Happy Valley vs Wemen
Wemen is the younger of the two, with a median age of 34 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 Wemen, about half of households rent and about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Happy Valley tends to suit couples, while Wemen suits renters and 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Happy Valley is already more of a family suburb (62% vs 48%)
- Wemen carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 73/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Wemen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 33%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Wemen
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (7% vs 17%)
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (50% vs 24%)
- has cheaper rent ($135/wk vs $218/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Wemen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (452.7 km vs 460.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Wemen
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (20% vs 11%)
- carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 73/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Wemen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (15.3% vs -7.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Happy Valley and Wemen 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
Wemen has more residents (128 vs 75); Happy Valley rents higher ($218/wk vs $135/wk).
| Happy Valley | Wemen | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 75 | 128 +71% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -7.4% | +15.3% |
| Median age | 39 | 34 |
| Median household income | $68,224/yr | $101,816/yr +49% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $218/wk +38% vs other | $135/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (9.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
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 (6.2%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Happy Valley | Wemen | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 64% same for both | |
| Parks and recreation | 35% same for both | |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 1% |
| 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 | Wemen | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 91 across Swan Hill same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -86% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Happy Valley | Wemen | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 29% of VIC | Higher than 74% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 13% of VIC | Higher than 18% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 1% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 52% of VIC | Higher than 16% of VIC |
Liveability
| Happy Valley | Wemen | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Wemen carries more flood risk (69 vs 30); Wemen carries more bushfire risk (63 vs 28).
| Happy Valley | Wemen | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 28/100 | Moderate 63/100 |
| Crime | High 73/100 | Moderate 57/100 |
| Flood | Low 30/100 | Moderate 69/100 |
| 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
| Happy Valley | Wemen | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Happy Valley | Wemen | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Happy Valley sits further from the CBD (460.4 km vs 452.7 km).
| Happy Valley | Wemen | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 460.4 km +2% vs other | 452.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 318 min same for both | |
| 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 (65.0%).
Setting
| Happy Valley | Wemen | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 77 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 69 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Happy Valley | Wemen | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 19/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 33 premises | 0% 37 premises |
Council rates
| Happy Valley | Wemen | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,333/yr same for both | |
| Council | Swan Hill same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Happy Valley | Wemen | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Happy Valley | Wemen | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Happy Valley
Other comparisons with Wemen
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.