Drouin vs Lardner

Drouin is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 54 in Lardner. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Drouin tends to suit families with children.

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

Drouin

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (13 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (14 vs 2)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (5 vs 1)
  • But Lardner has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 90%)

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

First-home buyers

Lardner

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (14% vs 26%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Drouin

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (22% vs 11%)
  • has cheaper rent ($330/wk vs $373/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Drouin

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (82/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (76 min vs 88 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (96.8 km vs 109.1 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Drouin

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (82/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (64/100 vs 84/100)

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

Investors

Drouin

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (23.8% vs -6.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Drouin Lardner
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.

Drouin Lardner
Walkability 82 / 0
Drouin — Walkability: 82/100 Lardner — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 36 / 16
Drouin — Safety: 36/100 Lardner — Safety: 16/100
Low fire risk 25 / 100
Drouin — Low fire risk: 25/100 Lardner — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 46 / 31
Drouin — Low flood risk: 46/100 Lardner — Low flood risk: 31/100

Demographics

Drouin has more residents (15,287 vs 110); Lardner skews older (54 vs 39).

Drouin Lardner
Population 15,287
+99% vs other
 110
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +23.8% -6.0%
Median age 39 54
Median household income $74,464/yr $93,184/yr
+25% vs other
Median weekly rent $330/wk $373/wk
+13% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Drouin Lardner
0-4 7.0% / 4.5%
Drouin — 0-4: 7.0% Lardner — 0-4: 4.5%
5-14 13.4% / 11.8%
Drouin — 5-14: 13.4% Lardner — 5-14: 11.8%
15-19 5.3% / 8.2%
Drouin — 15-19: 5.3% Lardner — 15-19: 8.2%
20-24 5.1% / 3.6%
Drouin — 20-24: 5.1% Lardner — 20-24: 3.6%
25-34 13.8% / 4.5%
Drouin — 25-34: 13.8% Lardner — 25-34: 4.5%
35-44 11.3% / 10.9%
Drouin — 35-44: 11.3% Lardner — 35-44: 10.9%
45-54 11.0% / 9.1%
Drouin — 45-54: 11.0% Lardner — 45-54: 9.1%
55-64 11.7% / 19.1%
Drouin — 55-64: 11.7% Lardner — 55-64: 19.1%
65-74 11.9% / 15.5%
Drouin — 65-74: 11.9% Lardner — 65-74: 15.5%
75-84 7.1% / 10.9%
Drouin — 75-84: 7.1% Lardner — 75-84: 10.9%
85+ 2.5% / —
Drouin — 85+: 2.5% Lardner — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Drouin 36.3% lone person
Drouin — Lone Person: 36.3% Drouin — Couple Families: 42.3% Drouin — One Parent Families: 17.3% Drouin — Group Household: 2.9% Drouin — Other Families: 1.2%
Lardner 42.9% lone person
Lardner — Lone Person: 42.9% Lardner — Couple Families: 25.0% Lardner — One Parent Families: 32.1% Lardner — Group Household: 0.0% Lardner — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Drouin 22.0% renting
Drouin — Owned Outright: 36.5% Drouin — Mortgage: 41.5% Drouin — Renting: 22.0%
Lardner 11.4% renting
Lardner — Owned Outright: 65.7% Lardner — Mortgage: 22.9% Lardner — Renting: 11.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Drouin 89.8% houses
Drouin — Houses: 89.8% Drouin — Flats / Apartments: 5.1% Drouin — Townhouses: 5.1%
Lardner 100.0% houses
Lardner — Houses: 100.0% Lardner — Flats / Apartments: 0.0% Lardner — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Qualifications

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

Drouin Lardner
Certificate III & IV 19.2% / 9.1%
Drouin — Certificate III & IV: 19.2% Lardner — Certificate III & IV: 9.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.6% / 10.0%
Drouin — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6% Lardner — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.0%
Bachelor Degree 7.8% / 8.2%
Drouin — Bachelor Degree: 7.8% Lardner — Bachelor Degree: 8.2%
Postgraduate Degree 1.8% / 6.4%
Drouin — Postgraduate Degree: 1.8% Lardner — Postgraduate Degree: 6.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.7% / 4.5%
Drouin — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7% Lardner — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.2%).

