Fish Creek vs Sandy Point

Fish Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 58 in Sandy Point. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Sandy Point, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Sandy Point: a median of $732,000, against $653,000 in Fish Creek, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Sandy Point 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

Fish Creek

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (54% vs 41%)
  • carries lower crime risk (55/100 vs 71/100)

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

First-home buyers

Fish Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($652,750 vs $732,500)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Fish Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($235/wk vs $280/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Fish Creek

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (137 min vs 149 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (173.6 km vs 186.5 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Fish Creek carries lower crime risk (55/100 vs 71/100)
  • Sandy Point has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 29%)

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

Investors

Sandy Point

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (15.6% vs 3.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Fish Creek Sandy Point
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.

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Walkability 0 / 0
Fish Creek — Walkability: 0/100 Sandy Point — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 45 / 29
Fish Creek — Safety: 45/100 Sandy Point — Safety: 29/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Fish Creek — Low fire risk: 100/100 Sandy Point — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 77 / 11
Fish Creek — Low flood risk: 77/100 Sandy Point — Low flood risk: 11/100

Demographics

Fish Creek has more residents (858 vs 312); Sandy Point rents higher ($280/wk vs $235/wk).

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Population 858
+64% vs other
 312
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.7% +15.6%
Median age 51 58
Median household income $66,612/yr $69,836/yr
+5% vs other
Median weekly rent $235/wk $280/wk
+19% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Fish Creek Sandy Point
0-4 2.9% / 1.3%
Fish Creek — 0-4: 2.9% Sandy Point — 0-4: 1.3%
5-14 13.9% / 9.3%
Fish Creek — 5-14: 13.9% Sandy Point — 5-14: 9.3%
15-19 5.5% / 3.2%
Fish Creek — 15-19: 5.5% Sandy Point — 15-19: 3.2%
20-24 4.4% / 1.6%
Fish Creek — 20-24: 4.4% Sandy Point — 20-24: 1.6%
25-34 5.6% / 6.1%
Fish Creek — 25-34: 5.6% Sandy Point — 25-34: 6.1%
35-44 10.8% / 8.3%
Fish Creek — 35-44: 10.8% Sandy Point — 35-44: 8.3%
45-54 13.2% / 14.7%
Fish Creek — 45-54: 13.2% Sandy Point — 45-54: 14.7%
55-64 15.3% / 22.4%
Fish Creek — 55-64: 15.3% Sandy Point — 55-64: 22.4%
65-74 17.6% / 24.4%
Fish Creek — 65-74: 17.6% Sandy Point — 65-74: 24.4%
75-84 9.7% / 8.7%
Fish Creek — 75-84: 9.7% Sandy Point — 75-84: 8.7%
85+ 1.5% / 1.9%
Fish Creek — 85+: 1.5% Sandy Point — 85+: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Fish Creek 40.9% lone person
Fish Creek — Lone Person: 40.9% Fish Creek — Couple Families: 41.9% Fish Creek — One Parent Families: 12.1% Fish Creek — Group Household: 3.3% Fish Creek — Other Families: 1.9%
Sandy Point 51.7% lone person
Sandy Point — Lone Person: 51.7% Sandy Point — Couple Families: 32.2% Sandy Point — One Parent Families: 9.2% Sandy Point — Group Household: 6.9% Sandy Point — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Fish Creek 12.2% renting
Fish Creek — Owned Outright: 60.5% Fish Creek — Mortgage: 27.3% Fish Creek — Renting: 12.2%
Sandy Point 5.5% renting
Sandy Point — Owned Outright: 66.1% Sandy Point — Mortgage: 28.3% Sandy Point — Renting: 5.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Certificate III & IV 15.5% / 14.1%
Fish Creek — Certificate III & IV: 15.5% Sandy Point — Certificate III & IV: 14.1%
Bachelor Degree 11.0% / 14.7%
Fish Creek — Bachelor Degree: 11.0% Sandy Point — Bachelor Degree: 14.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.2% / 6.7%
Fish Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2% Sandy Point — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.7%
Postgraduate Degree 5.2% / 5.1%
Fish Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 5.2% Sandy Point — Postgraduate Degree: 5.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.9% / 4.5%
Fish Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.9% Sandy Point — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.5%).

