Girgarre East vs Harston
Girgarre East is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 47 in Harston. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Harston, most households are couple families. On these figures, Girgarre East tends to suit people living alone, while Harston suits couples.
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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
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
Harston
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($230/wk vs $275/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Harston
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (132 min vs 137 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (189.8 km vs 195.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Girgarre East
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.2% vs -4.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Girgarre East and Harston 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
Girgarre East rents higher ($275/wk vs $230/wk); Harston skews older (47 vs 41).
| Girgarre East | Harston | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 143 | 167 +17% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +18.2% | -4.0% |
| Median age | 41 | 47 |
| Median household income | $81,224/yr | $92,612/yr +14% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $275/wk +16% vs other | $230/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).
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 (5.6%).
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 (23.8%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Girgarre East | Harston | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 100% |
| 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
| Girgarre East | Harston | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 649 across Greater Shepparton same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -23% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Girgarre East | Harston | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 49% of VIC | Higher than 62% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 43% of VIC | Higher than 51% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 29% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 63% of VIC | Higher than 67% of VIC |
Liveability
| Girgarre East | Harston | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Girgarre East carries more bushfire risk (20 vs 0).
| Girgarre East | Harston | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 20/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 48/100 | Low 39/100 |
| Flood | High 86/100 | High 85/100 |
| 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
| Girgarre East | Harston | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Girgarre East
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Harston
- Harston Primary School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Girgarre East | Harston | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Girgarre East sits further from the CBD (195.8 km vs 189.8 km).
| Girgarre East | Harston | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 195.8 km +3% vs other | 189.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 137 min | 132 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 3616 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 3616 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 (62.5%).
Setting
| Girgarre East | Harston | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 109 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 112 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Girgarre East | Harston | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 59 premises | 0% 83 premises |
Climate
| Girgarre East | Harston | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 436 mm | 453 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.1°C | 29.9°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.8°C | 3.6°C |
Council rates
| Girgarre East | Harston | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,449/yr same for both | |
| Council | Greater Shepparton same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Girgarre East | Harston | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Nicholls same for both | |
| Member | Sam Birrell same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Girgarre East | Harston | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Girgarre East
Other comparisons with Harston
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.