Freeburgh vs Smoko
Smoko is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 53 in Freeburgh. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Smoko, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Freeburgh tends to suit older residents, while Smoko suits 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Freeburgh is already more of a family suburb (56% vs 30%)
- Smoko has more separate houses rather than flats (113% vs 96%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Freeburgh
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 25%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Smoko
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($260/wk vs $350/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Smoko
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (232 min vs 239 min)
- But Freeburgh sits closer to the CBD (335.7 km vs 339.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Freeburgh has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 21%)
- Smoko is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
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
Freeburgh and Smoko 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
Freeburgh has more residents (136 vs 56); Freeburgh has higher household incomes ($68,224 vs $50,232).
| Freeburgh | Smoko | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 136 +59% vs other | 56 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +23.6% | +21.7% |
| Median age | 53 | 49 |
| Median household income | $68,224/yr +26% vs other | $50,232/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk +26% vs other | $260/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.0%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (10.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 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 (17.9%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Freeburgh | Smoko | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks and recreation | 83% | 92% |
| Rural and farming | 15% | 7% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 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
| Freeburgh | Smoko | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 32 across Alpine same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -42% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Freeburgh | Smoko | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 30% of VIC | Higher than 10% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 24% of VIC | Higher than 69% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 79% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 5% of VIC | Higher than 1% of VIC |
Liveability
Smoko is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Freeburgh | Smoko | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
| Freeburgh | Smoko | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 99/100 | High 98/100 |
| Crime | Low 20/100 | Low 26/100 |
| 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
| Freeburgh | Smoko | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Freeburgh | Smoko | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 4 | 2 |
Mobility
Smoko sits further from the CBD (339.8 km vs 335.7 km).
| Freeburgh | Smoko | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 335.7 km | 339.8 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 239 min | 232 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.1% postcode 3741 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 45 postcode 3741 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (57.4%).
Setting
| Freeburgh | Smoko | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 609 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 427 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Freeburgh | Smoko | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 44 premises | 0% 9 premises |
Climate
| Freeburgh | Smoko | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 895 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Freeburgh | Smoko | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,945/yr same for both | |
| Council | Alpine same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Freeburgh | Smoko | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Freeburgh | Smoko | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Freeburgh
Other comparisons with Smoko
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.