Dumbalk vs Meeniyan

Meeniyan is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 48 in Dumbalk. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Dumbalk, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Meeniyan: a median of $730,000, against $488,000 in Dumbalk, though rent is higher in Dumbalk. On these figures, Dumbalk tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Meeniyan

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • is already more of a family suburb (57% vs 43%)

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

First-home buyers

Dumbalk

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($487,500 vs $730,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Meeniyan

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 24%)

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

Commuting to the city

Meeniyan

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (46/100 vs 0/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (150.4 km vs 153.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Meeniyan

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (46/100 vs 0/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Dumbalk Meeniyan
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.

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Walkability 0 / 46
Dumbalk — Walkability: 0/100 Meeniyan — Walkability: 46/100
Safety 59 / 52
Dumbalk — Safety: 59/100 Meeniyan — Safety: 52/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Dumbalk — Low fire risk: 100/100 Meeniyan — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 72 / 37
Dumbalk — Low flood risk: 72/100 Meeniyan — Low flood risk: 37/100

Demographics

Meeniyan has more residents (840 vs 455); Meeniyan has higher household incomes ($68,952 vs $57,616).

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Population 455 840
+85% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +10.2% +8.9%
Median age 48 42
Median household income $57,616/yr $68,952/yr
+20% vs other
Median weekly rent $268/wk
+7% vs other
 $250/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Dumbalk Meeniyan
0-4 4.4% / 7.0%
Dumbalk — 0-4: 4.4% Meeniyan — 0-4: 7.0%
5-14 13.0% / 13.6%
Dumbalk — 5-14: 13.0% Meeniyan — 5-14: 13.6%
15-19 4.8% / 6.0%
Dumbalk — 15-19: 4.8% Meeniyan — 15-19: 6.0%
20-24 3.7% / 4.0%
Dumbalk — 20-24: 3.7% Meeniyan — 20-24: 4.0%
25-34 8.8% / 10.6%
Dumbalk — 25-34: 8.8% Meeniyan — 25-34: 10.6%
35-44 11.0% / 11.3%
Dumbalk — 35-44: 11.0% Meeniyan — 35-44: 11.3%
45-54 12.7% / 11.9%
Dumbalk — 45-54: 12.7% Meeniyan — 45-54: 11.9%
55-64 17.6% / 11.8%
Dumbalk — 55-64: 17.6% Meeniyan — 55-64: 11.8%
65-74 16.3% / 14.3%
Dumbalk — 65-74: 16.3% Meeniyan — 65-74: 14.3%
75-84 5.3% / 7.7%
Dumbalk — 75-84: 5.3% Meeniyan — 75-84: 7.7%
85+ 2.6% / 2.0%
Dumbalk — 85+: 2.6% Meeniyan — 85+: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Dumbalk 54.2% lone person
Dumbalk — Lone Person: 54.2% Dumbalk — Couple Families: 33.3% Dumbalk — One Parent Families: 10.0% Dumbalk — Group Household: 2.5% Dumbalk — Other Families: 0.0%
Meeniyan 39.1% lone person
Meeniyan — Lone Person: 39.1% Meeniyan — Couple Families: 40.9% Meeniyan — One Parent Families: 15.8% Meeniyan — Group Household: 2.8% Meeniyan — Other Families: 1.4%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Dumbalk 9.7% renting
Dumbalk — Owned Outright: 51.5% Dumbalk — Mortgage: 38.8% Dumbalk — Renting: 9.7%
Meeniyan 18.4% renting
Meeniyan — Owned Outright: 47.6% Meeniyan — Mortgage: 34.0% Meeniyan — Renting: 18.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Certificate III & IV 20.0% / 15.7%
Dumbalk — Certificate III & IV: 20.0% Meeniyan — Certificate III & IV: 15.7%
Bachelor Degree 6.6% / 10.4%
Dumbalk — Bachelor Degree: 6.6% Meeniyan — Bachelor Degree: 10.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.6% / 6.2%
Dumbalk — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.6% Meeniyan — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.2%
Postgraduate Degree 1.3% / 2.5%
Dumbalk — Postgraduate Degree: 1.3% Meeniyan — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.3% / 1.5%
Dumbalk — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3% Meeniyan — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).

