Gnarwarre vs Mount Moriac
Comparing Gnarwarre and Mount Moriac, VIC: Mount Moriac is more walkable (10 vs 0); Mount Moriac carries more crime risk (87 vs 29); and Gnarwarre rents higher ($390/wk vs $300/wk).
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
Gnarwarre
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (29/100 vs 87/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Mount Moriac
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 26%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Mount Moriac
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 18%)
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $390/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Mount Moriac
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (72 min vs 79 min)
- But Gnarwarre sits closer to the CBD (94.7 km vs 97.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Gnarwarre carries lower crime risk (29/100 vs 87/100)
- Mount Moriac is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Gnarwarre
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (11.2% vs 4.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Gnarwarre and Mount Moriac 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
Gnarwarre rents higher ($390/wk vs $300/wk); Mount Moriac has higher household incomes ($128,076 vs $113,724).
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 297 +15% vs other | 251 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +11.2% | +4.6% |
| Median age | 43 | 42 |
| Median household income | $113,724/yr | $128,076/yr +13% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $390/wk +23% vs other | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (4.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 97% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 2% |
| 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
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 300 across Surf Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +57% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 86% of VIC | Higher than 94% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 10% of VIC | Higher than 73% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 74% of VIC | Higher than 90% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 51% of VIC | Higher than 71% of VIC |
Liveability
Mount Moriac is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Mount Moriac carries more crime risk (87 vs 29).
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 29/100 | High 87/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 43/100 | Low 39/100 |
| 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
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 | 7 |
Mobility
Mount Moriac sits further from the CBD (97.1 km vs 94.7 km).
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 94.7 km | 97.1 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 79 min | 72 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.9% postcode 3221 | 1.6% postcode 3240 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | — postcode 3221 | 62 postcode 3240 |
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 (71.2%).
Setting
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 131 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 138 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 18.7 km | 16.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 110 premises | 0% 109 premises |
Climate
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 502 mm | 599 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.8°C | 23.2°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.3°C | 7.6°C |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 20.5 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,314/yr same for both | |
| Council | Surf Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Gnarwarre | Mount Moriac | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Gnarwarre
Other comparisons with Mount Moriac
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.