Gooram vs Merton

Merton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 53 against 56 in Gooram. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Gooram, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Gooram tends to suit people living alone and 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

Gooram

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 88/100)

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

First-home buyers

Gooram

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 32%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Gooram

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($165/wk vs $200/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Merton

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (23/100 vs 0/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (151.2 km vs 181 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Gooram carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 88/100)
  • Merton is more walkable (23/100 vs 0/100)

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

Investors

Merton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (13.7% vs -4.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Gooram Merton
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.

Gooram Merton
Walkability 0 / 23
Gooram — Walkability: 0/100 Merton — Walkability: 23/100
Safety 86 / 12
Gooram — Safety: 86/100 Merton — Safety: 12/100
Low fire risk 32 / 35
Gooram — Low fire risk: 32/100 Merton — Low fire risk: 35/100
Low flood risk 74 / 68
Gooram — Low flood risk: 74/100 Merton — Low flood risk: 68/100

Demographics

Merton has more residents (216 vs 141); Merton rents higher ($200/wk vs $165/wk).

Gooram Merton
Population 141 216
+53% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -4.7% +13.7%
Median age 56 53
Median household income $62,816/yr
+10% vs other
 $56,732/yr
Median weekly rent $165/wk $200/wk
+21% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Gooram Merton
0-4 2.8% / 5.1%
Gooram — 0-4: 2.8% Merton — 0-4: 5.1%
5-14 11.3% / 8.3%
Gooram — 5-14: 11.3% Merton — 5-14: 8.3%
15-19 5.0% / 5.6%
Gooram — 15-19: 5.0% Merton — 15-19: 5.6%
20-24 5.7% / 1.4%
Gooram — 20-24: 5.7% Merton — 20-24: 1.4%
25-34 7.1% / 5.6%
Gooram — 25-34: 7.1% Merton — 25-34: 5.6%
35-44 10.6% / 13.9%
Gooram — 35-44: 10.6% Merton — 35-44: 13.9%
45-54 9.9% / 14.4%
Gooram — 45-54: 9.9% Merton — 45-54: 14.4%
55-64 24.8% / 16.7%
Gooram — 55-64: 24.8% Merton — 55-64: 16.7%
65-74 24.1% / 21.8%
Gooram — 65-74: 24.1% Merton — 65-74: 21.8%
75-84 4.3% / 7.4%
Gooram — 75-84: 4.3% Merton — 75-84: 7.4%
85+ 2.8% / —
Gooram — 85+: 2.8% Merton — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Gooram 51.7% lone person
Gooram — Lone Person: 51.7% Gooram — Couple Families: 48.3% Gooram — One Parent Families: 0.0% Gooram — Group Household: 0.0%
Merton 43.6% lone person
Merton — Lone Person: 43.6% Merton — Couple Families: 38.2% Merton — One Parent Families: 12.7% Merton — Group Household: 5.5%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Gooram 0.0% renting
Gooram — Owned Outright: 64.6% Gooram — Mortgage: 35.4% Gooram — Renting: 0.0%
Merton 4.8% renting
Merton — Owned Outright: 59.5% Merton — Mortgage: 35.7% Merton — Renting: 4.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Gooram Merton
England 3.5% / 2.3%
Gooram — England: 3.5% Merton — England: 2.3%
Germany 3.5% / —
Gooram — Germany: 3.5% Merton — Germany: not among its largest
New Zealand — / 1.9%
Gooram — New Zealand: not among its largest Merton — New Zealand: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.5%).

Qualifications

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

Gooram Merton
Certificate III & IV 17.0% / 18.1%
Gooram — Certificate III & IV: 17.0% Merton — Certificate III & IV: 18.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 15.6% / 14.8%
Gooram — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 15.6% Merton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 14.8%
Bachelor Degree 11.3% / 6.9%
Gooram — Bachelor Degree: 11.3% Merton — Bachelor Degree: 6.9%
Postgraduate Degree 4.3% / 3.2%
Gooram — Postgraduate Degree: 4.3% Merton — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 3.2%
Gooram — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Merton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Gooram 100.0% houses
Gooram — Houses: 100.0%
Merton 101.1% houses
Merton — Houses: 101.1%
Houses

Zoning mix

Gooram Merton
Rural and farming 98% 97%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 1%
Parks and recreation 0% 1%
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

Gooram Merton
New dwellings approved 75
across Strathbogie
 76
across Mansfield
Approvals change year on year +167% -50%

Ranking within VIC

Gooram Merton
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 24% of VIC Higher than 15% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 58% of VIC Higher than 81% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 60% of VIC Higher than 58% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 13% of VIC
same for both

Liveability

Merton is more walkable (23 vs 0).

Gooram Merton
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Merton carries more crime risk (88 vs 14).

Gooram Merton
Bushfire Moderate
68/100
 Moderate
65/100
Crime Low
14/100
 High
88/100
Flood Low
26/100
 Low
32/100
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

Gooram Merton
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

Gooram Merton
Parks & reserves 3 2
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 7 3

Mobility

Gooram sits further from the CBD (181 km vs 151.2 km).

Gooram Merton
Walkability score 0/100 23/100
Distance to Melbourne 181 km
+16% vs other
 151.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 134 min 130 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 3666
 0.6%
postcode 3715
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 3666
 35
postcode 3715

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.

Gooram Merton
Car (driver) 52.2% / 61.1%
Gooram — Car (driver): 52.2% Merton — Car (driver): 61.1%
Worked from Home 37.3% / 25.6%
Gooram — Worked from Home: 37.3% Merton — Worked from Home: 25.6%
Car (passenger) 6.0% / 6.7%
Gooram — Car (passenger): 6.0% Merton — Car (passenger): 6.7%
Walked Only 4.5% / 6.7%
Gooram — Walked Only: 4.5% Merton — Walked Only: 6.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (61.1%).

Setting

Gooram Merton
Elevation 340 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 343 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Gooram Merton
Connectivity score 16/100
same for both
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
45 premises
 0%
63 premises

Climate

Gooram Merton
Annual rainfall 865 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.2°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 2.0°C
same for both

Council rates

Gooram Merton
Average residential rate $2,476/yr $1,697/yr
Council Strathbogie Mansfield

Federal electorate

Gooram Merton
Division Indi
same for both
Member Helen Haines
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Gooram Merton
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Gooram

Retirees Rural

Merton

Retirees River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Gooram

Gooram vs Euroa Gooram vs Strathbogie Gooram vs Creightons Creek Gooram vs Kelvin View Gooram vs Terip Terip

Other comparisons with Merton

Merton vs Strathbogie Merton vs Gobur Merton vs Ancona Merton vs Terip Terip Merton vs Woodfield Merton vs Kanumbra
Full data on Gooram Full data on Merton
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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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