Fairbank vs Ruby

Ruby is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 51 in Fairbank. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Fairbank tends to suit 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

Ruby

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (88% vs 70%)

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

First-home buyers

Ruby

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 30%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Fairbank

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $320/wk)

Weighs rent.

Commuting to the city

Ruby

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (103 min vs 111 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (130.6 km vs 136.1 km)

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 21%)

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

Investors

Fairbank

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (26.8% vs -0.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Fairbank and Ruby 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 Ruby
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 Ruby
Walkability 0 / 0
Fairbank — Walkability: 0/100 Ruby — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 73 / 82
Fairbank — Safety: 73/100 Ruby — Safety: 82/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Fairbank — Low fire risk: 100/100 Ruby — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 77 / 86
Fairbank — Low flood risk: 77/100 Ruby — Low flood risk: 86/100

Demographics

Ruby rents higher ($320/wk vs $0/wk); Ruby has more residents (187 vs 52).

Fairbank Ruby
Population 52 187
+260% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +26.8% -0.5%
Median age 51 48
Median household income $71,448/yr $111,228/yr
+56% vs other
Median weekly rent — $320/wk
(not reported on the other side)

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Fairbank Ruby
0-4 — / 1.6%
Fairbank — 0-4: not among its largest Ruby — 0-4: 1.6%
5-14 17.3% / 16.0%
Fairbank — 5-14: 17.3% Ruby — 5-14: 16.0%
15-19 5.8% / 8.0%
Fairbank — 15-19: 5.8% Ruby — 15-19: 8.0%
20-24 — / 2.7%
Fairbank — 20-24: not among its largest Ruby — 20-24: 2.7%
25-34 7.7% / 5.3%
Fairbank — 25-34: 7.7% Ruby — 25-34: 5.3%
35-44 7.7% / 10.7%
Fairbank — 35-44: 7.7% Ruby — 35-44: 10.7%
45-54 11.5% / 20.3%
Fairbank — 45-54: 11.5% Ruby — 45-54: 20.3%
55-64 15.4% / 15.0%
Fairbank — 55-64: 15.4% Ruby — 55-64: 15.0%
65-74 28.8% / 11.8%
Fairbank — 65-74: 28.8% Ruby — 65-74: 11.8%
75-84 7.7% / 5.9%
Fairbank — 75-84: 7.7% Ruby — 75-84: 5.9%
85+ — / 3.2%
Fairbank — 85+: not among its largest Ruby — 85+: 3.2%

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%
Ruby 62.5% couple families
Ruby — Couple Families: 62.5% Ruby — Lone Person: 12.5% Ruby — One Parent Families: 25.0%
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%
Ruby 8.3% renting
Ruby — Owned Outright: 58.3% Ruby — Mortgage: 33.3% Ruby — Renting: 8.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Fairbank 100.0% houses
Fairbank — Houses: 100.0%
Ruby 100.0% houses
Ruby — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Fairbank Ruby
Certificate III & IV 21.2% / 14.4%
Fairbank — Certificate III & IV: 21.2% Ruby — Certificate III & IV: 14.4%
Bachelor Degree 9.6% / 10.2%
Fairbank — Bachelor Degree: 9.6% Ruby — Bachelor Degree: 10.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.8% / 9.1%
Fairbank — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.8% Ruby — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 9.6% / 2.1%
Fairbank — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 9.6% Ruby — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1%
Postgraduate Degree — / 1.6%
Fairbank — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Ruby — Postgraduate Degree: 1.6%

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

Zoning mix

Fairbank Ruby
Rural and farming 97% 95%
Infrastructure and transport 3%
same for both
Parks and recreation 1% 2%
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 Ruby
New dwellings approved 170
across South Gippsland
same for both
Approvals change year on year +21%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Fairbank Ruby
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 33% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 13% of VIC Higher than 24% 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 56% of VIC

Liveability

Fairbank Ruby
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
same for both

Risk profile

Fairbank Ruby
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
27/100
 Low
18/100
Flood Low
23/100
 Low
14/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Fairbank Ruby
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

Amenities in the suburb

Fairbank Ruby
Waterways 0 2

Mobility

Fairbank sits further from the CBD (136.1 km vs 130.6 km).

Fairbank Ruby
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 136.1 km
+4% vs other
 130.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 111 min 103 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 Ruby
Car (driver) 66.7% / 67.1%
Fairbank — Car (driver): 66.7% Ruby — Car (driver): 67.1%
Worked from Home 33.3% / 28.0%
Fairbank — Worked from Home: 33.3% Ruby — Worked from Home: 28.0%
Walked Only — / 4.9%
Fairbank — Walked Only: not among its largest Ruby — Walked Only: 4.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (67.1%).

Setting

Fairbank Ruby
Elevation 179 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 193 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 28.0 km 24.6 km

NBN connectivity

Fairbank Ruby
Connectivity score 26/100 30/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
17 premises
 0%
78 premises

Climate

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

Federal electorate

Fairbank Ruby
Division Monash
same for both
Member Mary Aldred
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Fairbank Ruby
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

Ruby

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Fairbank

Fairbank vs Kardella Fairbank vs Leongatha North Fairbank vs Mount Eccles Fairbank vs Arawata Fairbank vs Wild Dog Valley

Other comparisons with Ruby

Ruby vs Leongatha Ruby vs Kardella Ruby vs Leongatha North Ruby vs Kardella South
Full data on Fairbank Full data on Ruby
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or