Harmers Haven vs Wonthaggi
Wonthaggi is the younger of the two, with a median age of 55 against 59 in Harmers Haven. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Harmers Haven, most households are couple families. In Wonthaggi, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Harmers Haven tends to suit couples, while Wonthaggi 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
- Harmers Haven carries lower crime risk (45/100 vs 91/100)
- Wonthaggi has more parks and reserves (27 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Wonthaggi
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (32% vs 38%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Harmers Haven
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 32%)
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $270/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Wonthaggi
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (64/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (137.2 km vs 141.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Wonthaggi
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (64/100 vs 0/100)
- has more GPs (4 vs 0)
- has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 29%)
- But Harmers Haven carries lower crime risk (45/100 vs 91/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Harmers Haven
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (67.6% vs 5.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Harmers Haven and Wonthaggi 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
Wonthaggi has more residents (5,215 vs 62); Harmers Haven has higher household incomes ($61,724 vs $44,304).
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 62 | 5,215 +8311% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +67.6% | +5.0% |
| Median age | 59 | 55 |
| Median household income | $61,724/yr +28% vs other | $44,304/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $270/wk +35% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.4%).
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 (30.6%).
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 (9.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $515,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $419,500 |
| Median land price | — | $265,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 56 days from 87 sales |
Zoning mix
Wonthaggi has more rural and farming land (58% vs 4%).
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks and recreation | 76% | 25% |
| Rural and farming | 4% | 58% |
| Residential | 18% | 11% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 3% |
| Industrial | 0% | 2% |
| Planning zones cover 98% of Harmers Haven and 100% of Wonthaggi. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve. | ||
| 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
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 393 across Bass Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 4.9% $578/wk on $619K |
| Units | — | 4.9% $425/wk on $449K |
Ranking within VIC
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 20% of VIC |
| Income | Higher than 23% of VIC | Higher than 5% of VIC |
| Schools | — | Higher than 57% of VIC |
| Walkability | Higher than 61% of VIC | Higher than 88% of VIC |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 21% of VIC |
| EV adoption | Higher than 74% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 11% of VIC | Higher than 79% of VIC |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 96% of VIC |
| Rental yield (units) | — | Higher than 57% of VIC |
Liveability
Wonthaggi is more walkable (64 vs 0).
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 38/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
Wonthaggi carries more bushfire risk (24 vs 0); Wonthaggi carries more crime risk (91 vs 45).
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 24/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 45/100 | High 91/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 48/100 | Low 26/100 |
| Coastal erosion | Low 27/100 | Moderate 46/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 8 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 2 |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 2 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Harmers Haven
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Wonthaggi
- St Joseph's School Catholic · Primary above peers
- Wonthaggi Primary School Government · Primary above peers
- Bass Coast College Government · Secondary at peers
- Wonthaggi North Primary School Government · Primary at peers
- Bass Coast College-Community VCAL Program Campus Government · Secondary
- Bass Coast College-Dudley Campus Government · Secondary
Amenities in the suburb
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 4 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 10 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 27 |
| Childcare | 0 | 5 |
| GPs | 0 | 4 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 3 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 6 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 4 |
| Beaches | 0 | 2 |
Mobility
Harmers Haven sits further from the CBD (141.1 km vs 137.2 km).
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 64/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 141.1 km +3% vs other | 137.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 115 min | 111 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.9% postcode 3995 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 3995 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 (74.3%).
Setting
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 23 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 50 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 419 m 575 m to a named beach | 4.0 km 3.9 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 70/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 17 premises | 47% 3,750 premises |
Climate
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 906 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 24.6°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,727/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bass Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Monash same for both | |
| Member | Mary Aldred same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Harmers Haven | Wonthaggi | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Harmers Haven
Other comparisons with Wonthaggi
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.