Hamlyn Heights vs Manifold Heights

In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Manifold Heights: a median of $890,000, against $750,000 in Hamlyn Heights, though rent is higher in Hamlyn Heights. On these figures, Hamlyn Heights tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Manifold Heights suits families with children.

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

Hamlyn Heights

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (5 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (8 vs 2)
  • carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 61/100)

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

First-home buyers

Hamlyn Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($750,000 vs $890,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Manifold Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($310/wk vs $345/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Manifold Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (89/100 vs 71/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Hamlyn Heights

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 1)
  • carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 61/100)
  • But Manifold Heights is more walkable (89/100 vs 71/100)

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

Investors

Manifold Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.3% vs 3.7%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
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.

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Walkability 71 / 89
Hamlyn Heights — Walkability: 71/100 Manifold Heights — Walkability: 89/100
Safety 59 / 39
Hamlyn Heights — Safety: 59/100 Manifold Heights — Safety: 39/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Hamlyn Heights — Low fire risk: 100/100 Manifold Heights — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 55 / 85
Hamlyn Heights — Low flood risk: 55/100 Manifold Heights — Low flood risk: 85/100

Demographics

Hamlyn Heights has more residents (6,518 vs 2,681); Hamlyn Heights rents higher ($345/wk vs $310/wk).

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Population 6,518
+59% vs other
 2,681
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.6% +1.2%
Median age 38 39
Median household income $85,436/yr $94,640/yr
+11% vs other
Median weekly rent $345/wk
+10% vs other
 $310/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
0-4 5.8% / 6.1%
Hamlyn Heights — 0-4: 5.8% Manifold Heights — 0-4: 6.1%
5-14 11.3% / 15.1%
Hamlyn Heights — 5-14: 11.3% Manifold Heights — 5-14: 15.1%
15-19 5.4% / 5.6%
Hamlyn Heights — 15-19: 5.4% Manifold Heights — 15-19: 5.6%
20-24 6.3% / 4.8%
Hamlyn Heights — 20-24: 6.3% Manifold Heights — 20-24: 4.8%
25-34 16.3% / 12.6%
Hamlyn Heights — 25-34: 16.3% Manifold Heights — 25-34: 12.6%
35-44 12.9% / 14.8%
Hamlyn Heights — 35-44: 12.9% Manifold Heights — 35-44: 14.8%
45-54 12.0% / 13.1%
Hamlyn Heights — 45-54: 12.0% Manifold Heights — 45-54: 13.1%
55-64 11.9% / 13.2%
Hamlyn Heights — 55-64: 11.9% Manifold Heights — 55-64: 13.2%
65-74 9.0% / 8.8%
Hamlyn Heights — 65-74: 9.0% Manifold Heights — 65-74: 8.8%
75-84 5.5% / 4.3%
Hamlyn Heights — 75-84: 5.5% Manifold Heights — 75-84: 4.3%
85+ 3.7% / 1.6%
Hamlyn Heights — 85+: 3.7% Manifold Heights — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Hamlyn Heights 42.9% lone person
Hamlyn Heights — Lone Person: 42.9% Hamlyn Heights — Couple Families: 35.7% Hamlyn Heights — One Parent Families: 14.3% Hamlyn Heights — Group Household: 5.6% Hamlyn Heights — Other Families: 1.5%
Manifold Heights 40.9% lone person
Manifold Heights — Lone Person: 40.9% Manifold Heights — Couple Families: 43.1% Manifold Heights — One Parent Families: 11.1% Manifold Heights — Group Household: 3.7% Manifold Heights — Other Families: 1.2%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Hamlyn Heights 30.1% renting
Hamlyn Heights — Owned Outright: 35.4% Hamlyn Heights — Mortgage: 34.5% Hamlyn Heights — Renting: 30.1%
Manifold Heights 32.1% renting
Manifold Heights — Owned Outright: 32.7% Manifold Heights — Mortgage: 35.2% Manifold Heights — Renting: 32.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Bachelor Degree 14.2% / 18.9%
Hamlyn Heights — Bachelor Degree: 14.2% Manifold Heights — Bachelor Degree: 18.9%
Certificate III & IV 16.2% / 12.0%
Hamlyn Heights — Certificate III & IV: 16.2% Manifold Heights — Certificate III & IV: 12.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.8% / 8.8%
Hamlyn Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8% Manifold Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8%
Postgraduate Degree 4.0% / 6.2%
Hamlyn Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 4.0% Manifold Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 6.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.6% / 3.4%
Hamlyn Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6% Manifold Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

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.

