Fairbank vs Mount Eccles

Mount Eccles is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 51 in Fairbank. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Fairbank, most households are couple families. On these figures, Fairbank tends to suit couples 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

Too close to call

Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

First-home buyers

Mount Eccles

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 30%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Fairbank

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $75/wk)

Weighs rent.

Commuting to the city

Fairbank

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (136.1 km vs 146.6 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (111 min vs 119 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Fairbank

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more residents already 65 and over (36% vs 22%)

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

Investors

Mount Eccles

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (33.7% vs 26.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Fairbank Mount Eccles
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.

Fairbank Mount Eccles
Walkability 0 / 0
Fairbank — Walkability: 0/100 Mount Eccles — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 73 / 70
Fairbank — Safety: 73/100 Mount Eccles — Safety: 70/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Fairbank — Low fire risk: 100/100 Mount Eccles — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 77 / 100
Fairbank — Low flood risk: 77/100 Mount Eccles — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Mount Eccles rents higher ($75/wk vs $0/wk); Mount Eccles has more residents (139 vs 52).

Fairbank Mount Eccles
Population 52 139
+167% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +26.8% +33.7%
Median age 51 47
Median household income $71,448/yr $84,500/yr
+18% vs other
Median weekly rent — $75/wk
(not reported on the other side)

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Fairbank Mount Eccles
0-4 — / 5.0%
Fairbank — 0-4: not among its largest Mount Eccles — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 17.3% / 13.7%
Fairbank — 5-14: 17.3% Mount Eccles — 5-14: 13.7%
15-19 5.8% / 5.8%
Fairbank — 15-19: 5.8% Mount Eccles — 15-19: 5.8%
20-24 — / 3.6%
Fairbank — 20-24: not among its largest Mount Eccles — 20-24: 3.6%
25-34 7.7% / 4.3%
Fairbank — 25-34: 7.7% Mount Eccles — 25-34: 4.3%
35-44 7.7% / 11.5%
Fairbank — 35-44: 7.7% Mount Eccles — 35-44: 11.5%
45-54 11.5% / 10.8%
Fairbank — 45-54: 11.5% Mount Eccles — 45-54: 10.8%
55-64 15.4% / 14.4%
Fairbank — 55-64: 15.4% Mount Eccles — 55-64: 14.4%
65-74 28.8% / 15.8%
Fairbank — 65-74: 28.8% Mount Eccles — 65-74: 15.8%
75-84 7.7% / 6.5%
Fairbank — 75-84: 7.7% Mount Eccles — 75-84: 6.5%
85+ — / —
Fairbank — 85+: not among its largest Mount Eccles — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Fairbank 70.0% couple families
Fairbank — Couple Families: 70.0% Fairbank — Lone Person: 30.0% Fairbank — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Mount Eccles 34.5% couple families
Mount Eccles — Couple Families: 34.5% Mount Eccles — Lone Person: 34.5% Mount Eccles — One Parent Families: 31.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Fairbank 0.0% renting
Fairbank — Owned Outright: 57.1% Fairbank — Mortgage: 42.9% Fairbank — Renting: 0.0%
Mount Eccles 11.6% renting
Mount Eccles — Owned Outright: 34.9% Mount Eccles — Mortgage: 53.5% Mount Eccles — Renting: 11.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Fairbank 100.0% houses
Fairbank — Houses: 100.0% Fairbank — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Mount Eccles 90.9% houses
Mount Eccles — Houses: 90.9% Mount Eccles — Flats / Apartments: 9.1%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Fairbank Mount Eccles
Certificate III & IV 21.2% / 11.5%
Fairbank — Certificate III & IV: 21.2% Mount Eccles — Certificate III & IV: 11.5%
Bachelor Degree 9.6% / 9.4%
Fairbank — Bachelor Degree: 9.6% Mount Eccles — Bachelor Degree: 9.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.8% / 6.5%
Fairbank — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.8% Mount Eccles — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 9.6% / —
Fairbank — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 9.6% Mount Eccles — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest
Postgraduate Degree — / 6.5%
Fairbank — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Mount Eccles — Postgraduate Degree: 6.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).

Zoning mix

Fairbank Mount Eccles
Rural and farming 97% 99%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 0%
Parks and recreation 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

Fairbank Mount Eccles
New dwellings approved 170
across South Gippsland
same for both
Approvals change year on year +21%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Fairbank Mount Eccles
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 33% of VIC Higher than 55% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 13% of VIC Higher than 57% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 78% of VIC Higher than 36% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 27% of VIC Higher than 26% of VIC

Liveability

Fairbank Mount Eccles
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Fairbank carries more flood risk (23 vs 0).

Fairbank Mount Eccles
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
27/100
 Low
30/100
Flood Low
23/100
 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

Fairbank Mount Eccles
Inside the suburb 0
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Mobility

Mount Eccles sits further from the CBD (146.6 km vs 136.1 km).

Fairbank Mount Eccles
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 136.1 km 146.6 km
+8% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 111 min 119 min
Electric vehicle share 1.0%
postcode 3951
 0.4%
postcode 3953
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 61
postcode 3951
 44
postcode 3953

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.

Fairbank Mount Eccles
Car (driver) 66.7% / 58.8%
Fairbank — Car (driver): 66.7% Mount Eccles — Car (driver): 58.8%
Worked from Home 33.3% / 41.2%
Fairbank — Worked from Home: 33.3% Mount Eccles — Worked from Home: 41.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.7%).

Setting

Fairbank Mount Eccles
Elevation 179 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 113 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 28.0 km 32.1 km

NBN connectivity

Fairbank Mount Eccles
Connectivity score 26/100 25/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
17 premises
 0%
51 premises

Climate

Fairbank Mount Eccles
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

Fairbank Mount Eccles
Average residential rate $2,282/yr
same for both
Council South Gippsland
same for both

Federal electorate

Fairbank Mount Eccles
Division Monash
same for both
Member Mary Aldred
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Fairbank Mount Eccles
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Fairbank

Professionals Retirees Rural

Mount Eccles

Professionals Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Fairbank

Fairbank vs Ruby Fairbank vs Kardella Fairbank vs Leongatha North Fairbank vs Arawata Fairbank vs Wild Dog Valley

Other comparisons with Mount Eccles

Mount Eccles vs Hallston Mount Eccles vs Leongatha North Mount Eccles vs Wooreen Mount Eccles vs Trida Mount Eccles vs Wild Dog Valley
Full data on Fairbank Full data on Mount Eccles
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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