Dunkeld vs Victoria Valley
Dunkeld is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 56 in Victoria Valley. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Dunkeld, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Dunkeld tends to suit people living alone.
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
Dunkeld
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 43/100)
- But Victoria Valley is already more of a family suburb (62% vs 46%)
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
Victoria Valley
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($115/wk vs $220/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 17%)
- But Dunkeld has a bigger rental market to choose from (25% vs 14%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Dunkeld
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (193 min vs 210 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (282.3 km vs 296.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Dunkeld
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 43/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Dunkeld
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (1.5% vs -17.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dunkeld and Victoria Valley 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
Dunkeld has more residents (688 vs 65); Dunkeld rents higher ($220/wk vs $115/wk).
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 688 +91% vs other | 65 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.5% | -17.7% |
| Median age | 48 | 56 |
| Median household income | $68,068/yr +8% vs other | $62,816/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $220/wk +48% vs other | $115/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.6%).
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 (15.1%).
Property market
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $428,750 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $212,500 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 84 days from 11 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Dunkeld has more rural and farming land (96% vs 75%).
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 96% | 75% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% | 24% |
| 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
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 43 across Southern Grampians same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +200% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 22% of VIC | — |
| Income | Higher than 29% of VIC | Higher than 24% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 44% of VIC | Higher than 43% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 62% of VIC | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 19% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 44% of VIC | Higher than 8% of VIC |
Liveability
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 46/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Dunkeld carries more flood risk (17 vs 0); Victoria Valley carries more crime risk (43 vs 26).
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 50/100 | High 82/100 |
| Crime | Low 26/100 | Moderate 43/100 |
| Flood | Low 17/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Dunkeld
- Dunkeld Consolidated School Government · Primary below peers
- Brauer Secondary College-Dunkeld Annexe Government · Secondary
Schools in Victoria Valley
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 4 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 same for both | |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 17 | 13 |
Mobility
Victoria Valley sits further from the CBD (296.3 km vs 282.3 km).
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 282.3 km | 296.3 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 193 min | 210 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 3294 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 35 postcode 3294 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 (65.3%).
Setting
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 260 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 235 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 378 premises | 0% 23 premises |
Climate
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 604 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,892/yr same for both | |
| Council | Southern Grampians same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dunkeld | Victoria Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Dunkeld
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.