Fairbank vs Wild Dog Valley
Wild Dog Valley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 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, while Wild Dog Valley suits 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Fairbank carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 53/100)
- Wild Dog Valley is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 70%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Wild Dog Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 30%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Wild Dog Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (134.1 km vs 136.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Fairbank
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (36% vs 15%)
- carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 53/100)
Weighs 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
Fairbank and Wild Dog 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
Wild Dog Valley has more residents (78 vs 52); Fairbank skews older (51 vs 42).
| Fairbank | Wild Dog Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 52 | 78 +50% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +26.8% | +25.8% |
| Median age | 51 | 42 |
| Median household income | $71,448/yr | $84,500/yr +18% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | — same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.8%).
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 (21.2%).
Zoning mix
| Fairbank | Wild Dog Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 97% | 100% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 3% | 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
| Fairbank | Wild Dog Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 170 across South Gippsland same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +21% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Fairbank | Wild Dog Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 33% of VIC | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 13% of VIC | Higher than 9% 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 17% of VIC |
Liveability
| Fairbank | Wild Dog Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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); Wild Dog Valley carries more bushfire risk (21 vs 0).
| Fairbank | Wild Dog Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 21/100 |
| Crime | Low 27/100 | Moderate 53/100 |
| 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 | Wild Dog Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Wild Dog Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 0 | 2 |
Mobility
Fairbank sits further from the CBD (136.1 km vs 134.1 km).
| Fairbank | Wild Dog Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 136.1 km +1% vs other | 134.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 111 min | 112 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.7%).
Setting
| Fairbank | Wild Dog Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 179 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 118 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 28.0 km | 32.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Fairbank | Wild Dog Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 26/100 | 20/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 17 premises | 0% 22 premises |
Climate
| Fairbank | Wild Dog Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Wild Dog Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,282/yr same for both | |
| Council | South Gippsland same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Fairbank | Wild Dog Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Monash same for both | |
| Member | Mary Aldred same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Fairbank | Wild Dog Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Fairbank
Other comparisons with Wild Dog Valley
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.