Happy Valley vs Robinvale
Robinvale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 39 in Happy Valley. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Happy Valley, the large majority of households own their home and most households are couple families. In Robinvale, about half of households rent. On these figures, Happy Valley tends to suit couples, while Robinvale suits renters.
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
Robinvale
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (14 vs 1)
- has more childcare (3 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
- But Happy Valley is already more of a family suburb (62% vs 53%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Robinvale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 33%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Robinvale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (45% vs 24%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Happy Valley
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (318 min vs 323 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (460.4 km vs 464.1 km)
- But Robinvale is more walkable (11/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Robinvale
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (11/100 vs 0/100)
- has more GPs (4 vs 0)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Robinvale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (13.2% vs -7.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Happy Valley and Robinvale 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
Robinvale has more residents (3,497 vs 75); Happy Valley skews older (39 vs 36).
| Happy Valley | Robinvale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 75 | 3,497 +4563% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -7.4% | +13.2% |
| Median age | 39 | 36 |
| Median household income | $68,224/yr | $68,484/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $218/wk | $220/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (9.3%).
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 (12.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Happy Valley | Robinvale | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $438,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $113,500 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 92 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
Happy Valley has more rural and farming land (64% vs 45%).
| Happy Valley | Robinvale | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 64% | 45% |
| Parks and recreation | 35% | 49% |
| Residential | 0% | 3% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 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
| Happy Valley | Robinvale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 91 across Swan Hill same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -86% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Happy Valley | Robinvale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 11% of VIC |
| Income | Higher than 29% of VIC | Higher than 30% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 13% of VIC | Higher than 73% of VIC |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 88% of VIC |
| EV adoption | Higher than 1% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 52% of VIC | Higher than 74% of VIC |
Liveability
Robinvale is more walkable (11 vs 0).
| Happy Valley | Robinvale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 10/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
Robinvale carries more flood risk (83 vs 30).
| Happy Valley | Robinvale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 28/100 | Low 27/100 |
| Crime | High 73/100 | High 74/100 |
| Flood | Low 30/100 | High 83/100 |
| 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
| Happy Valley | Robinvale | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Happy Valley
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Robinvale
- St Mary's School Catholic · Combined at peers
- Robinvale College Government · Combined
Amenities in the suburb
| Happy Valley | Robinvale | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 3 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 8 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 14 |
| Childcare | 0 | 3 |
| GPs | 0 | 4 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 3 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| EV chargers | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Robinvale sits further from the CBD (464.1 km vs 460.4 km).
| Happy Valley | Robinvale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 11/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 460.4 km | 464.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 318 min | 323 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 3549 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 3549 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 (60.0%).
Setting
| Happy Valley | Robinvale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 77 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 58 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Happy Valley | Robinvale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 54/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 33 premises | 24% 1,438 premises |
Council rates
| Happy Valley | Robinvale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,333/yr same for both | |
| Council | Swan Hill same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Happy Valley | Robinvale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Happy Valley | Robinvale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Happy Valley
Robinvale
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Happy Valley
Other comparisons with Robinvale
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.