Gorae West vs Portland North
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Gorae West, about half of households are couple families. In Portland North, most households are couple families. On these figures, Gorae West tends to suit people living alone, while Portland North 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
Portland North
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (74% vs 56%)
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
Gorae West
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (20% vs 6%)
- has cheaper rent ($218/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Portland North
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (261 min vs 270 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (352.2 km vs 364 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Portland North
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 18%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Portland North
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (13.3% vs 4.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Gorae West and Portland North 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
Portland North has more residents (708 vs 237); Portland North rents higher ($300/wk vs $218/wk).
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 237 | 708 +199% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.4% | +13.3% |
| Median age | 47 | 46 |
| Median household income | $92,300/yr | $98,072/yr +6% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $218/wk | $300/wk +38% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.2%).
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 (4.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $710,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $230,000 |
Zoning mix
Portland North has more industrially zoned land (14% vs 0%); Gorae West has more rural and farming land (84% vs 71%).
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 84% | 71% |
| Parks and recreation | 16% | 3% |
| Industrial | 0% | 14% |
| Environmental | 0% | 7% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 3% |
| Residential | 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
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 60 across Glenelg same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -65% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 61% of VIC | Higher than 71% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 17% of VIC same for both | |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 6% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 16% of VIC | Higher than 75% of VIC |
Liveability
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 28/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 91/100 | High 96/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 54/100 | Moderate 51/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Low 27/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 2 within 5 km |
Schools
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Gorae West
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Portland North
- Portland North Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 9 | 0 |
Mobility
Gorae West sits further from the CBD (364 km vs 352.2 km).
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 364 km +3% vs other | 352.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 270 min | 261 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 3305 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 33 postcode 3305 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 (83.2%).
Setting
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 77 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 34 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 10.0 km | 3.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 19/100 | 62/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 69 premises | 40% 376 premises |
Climate
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 860 mm | 661 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 22.2°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.6°C | — |
Council rates
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,852/yr same for both | |
| Council | Glenelg same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Gorae West | Portland North | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Gorae West
Other comparisons with Portland North
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.