Property market

Drouin Lardner
Median house price $650,000 —
Median unit price $457,250 —
Median land price $650,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 44 days
from 234 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Lardner has more rural and farming land (100% vs 46%).

Drouin Lardner
Rural and farming 46% 100%
Residential 41% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 9% 0%
Parks and recreation 3% 0%
Industrial 1% 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

Drouin Lardner
New dwellings approved 619
across Baw Baw
same for both
Approvals change year on year +49%
same for both

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.

Drouin Lardner
Houses 4.4%
$600/wk on $715K
 —
Units 4.8%
$440/wk on $474K
 —

Ranking within VIC

Drouin Lardner
House price Higher than 29% of VIC —
Income Higher than 40% of VIC Higher than 62% of VIC
Schools Higher than 50% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 94% of VIC Higher than 12% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 62% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 55% of VIC Higher than 57% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 82% of VIC Higher than 52% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 87% of VIC —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 53% of VIC —

Liveability

Drouin is more walkable (82 vs 0).

Drouin Lardner
Grade C —
Score 37/100 —
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Drouin carries more bushfire risk (75 vs 0); Lardner carries more crime risk (84 vs 64).

Drouin Lardner
Bushfire High
75/100
 None
0/100
Crime Moderate
64/100
 High
84/100
Flood Moderate
54/100
 Moderate
69/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Drouin Lardner
Inside the suburb 5 1
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 3 1
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Drouin

  • St Paul's Anglican Grammar School - Drouin Campus Independent · Combined above peers
  • Chairo Christian School Independent · Combined at peers
  • Drouin Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Ita's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Drouin Secondary College Government · Secondary below peers

Schools in Lardner

  • Lardner and District Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Drouin Lardner
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 7 0
Parks & reserves 14 2
Childcare 13 0
GPs 5 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 2 0
Waterways 7 0

Mobility

Lardner sits further from the CBD (109.1 km vs 96.8 km).

Drouin Lardner
Walkability score 82/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 96.8 km 109.1 km
+13% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 76 min 88 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 3818
 0.6%
postcode 3821
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 49
postcode 3818
 55
postcode 3821

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.

Drouin Lardner
Car (driver) 76.3% / 68.6%
Drouin — Car (driver): 76.3% Lardner — Car (driver): 68.6%
Worked from Home 16.0% / 23.5%
Drouin — Worked from Home: 16.0% Lardner — Worked from Home: 23.5%
Car (passenger) 4.7% / 7.8%
Drouin — Car (passenger): 4.7% Lardner — Car (passenger): 7.8%
Walked Only 1.4% / —
Drouin — Walked Only: 1.4% Lardner — Walked Only: not among its largest
Train 1.3% / —
Drouin — Train: 1.3% Lardner — Train: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.3%).

Setting

Drouin Lardner
Elevation 104 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 139 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 33.4 km 31.7 km

NBN connectivity

Drouin Lardner
Connectivity score 74/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 54%
7,340 premises
 0%
52 premises

Climate

Drouin Lardner
Annual rainfall 1,090 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 3.7°C
same for both

Council rates

Drouin Lardner
Average residential rate $2,138/yr
same for both
Council Baw Baw
same for both

Federal electorate

Drouin Lardner
Division Monash
same for both
Member Mary Aldred
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Drouin Lardner
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Drouin

Regional Centre Transport Hub

Lardner

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Drouin

Drouin vs Warragul Drouin vs Longwarry Drouin vs Drouin West Drouin vs Drouin South Drouin vs Warragul South Drouin vs Longwarry North

Other comparisons with Lardner

Lardner vs Drouin South Lardner vs Warragul South Lardner vs Hallora
Full data on Drouin Full data on Lardner
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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