Great Western vs Rhymney
Rhymney is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 52 in Great Western. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Great Western, about half of households are people living alone. In Rhymney, most households are couple families. On these figures, Great Western tends to suit older residents, while Rhymney 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
Rhymney
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (50/100 vs 87/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (56% vs 45%)
- But Great Western has more parks and reserves (13 vs 1)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Great Western
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 26%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Rhymney
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (4% vs 14%)
- has cheaper rent ($70/wk vs $200/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Great Western
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (150 min vs 160 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (219.3 km vs 224.7 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 20%)
- Rhymney carries lower crime risk (50/100 vs 87/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Great Western
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (6.2% vs -6.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Great Western and Rhymney 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
Great Western has more residents (425 vs 56); Great Western rents higher ($200/wk vs $70/wk).
| Great Western | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 425 +87% vs other | 56 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.2% | -6.7% |
| Median age | 52 | 39 |
| Median household income | $76,648/yr | $84,448/yr +10% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk +65% vs other | $70/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.6%).
Property market
| Great Western | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $500,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $445,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 137 days from 3 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Rhymney has more rural and farming land (100% vs 86%).
| Great Western | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 86% | 100% |
| Parks and recreation | 8% | 0% |
| Environmental | 4% | 0% |
| Residential | 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
| Great Western | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 28 across Northern Grampians | 56 across Ararat |
| Approvals change year on year | -62% | +80% |
Ranking within VIC
| Great Western | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 44% of VIC | Higher than 52% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 11% of VIC | Higher than 50% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 20% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 52% of VIC | Higher than 45% of VIC |
Liveability
| Great Western | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Great Western carries more flood risk (51 vs 0); Great Western carries more crime risk (87 vs 50).
| Great Western | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 58/100 | Moderate 56/100 |
| Crime | High 87/100 | Moderate 50/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Great Western | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Great Western
- Great Western Primary School Government · Primary
Schools in Rhymney
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Great Western | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 13 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 22 | 64 |
Mobility
Rhymney sits further from the CBD (224.7 km vs 219.3 km).
| Great Western | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 219.3 km | 224.7 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 150 min | 160 min |
| 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.2%).
Setting
| Great Western | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 262 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 292 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Great Western | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 223 premises | 0% 25 premises |
Climate
| Great Western | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,730/yr | $2,002/yr |
| Council | Northern Grampians | Ararat |
Federal electorate
| Great Western | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee | Wannon |
| Member | Anne Webster | Dan Tehan |
| Party | The Nationals | Liberal |
First Home Owner Grant
| Great Western | Rhymney | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Great Western
Rhymney
More comparisons
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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.