Falls Creek vs Hotham Heights

In both, most homes are flats or apartments. In Falls Creek, most households own their home. In Hotham Heights, about half of households rent and most households are people living alone. On these figures, Hotham Heights tends to suit young adults and 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

Falls Creek

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (16% vs 0%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 20%)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

Hotham Heights

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 41%)
  • has cheaper rent ($470/wk vs $539/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Hotham Heights

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (292 min vs 305 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (381.7 km vs 395.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Hotham Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (100% vs 84%)

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

Investors

Falls Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (11.3% vs -34.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
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.

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
Walkability 0 / 0
Falls Creek — Walkability: 0/100 Hotham Heights — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 89 / 89
Falls Creek — Safety: 89/100 Hotham Heights — Safety: 89/100
Low fire risk 4 / 6
Falls Creek — Low fire risk: 4/100 Hotham Heights — Low fire risk: 6/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Falls Creek — Low flood risk: 100/100 Hotham Heights — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Falls Creek has more residents (326 vs 128); Hotham Heights has higher household incomes ($109,564 vs $68,224).

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
Population 326
+61% vs other
 128
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +11.3% -34.7%
Median age 28 30
Median household income $68,224/yr $109,564/yr
+61% vs other
Median weekly rent $539/wk
+13% vs other
 $470/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
0-4 1.8% / 2.3%
Falls Creek — 0-4: 1.8% Hotham Heights — 0-4: 2.3%
5-14 6.7% / 8.6%
Falls Creek — 5-14: 6.7% Hotham Heights — 5-14: 8.6%
15-19 6.1% / 2.3%
Falls Creek — 15-19: 6.1% Hotham Heights — 15-19: 2.3%
20-24 20.6% / 24.2%
Falls Creek — 20-24: 20.6% Hotham Heights — 20-24: 24.2%
25-34 25.2% / 32.0%
Falls Creek — 25-34: 25.2% Hotham Heights — 25-34: 32.0%
35-44 13.8% / 12.5%
Falls Creek — 35-44: 13.8% Hotham Heights — 35-44: 12.5%
45-54 12.0% / 16.4%
Falls Creek — 45-54: 12.0% Hotham Heights — 45-54: 16.4%
55-64 7.4% / 7.8%
Falls Creek — 55-64: 7.4% Hotham Heights — 55-64: 7.8%
65-74 3.4% / 4.7%
Falls Creek — 65-74: 3.4% Hotham Heights — 65-74: 4.7%
75-84 1.8% / —
Falls Creek — 75-84: 1.8% Hotham Heights — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ — / 2.3%
Falls Creek — 85+: not among its largest Hotham Heights — 85+: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (32.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Falls Creek 42.1% lone person
Falls Creek — Lone Person: 42.1% Falls Creek — One Parent Families: 42.1% Falls Creek — Couple Families: 15.8% Falls Creek — Group Household: 0.0%
Hotham Heights 65.0% lone person
Hotham Heights — Lone Person: 65.0% Hotham Heights — One Parent Families: 0.0% Hotham Heights — Couple Families: 20.0% Hotham Heights — Group Household: 15.0%
Lone Person One Parent Families Couple Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Falls Creek 44.8% renting
Falls Creek — Owned Outright: 41.4% Falls Creek — Mortgage: 13.8% Falls Creek — Renting: 44.8%
Hotham Heights 48.5% renting
Hotham Heights — Owned Outright: 30.3% Hotham Heights — Mortgage: 21.2% Hotham Heights — Renting: 48.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
England 3.4% / 3.9%
Falls Creek — England: 3.4% Hotham Heights — England: 3.9%
Taiwan 3.7% / 2.3%
Falls Creek — Taiwan: 3.7% Hotham Heights — Taiwan: 2.3%
China 1.2% / —
Falls Creek — China: 1.2% Hotham Heights — China: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.9%).

Qualifications

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

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
Certificate III & IV 15.6% / 24.2%
Falls Creek — Certificate III & IV: 15.6% Hotham Heights — Certificate III & IV: 24.2%
Bachelor Degree 16.9% / 14.8%
Falls Creek — Bachelor Degree: 16.9% Hotham Heights — Bachelor Degree: 14.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.9% / 6.2%
Falls Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9% Hotham Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.2%
Postgraduate Degree 2.5% / 3.9%
Falls Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5% Hotham Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 3.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.1% / 2.3%
Falls Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1% Hotham Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Falls Creek 71.0% flats / apartments
Falls Creek — Flats / Apartments: 71.0% Falls Creek — Houses: 16.1% Falls Creek — Townhouses: 12.9%
Hotham Heights 100.0% flats / apartments
Hotham Heights — Flats / Apartments: 100.0% Hotham Heights — Houses: 0.0% Hotham Heights — Townhouses: 0.0%
Flats / Apartments Houses Townhouses

Zoning mix

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
Parks and recreation 93% 95%
Other and special use 7% 2%
Environmental 0% 3%
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

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
New dwellings approved 4
across Unincorporated Vic
 32
across Alpine
Approvals change year on year — -42%

Ranking within VIC

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 30% of VIC Higher than 82% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 63% of VIC Higher than 62% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 69% of VIC Higher than 79% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 12% of VIC Higher than 47% of VIC

Liveability

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
Bushfire High
96/100
 High
94/100
Crime Low
11/100
same for both
Flood None
0/100
same for both
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

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Falls Creek

  • Falls Creek Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Hotham Heights

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

Amenities in the suburb

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
Supermarkets 1
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 2 6
Parks & reserves 0 2
GPs 0 1
Police stations 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 21 220

Mobility

Falls Creek sits further from the CBD (395.4 km vs 381.7 km).

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 395.4 km
+3% vs other
 381.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 305 min 292 min
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 3699
 1.1%
postcode 3741
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 39
postcode 3699
 45
postcode 3741

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.

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
Walked Only 74.2% / 56.2%
Falls Creek — Walked Only: 74.2% Hotham Heights — Walked Only: 56.2%
Worked from Home 19.9% / 15.1%
Falls Creek — Worked from Home: 19.9% Hotham Heights — Worked from Home: 15.1%
Car (driver) 6.0% / 12.3%
Falls Creek — Car (driver): 6.0% Hotham Heights — Car (driver): 12.3%
Bus — / 16.4%
Falls Creek — Bus: not among its largest Hotham Heights — Bus: 16.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.2%).

Setting

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
Elevation 1,695 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 1,382 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
Connectivity score 15/100 29/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
3 premises
 0%
46 premises

Climate

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
Annual rainfall 1,488 mm 1,604 mm
Summer max (Jan) 17.1°C 16.0°C
Winter min (Jul) -2.4°C -3.3°C

Federal electorate

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
Division Indi
same for both
Member Helen Haines
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Falls Creek Hotham Heights
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Falls Creek

Apartments Rural Students

Hotham Heights

Apartments River Rural Students

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Falls Creek

Falls Creek vs Tawonga South

Other comparisons with Hotham Heights

Hotham Heights vs Tawonga South Hotham Heights vs Harrietville Hotham Heights vs Dinner Plain Hotham Heights vs Dargo Hotham Heights vs Smoko
Full data on Falls Creek Full data on Hotham Heights
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