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.

Fish Creek Sandy Point
England 3.0% / 5.4%
Fish Creek — England: 3.0% Sandy Point — England: 5.4%
New Zealand 1.2% / 2.6%
Fish Creek — New Zealand: 1.2% Sandy Point — New Zealand: 2.6%
India — / 2.6%
Fish Creek — India: not among its largest Sandy Point — India: 2.6%
South Africa 0.7% / 1.3%
Fish Creek — South Africa: 0.7% Sandy Point — South Africa: 1.3%
Scotland 1.2% / —
Fish Creek — Scotland: 1.2% Sandy Point — Scotland: not among its largest
Ireland — / 1.0%
Fish Creek — Ireland: not among its largest Sandy Point — Ireland: 1.0%
Italy 0.8% / —
Fish Creek — Italy: 0.8% Sandy Point — Italy: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Fish Creek 100.3% houses
Fish Creek — Houses: 100.3%
Sandy Point 100.0% houses
Sandy Point — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Property market

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Median house price $652,750 $732,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $1,075,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) — 31 days
from 7 sales

Zoning mix

Fish Creek has more rural and farming land (96% vs 56%).

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Rural and farming 96% 56%
Parks and recreation 3% 14%
Residential 0% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 0%
Planning zones cover 100% of Fish Creek and 73% of Sandy Point. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
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

Fish Creek Sandy Point
New dwellings approved 170
across South Gippsland
same for both
Approvals change year on year +21%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Fish Creek Sandy Point
House price — Higher than 49% of VIC
Income Higher than 27% of VIC Higher than 32% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 17% of VIC Higher than 36% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 34% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 73% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 40% of VIC Higher than 83% of VIC

Liveability

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Grade B —
Score 52/100 —
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
same for both

Risk profile

Sandy Point carries more flood risk (89 vs 23); Sandy Point carries more crime risk (71 vs 55).

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
55/100
 High
71/100
Flood Low
23/100
 High
89/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Moderate
64/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Fish Creek

  • Fish Creek and District Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Sandy Point

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

Amenities in the suburb

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 2
same for both
Childcare 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 4 0

Mobility

Sandy Point sits further from the CBD (186.5 km vs 173.6 km).

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 173.6 km 186.5 km
+7% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 137 min 149 min
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 3959
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 42
postcode 3959
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.

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Car (driver) 57.4% / 59.3%
Fish Creek — Car (driver): 57.4% Sandy Point — Car (driver): 59.3%
Worked from Home 33.2% / 27.6%
Fish Creek — Worked from Home: 33.2% Sandy Point — Worked from Home: 27.6%
Walked Only 6.6% / 5.7%
Fish Creek — Walked Only: 6.6% Sandy Point — Walked Only: 5.7%
Car (passenger) 1.5% / 3.3%
Fish Creek — Car (passenger): 1.5% Sandy Point — Car (passenger): 3.3%
Bicycle — / 4.1%
Fish Creek — Bicycle: not among its largest Sandy Point — Bicycle: 4.1%
Train 1.2% / —
Fish Creek — Train: 1.2% Sandy Point — Train: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (59.3%).

Setting

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Elevation 77 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 4 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 9.3 km 1.8 km

NBN connectivity

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Connectivity score 29/100 75/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
492 premises
 56%
737 premises

Climate

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Annual rainfall 906 mm 1,083 mm
Summer max (Jan) 24.6°C 20.8°C
Winter min (Jul) 6.9°C 9.6°C

Council rates

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Average residential rate $2,282/yr
same for both
Council South Gippsland
same for both

Federal electorate

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Division Monash
same for both
Member Mary Aldred
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Fish Creek Sandy Point
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Fish Creek

Retirees Rural

Sandy Point

Coastal Retirees Rural

More comparisons

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Fish Creek vs Foster Fish Creek vs Tarwin Lower Fish Creek vs Buffalo Fish Creek vs Yanakie Fish Creek vs Walkerville

Other comparisons with Sandy Point

Sandy Point vs Yanakie
Full data on Fish Creek Full data on Sandy Point
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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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