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
England 1.8% / 2.2%
Hamlyn Heights — England: 1.8% Manifold Heights — England: 2.2%
India 1.6% / 1.7%
Hamlyn Heights — India: 1.6% Manifold Heights — India: 1.7%
New Zealand 0.8% / 0.9%
Hamlyn Heights — New Zealand: 0.8% Manifold Heights — New Zealand: 0.9%
Italy 1.0% / 0.7%
Hamlyn Heights — Italy: 1.0% Manifold Heights — Italy: 0.7%
Germany 0.8% / 0.5%
Hamlyn Heights — Germany: 0.8% Manifold Heights — Germany: 0.5%
Nepal — / 0.6%
Hamlyn Heights — Nepal: not among its largest Manifold Heights — Nepal: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Hamlyn Heights 83.9% houses
Hamlyn Heights — Houses: 83.9% Hamlyn Heights — Townhouses: 15.5% Hamlyn Heights — Flats / Apartments: 0.6%
Manifold Heights 74.6% houses
Manifold Heights — Houses: 74.6% Manifold Heights — Townhouses: 13.8% Manifold Heights — Flats / Apartments: 11.7%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Median house price $750,000 $890,000
Median unit price $525,000 $485,000
Median land price $645,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 55 sales
 30 days
from 10 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
3 bed $750K / $868K
Hamlyn Heights — 3 bed: $750K (78 sales) Manifold Heights — 3 bed: $868K (22 sales)

78 vs 22 sales

4 bed $850K / $1.16M
Hamlyn Heights — 4 bed: $850K (31 sales) Manifold Heights — 4 bed: $1.16M (7 sales)

31 vs 7 sales

Zoning mix

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Residential 87% 94%
Parks and recreation 7% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 6% 3%
Commercial 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

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
New dwellings approved 3,468
across Greater Geelong
same for both
Approvals change year on year +56%
same for both

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.

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Houses 3.7%
$550/wk on $765K
 4.3%
$660/wk on $800K
Units 5.1%
$515/wk on $530K
 —

Ranking within VIC

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
House price Higher than 46% of VIC Higher than 61% of VIC
Income Higher than 55% of VIC Higher than 66% of VIC
Schools Higher than 15% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 90% of VIC Higher than 96% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 59% of VIC Higher than 51% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 87% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 50% of VIC Higher than 85% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 64% of VIC —

Liveability

Manifold Heights scores higher overall (78 vs 52); Manifold Heights is more walkable (89 vs 71).

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Grade B A
Score 52/100 78/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Hamlyn Heights carries more flood risk (45 vs 15); Manifold Heights carries more crime risk (61 vs 41).

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
41/100
 Moderate
61/100
Flood Moderate
45/100
 Low
15/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 7
within 5 km
 12
within 5 km

Schools

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Inside the suburb 5 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 2 1
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km 2
Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, 4.6 km
 2
Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, 2.8 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.2% 1.9%

Schools in Hamlyn Heights

  • Hamlyn Banks Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Herne Hill Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Western Heights Secondary College Government · Secondary below peers
  • Western Heights Secondary College-Quamby Campus Government · Secondary
  • Hamlyn Views School Government · Combined · Special school

Schools in Manifold Heights

  • Manifold Heights Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Cafes & restaurants 3 2
Parks & reserves 8 2
Childcare 2
same for both
GPs 3 1
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 0 2

Mobility

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Walkability score 71/100 89/100
Distance to Melbourne 74.3 km 76.2 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 61 min 63 min
Public transport score 76/100 75/100
Peak arrivals per hour 76.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 39.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.3%
postcode 3215
 1.3%
postcode 3218
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 26
postcode 3215
 24
postcode 3218

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.

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Car (driver) 68.5% / 62.6%
Hamlyn Heights — Car (driver): 68.5% Manifold Heights — Car (driver): 62.6%
Worked from Home 22.0% / 26.5%
Hamlyn Heights — Worked from Home: 22.0% Manifold Heights — Worked from Home: 26.5%
Car (passenger) 4.7% / 4.2%
Hamlyn Heights — Car (passenger): 4.7% Manifold Heights — Car (passenger): 4.2%
Walked Only 1.6% / 3.4%
Hamlyn Heights — Walked Only: 1.6% Manifold Heights — Walked Only: 3.4%
Train 1.1% / 1.1%
Hamlyn Heights — Train: 1.1% Manifold Heights — Train: 1.1%
Bus 1.1% / 1.1%
Hamlyn Heights — Bus: 1.1% Manifold Heights — Bus: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.5%).

Setting

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Elevation 64 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 52 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.0 km
4.9 km to a named beach
 1.9 km
3.3 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Connectivity score 84/100 77/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 65%
3,213 premises
 50%
1,290 premises

Climate

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Annual rainfall 454 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 5.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
PM2.5 5.0 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 20.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Average residential rate $1,802/yr
same for both
Council Greater Geelong
same for both

Federal electorate

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Division Corio
same for both
Member Richard Marles
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Hamlyn Heights Manifold Heights
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Hamlyn Heights

Parks

Manifold Heights

Coastal Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Hamlyn Heights

Hamlyn Heights vs Geelong West Hamlyn Heights vs Bell Park Hamlyn Heights vs Bell Post Hill Hamlyn Heights vs Herne Hill Hamlyn Heights vs North Geelong Hamlyn Heights vs Fyansford

Other comparisons with Manifold Heights

Manifold Heights vs Newtown Manifold Heights vs Geelong West Manifold Heights vs Herne Hill
Full data on Hamlyn Heights Full data on Manifold Heights
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.

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