Driffield
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Hazelwood
- Churchill Primary School-Hazelwood Estate Government · Primary
- Traralgon College Hazelwood Estate Government · Secondary
- Ashwood School-Garfield North Outdoor Education Centre Government · Combined · Special school
Amenities in the suburb
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 1 same for both | |
Mobility
Hazelwood sits further from the CBD (161.1 km vs 156.4 km).
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 156.4 km | 161.1 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 112 min | 115 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 3840 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 36 postcode 3840 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 (81.1%).
Setting
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 77 m above sea level, at the suburb centre same for both | |
| Distance to the ocean | 45.2 km | 43.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 41 premises | 0% 89 premises |
Climate
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 700 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.1°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 7.7 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 15.9 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.56 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,746/yr same for both | |
| Council | Latrobe (Vic.) same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gippsland same for both | |
| Member | Darren Chester same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Driffield | Hazelwood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Driffield
Other comparisons with Hazelwood
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.