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.

Dumbalk Meeniyan
England 2.0% / 4.2%
Dumbalk — England: 2.0% Meeniyan — England: 4.2%
Netherlands 3.1% / 0.8%
Dumbalk — Netherlands: 3.1% Meeniyan — Netherlands: 0.8%
New Zealand — / 2.4%
Dumbalk — New Zealand: not among its largest Meeniyan — New Zealand: 2.4%
South Africa 2.0% / —
Dumbalk — South Africa: 2.0% Meeniyan — South Africa: not among its largest
Germany 1.5% / 0.5%
Dumbalk — Germany: 1.5% Meeniyan — Germany: 0.5%
Italy — / 0.6%
Dumbalk — Italy: not among its largest Meeniyan — Italy: 0.6%
Zimbabwe — / 0.6%
Dumbalk — Zimbabwe: not among its largest Meeniyan — Zimbabwe: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Dumbalk 99.5% houses
Dumbalk — Houses: 99.5% Dumbalk — Townhouses: 0.0% Dumbalk — Flats / Apartments: 0.5%
Meeniyan 94.4% houses
Meeniyan — Houses: 94.4% Meeniyan — Townhouses: 3.4% Meeniyan — Flats / Apartments: 2.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Median house price $487,500 $730,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $325,000 $350,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 56 days
from 4 sales

Zoning mix

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Rural and farming 97% 94%
Parks and recreation 2% 4%
Infrastructure and transport 1%
same for both
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

Dumbalk Meeniyan
New dwellings approved 170
across South Gippsland
same for both
Approvals change year on year +21%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Dumbalk Meeniyan
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 16% of VIC Higher than 31% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 1% of VIC Higher than 85% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 63% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 48% of VIC Higher than 61% of VIC

Liveability

Meeniyan is more walkable (46 vs 0).

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Grade — B
Score — 50/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Meeniyan carries more flood risk (63 vs 28).

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
41/100
 Moderate
48/100
Flood Low
28/100
 Moderate
63/100
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

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Dumbalk

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

Schools in Meeniyan

  • Meeniyan Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 1
same for both
Parks & reserves 2 1
Childcare 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 1
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 1 5

Mobility

Dumbalk sits further from the CBD (153.6 km vs 150.4 km).

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Walkability score 0/100 46/100
Distance to Melbourne 153.6 km
+2% vs other
 150.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 122 min 118 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 3956
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 36
postcode 3956
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.

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Car (driver) 65.5% / 65.5%
Dumbalk — Car (driver): 65.5% Meeniyan — Car (driver): 65.5%
Worked from Home 25.6% / 24.2%
Dumbalk — Worked from Home: 25.6% Meeniyan — Worked from Home: 24.2%
Walked Only 5.4% / 6.8%
Dumbalk — Walked Only: 5.4% Meeniyan — Walked Only: 6.8%
Car (passenger) 3.6% / 3.5%
Dumbalk — Car (passenger): 3.6% Meeniyan — Car (passenger): 3.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (65.5%).

Setting

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Elevation 53 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 38 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 21.3 km 18.3 km

NBN connectivity

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
213 premises
 0%
413 premises

Climate

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Annual rainfall 906 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 24.6°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.9°C
same for both

Council rates

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Average residential rate $2,282/yr
same for both
Council South Gippsland
same for both

Federal electorate

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Division Monash
same for both
Member Mary Aldred
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Dumbalk Meeniyan
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Dumbalk

Affordable Rural

Meeniyan

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Dumbalk

Dumbalk vs Stony Creek Dumbalk vs Mardan Dumbalk vs Nerrena Dumbalk vs Dumbalk North Dumbalk vs Dollar

Other comparisons with Meeniyan

Meeniyan vs Koonwarra Meeniyan vs Stony Creek Meeniyan vs Buffalo Meeniyan vs Nerrena Meeniyan vs Middle Tarwin Meeniyan vs Tarwin
Full data on Dumbalk Full data on Meeniyan
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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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