Great Western vs Ararat

Ararat is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 52 in Great Western. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Great Western: a median of $500,000, against $425,000 in Ararat, though rent is higher in Ararat.

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

Ararat

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (8 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (7 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (16 vs 13)
  • But Great Western has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 90%)

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

First-home buyers

Ararat

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($212,500 vs $445,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($425,000 vs $500,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Great Western

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 21%)
  • has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $250/wk)
  • But Ararat has a bigger rental market to choose from (27% vs 10%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Ararat

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (141 min vs 150 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (207.4 km vs 219.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Great Western has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 24%)
  • Ararat has more GPs (4 vs 0)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Great Western Ararat
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.

Great Western Ararat
Walkability 0 / 4
Great Western — Walkability: 0/100 Ararat — Walkability: 4/100
Safety 13 / 15
Great Western — Safety: 13/100 Ararat — Safety: 15/100
Low fire risk 42 / 49
Great Western — Low fire risk: 42/100 Ararat — Low fire risk: 49/100
Low flood risk 49 / 100
Great Western — Low flood risk: 49/100 Ararat — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Ararat has more residents (8,500 vs 425); Ararat rents higher ($250/wk vs $200/wk).

Great Western Ararat
Population 425 8,500
+1900% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.2% +2.4%
Median age 52 45
Median household income $76,648/yr
+18% vs other
 $63,232/yr
Median weekly rent $200/wk $250/wk
+25% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Great Western Ararat
0-4 2.4% / 5.0%
Great Western — 0-4: 2.4% Ararat — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 10.6% / 9.5%
Great Western — 5-14: 10.6% Ararat — 5-14: 9.5%
15-19 5.2% / 4.9%
Great Western — 15-19: 5.2% Ararat — 15-19: 4.9%
20-24 2.6% / 5.3%
Great Western — 20-24: 2.6% Ararat — 20-24: 5.3%
25-34 5.6% / 13.8%
Great Western — 25-34: 5.6% Ararat — 25-34: 13.8%
35-44 10.4% / 11.1%
Great Western — 35-44: 10.4% Ararat — 35-44: 11.1%
45-54 16.5% / 12.4%
Great Western — 45-54: 16.5% Ararat — 45-54: 12.4%
55-64 16.5% / 13.8%
Great Western — 55-64: 16.5% Ararat — 55-64: 13.8%
65-74 20.2% / 12.9%
Great Western — 65-74: 20.2% Ararat — 65-74: 12.9%
75-84 9.2% / 7.8%
Great Western — 75-84: 9.2% Ararat — 75-84: 7.8%
85+ 0.7% / 3.6%
Great Western — 85+: 0.7% Ararat — 85+: 3.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Great Western 50.0% lone person
Great Western — Lone Person: 50.0% Great Western — Couple Families: 34.7% Great Western — One Parent Families: 10.5% Great Western — Other Families: 4.8% Great Western — Group Household: 0.0%
Ararat 48.0% lone person
Ararat — Lone Person: 48.0% Ararat — Couple Families: 28.5% Ararat — One Parent Families: 17.1% Ararat — Other Families: 2.0% Ararat — Group Household: 4.3%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Other Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Great Western 10.4% renting
Great Western — Owned Outright: 53.0% Great Western — Mortgage: 36.6% Great Western — Renting: 10.4%
Ararat 27.4% renting
Ararat — Owned Outright: 42.1% Ararat — Mortgage: 30.5% Ararat — Renting: 27.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Great Western Ararat
Certificate III & IV 21.6% / 15.0%
Great Western — Certificate III & IV: 21.6% Ararat — Certificate III & IV: 15.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.2% / 6.6%
Great Western — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.2% Ararat — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6%
Bachelor Degree 8.5% / 6.4%
Great Western — Bachelor Degree: 8.5% Ararat — Bachelor Degree: 6.4%
Postgraduate Degree 3.1% / 1.7%
Great Western — Postgraduate Degree: 3.1% Ararat — Postgraduate Degree: 1.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.6% / 1.5%
Great Western — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6% Ararat — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.6%).

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.

