Grassmere vs Woodford
Woodford is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 42 in Grassmere. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Woodford tends to suit families with children 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
Woodford
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 38/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (86% vs 67%)
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
Grassmere
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (16% vs 4%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Grassmere sits closer to the CBD (253.9 km vs 261.4 km)
- Woodford is more walkable (37/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Woodford
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (37/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 38/100)
- But Grassmere has more residents already 65 and over (18% vs 13%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Woodford
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (20.8% vs -4.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Grassmere and Woodford 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
Woodford has higher household incomes ($135,200 vs $100,724); Grassmere skews older (42 vs 39).
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 385 | 436 +13% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -4.2% | +20.8% |
| Median age | 42 | 39 |
| Median household income | $100,724/yr | $135,200/yr +34% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $295/wk | $300/wk +2% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.0%).
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 (3.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $660,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 92% |
| Residential | 0% | 4% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 3% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 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
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 64 across Moyne | 388 across Warrnambool |
| Approvals change year on year | -15% | -22% |
Ranking within VIC
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 73% of VIC | Higher than 95% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 23% of VIC | Higher than 84% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 29% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 56% of VIC | Higher than 53% of VIC |
Liveability
Woodford is more walkable (37 vs 0).
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Grassmere carries more crime risk (38 vs 11).
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 38/100 | Low 11/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 2 within 5 km |
Schools
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Grassmere
- Grasmere Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Woodford
- Woodford Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 3 |
| Childcare | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 10 | 2 |
Mobility
Woodford sits further from the CBD (261.4 km vs 253.9 km).
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 37/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 253.9 km | 261.4 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 189 min | 193 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 3281 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 53 postcode 3281 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 (70.6%).
Setting
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 78 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 11 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 16.9 km | 8.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 168 premises | 0% 162 premises |
Climate
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 594 mm | 699 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.1°C | 22.5°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.7°C | 7.2°C |
Council rates
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,613/yr | $2,162/yr |
| Council | Moyne | Warrnambool |
Federal electorate
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Grassmere | Woodford | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Grassmere
Other comparisons with Woodford
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.