Golden Beach vs Paradise Beach
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and the large majority of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Golden Beach: a median of $365,000, against $285,000 in Paradise Beach. On these figures, Paradise Beach tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Paradise Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 69/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Paradise Beach
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper land ($75,750 vs $115,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 28%)
- has cheaper houses ($285,000 vs $365,000)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Paradise Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 69/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Golden Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (21.5% vs 7.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Golden Beach and Paradise Beach 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
Golden Beach has more residents (356 vs 172).
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 356 +52% vs other | 172 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +21.5% | +7.5% |
| Median age | 60 | 61 |
| Median household income | $37,128/yr | $37,336/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk +4% vs other | $193/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (32.0%).
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 (13.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $365,000 | $285,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $115,000 | $75,750 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 69 days from 12 sales | 46 days from 7 sales |
Zoning mix
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 55% | 58% |
| Parks and recreation | 34% | 13% |
| Residential | 10% | 29% |
| 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
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 209 across Wellington same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +17% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 6.4% $510/wk on $415K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 3% of VIC | Higher than 4% of VIC |
| Income | Higher than 2% of VIC same for both | |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 56% of VIC | Higher than 4% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 64% of VIC | Higher than 53% of VIC |
| EV adoption | Higher than 33% of VIC | Higher than 32% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 11% of VIC | Higher than 1% of VIC |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 100% of VIC | — |
Liveability
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Golden Beach carries more bushfire risk (53 vs 26); Golden Beach carries more crime risk (69 vs 41).
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 53/100 | Low 26/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 69/100 | Moderate 41/100 |
| Flood | High 97/100 | High 89/100 |
| Coastal erosion | Low 28/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 248.8 km | 247 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 183 min | 181 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 3851 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 40 postcode 3851 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 (78.0%).
Setting
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 6 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.1 km 1.8 km to a named beach | 573 m 4.7 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 55 premises | 0% 67 premises |
Climate
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 546 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.0°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,960/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wellington same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gippsland same for both | |
| Member | Darren Chester same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Golden Beach | Paradise Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Golden Beach
Paradise Beach
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.