Gritjurk vs Melville Forest

Melville Forest is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 39 in Gritjurk. 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, Gritjurk tends to suit families with children and couples, while Melville Forest suits people living alone.

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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Gritjurk is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 57%)
  • Melville Forest carries lower crime risk (44/100 vs 55/100)

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

First-home buyers

Gritjurk

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (4% vs 16%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Gritjurk

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $150/wk)

Weighs rent.

Commuting to the city

Melville Forest

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (232 min vs 246 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (331.7 km vs 343.1 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Gritjurk has more residents already 65 and over (16% vs 6%)
  • Melville Forest carries lower crime risk (44/100 vs 55/100)

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

Investors

Melville Forest

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (50.0% vs 10.9%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Gritjurk Melville Forest
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.

Gritjurk Melville Forest
Walkability 0 / 0
Gritjurk — Walkability: 0/100 Melville Forest — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 45 / 56
Gritjurk — Safety: 45/100 Melville Forest — Safety: 56/100
Low fire risk 100 / 62
Gritjurk — Low fire risk: 100/100 Melville Forest — Low fire risk: 62/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Gritjurk — Low flood risk: 100/100 Melville Forest — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Melville Forest rents higher ($150/wk vs $0/wk); Gritjurk has higher household incomes ($117,000 vs $61,724).

Gritjurk Melville Forest
Population 61 63
+3% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +10.9% +50.0%
Median age 39 36
Median household income $117,000/yr
+47% vs other
 $61,724/yr
Median weekly rent — $150/wk
(not reported on the other side)

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Gritjurk Melville Forest
0-4 11.5% / 6.3%
Gritjurk — 0-4: 11.5% Melville Forest — 0-4: 6.3%
5-14 16.4% / 14.3%
Gritjurk — 5-14: 16.4% Melville Forest — 5-14: 14.3%
15-19 — / 11.1%
Gritjurk — 15-19: not among its largest Melville Forest — 15-19: 11.1%
20-24 8.2% / 6.3%
Gritjurk — 20-24: 8.2% Melville Forest — 20-24: 6.3%
25-34 — / 7.9%
Gritjurk — 25-34: not among its largest Melville Forest — 25-34: 7.9%
35-44 21.3% / 20.6%
Gritjurk — 35-44: 21.3% Melville Forest — 35-44: 20.6%
45-54 4.9% / 12.7%
Gritjurk — 45-54: 4.9% Melville Forest — 45-54: 12.7%
55-64 13.1% / 19.0%
Gritjurk — 55-64: 13.1% Melville Forest — 55-64: 19.0%
65-74 11.5% / 6.3%
Gritjurk — 65-74: 11.5% Melville Forest — 65-74: 6.3%
75-84 4.9% / —
Gritjurk — 75-84: 4.9% Melville Forest — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ — / —
Gritjurk — 85+: not among its largest Melville Forest — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Gritjurk 80.0% couple families
Gritjurk — Couple Families: 80.0% Gritjurk — Lone Person: 20.0%
Melville Forest 57.1% couple families
Melville Forest — Couple Families: 57.1% Melville Forest — Lone Person: 42.9%
Couple Families Lone Person

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Gritjurk 0.0% renting
Gritjurk — Owned Outright: 70.6% Gritjurk — Mortgage: 29.4% Gritjurk — Renting: 0.0%
Melville Forest 18.2% renting
Melville Forest — Owned Outright: 40.9% Melville Forest — Mortgage: 40.9% Melville Forest — Renting: 18.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Gritjurk 100.0% houses
Gritjurk — Houses: 100.0%
Melville Forest 100.0% houses
Melville Forest — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Gritjurk Melville Forest
Certificate III & IV 18.0% / 6.3%
Gritjurk — Certificate III & IV: 18.0% Melville Forest — Certificate III & IV: 6.3%
Bachelor Degree 8.2% / 15.9%
Gritjurk — Bachelor Degree: 8.2% Melville Forest — Bachelor Degree: 15.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 6.6% / 4.8%
Gritjurk — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 6.6% Melville Forest — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.8%
Postgraduate Degree 4.9% / —
Gritjurk — Postgraduate Degree: 4.9% Melville Forest — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest
Advanced Diploma / Diploma — / 4.8%
Gritjurk — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: not among its largest Melville Forest — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).

Zoning mix

Gritjurk Melville Forest
Rural and farming 100% 94%
Parks and recreation 0% 6%
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

Gritjurk Melville Forest
New dwellings approved 43
across Southern Grampians
same for both
Approvals change year on year +200%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Gritjurk Melville Forest
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 89% of VIC Higher than 23% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 28% of VIC Higher than 55% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption —
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 21% of VIC Higher than 68% of VIC

Liveability

Gritjurk Melville Forest
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Melville Forest carries more bushfire risk (38 vs 0); Gritjurk carries more crime risk (55 vs 44).

Gritjurk Melville Forest
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
38/100
Crime Moderate
55/100
 Moderate
44/100
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
same for both

Schools

Gritjurk Melville Forest
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

Gritjurk Melville Forest
Parks & reserves 0 1
Waterways 2 3

Mobility

Gritjurk sits further from the CBD (343.1 km vs 331.7 km).

Gritjurk Melville Forest
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 343.1 km
+3% vs other
 331.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 246 min 232 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 3315
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 32
postcode 3315
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.

Gritjurk Melville Forest
Car (driver) 65.2% / 62.5%
Gritjurk — Car (driver): 65.2% Melville Forest — Car (driver): 62.5%
Worked from Home 34.8% / 37.5%
Gritjurk — Worked from Home: 34.8% Melville Forest — Worked from Home: 37.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (65.2%).

Setting

Gritjurk Melville Forest
Elevation 227 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 246 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Gritjurk Melville Forest
Connectivity score 22/100 30/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
16 premises
 0%
26 premises

Climate

Gritjurk Melville Forest
Annual rainfall 604 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 4.7°C
same for both

Council rates

Gritjurk Melville Forest
Average residential rate $1,892/yr
same for both
Council Southern Grampians
same for both

Federal electorate

Gritjurk Melville Forest
Division Wannon
same for both
Member Dan Tehan
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Gritjurk Melville Forest
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Gritjurk

Family Rural Young Families

Melville Forest

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Gritjurk

Gritjurk vs Coleraine Gritjurk vs Wannon Gritjurk vs Bulart

Other comparisons with Melville Forest

Melville Forest vs Cavendish Melville Forest vs Bulart
Full data on Gritjurk Full data on Melville Forest
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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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