Great Western Ararat
England 2.1% / 1.6%
Great Western — England: 2.1% Ararat — England: 1.6%
India 0.9% / 1.4%
Great Western — India: 0.9% Ararat — India: 1.4%
Philippines 1.2% / 0.9%
Great Western — Philippines: 1.2% Ararat — Philippines: 0.9%
Germany 1.6% / —
Great Western — Germany: 1.6% Ararat — Germany: not among its largest
New Zealand — / 1.5%
Great Western — New Zealand: not among its largest Ararat — New Zealand: 1.5%
Scotland 1.2% / —
Great Western — Scotland: 1.2% Ararat — Scotland: not among its largest
Taiwan — / 0.5%
Great Western — Taiwan: not among its largest Ararat — Taiwan: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Great Western 100.0% houses
Great Western — Houses: 100.0% Great Western — Townhouses: 0.0% Great Western — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Ararat 89.5% houses
Ararat — Houses: 89.5% Ararat — Townhouses: 9.1% Ararat — Flats / Apartments: 1.5%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Great Western Ararat
Median house price $500,000 $425,000
Median unit price — $347,500
Median land price $445,000 $212,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 137 days
from 3 sales
 52 days
from 129 sales

Zoning mix

Great Western has more rural and farming land (86% vs 73%).

Great Western Ararat
Rural and farming 86% 73%
Parks and recreation 8% 17%
Residential 1% 5%
Environmental 4% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 3%
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

Great Western Ararat
New dwellings approved 28
across Northern Grampians
 56
across Ararat
Approvals change year on year -62% +80%

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Great Western Ararat
Houses — 4.8%
$435/wk on $470K
Units — 5.8%
$350/wk on $313K

Ranking within VIC

Great Western Ararat
House price — Higher than 8% of VIC
Income Higher than 44% of VIC Higher than 24% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 33% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 11% of VIC Higher than 67% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 89% of VIC
EV adoption — Higher than 20% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 52% of VIC Higher than 79% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 96% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 88% of VIC

Liveability

Great Western Ararat
Grade — D
Score — 23/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Great Western carries more flood risk (51 vs 0).

Great Western Ararat
Bushfire Moderate
58/100
 Moderate
51/100
Crime High
87/100
 High
85/100
Flood Moderate
51/100
 None
0/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Great Western Ararat
Inside the suburb 1 7
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 4
Rated below peers 0 2

Schools in Great Western

  • Great Western Primary School Government · Primary

Schools in Ararat

  • Ararat Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Ararat Secondary College Government · Secondary at peers
  • Ararat West Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Mary's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Ararat North Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Marian College Catholic · Secondary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Great Western Ararat
Supermarkets 0 3
Cafes & restaurants 1 10
Parks & reserves 13 16
Childcare 0 8
GPs 0 4
Pharmacies 1 3
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 6
Fuel stations 1 5
EV chargers 0 4
Waterways 22 18

Mobility

Great Western sits further from the CBD (219.3 km vs 207.4 km).

Great Western Ararat
Walkability score 0/100 4/100
Distance to Melbourne 219.3 km
+5% vs other
 207.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 150 min 141 min
Public transport score 22/100 49/100
Rail
Peak arrivals per hour 0.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 4.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 310 min
scheduled, not actual
 2 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 3374
 0.3%
postcode 3377
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 53
postcode 3374
 38
postcode 3377

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.

Great Western Ararat
Car (driver) 70.2% / 76.1%
Great Western — Car (driver): 70.2% Ararat — Car (driver): 76.1%
Worked from Home 20.5% / 7.4%
Great Western — Worked from Home: 20.5% Ararat — Worked from Home: 7.4%
Car (passenger) 4.1% / 8.3%
Great Western — Car (passenger): 4.1% Ararat — Car (passenger): 8.3%
Walked Only 5.3% / 6.6%
Great Western — Walked Only: 5.3% Ararat — Walked Only: 6.6%
Bus — / 0.8%
Great Western — Bus: not among its largest Ararat — Bus: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.1%).

Setting

Great Western Ararat
Elevation 262 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 304 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Great Western Ararat
Connectivity score 30/100 69/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
223 premises
 41%
4,432 premises

Climate

Great Western Ararat
Annual rainfall 554 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 4.0°C
same for both

Council rates

Great Western Ararat
Average residential rate $1,730/yr $2,002/yr
Council Northern Grampians Ararat

Federal electorate

Great Western Ararat
Division Mallee Wannon
Member Anne Webster Dan Tehan
Party The Nationals Liberal

First Home Owner Grant

Great Western Ararat
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Great Western

Affordable Retirees Rural

Ararat

Acreage Affordable

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Great Western

Great Western vs Stawell Great Western vs Black Range Great Western vs Concongella Great Western vs Armstrong Great Western vs Rhymney

Other comparisons with Ararat

Ararat vs Cathcart Ararat vs Armstrong Ararat vs Warrak
Full data on Great Western Full data on Ararat
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or