Heywood vs Heathmere

Heathmere is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 48 in Heywood. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Heywood, about half of households are people living alone. In Heathmere, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Heathmere: a median of $810,000, against $360,000 in Heywood, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Heywood tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Heathmere suits couples.

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

  • Heywood has more parks and reserves (11 vs 3)
  • Heathmere carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 78/100)

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

First-home buyers

Heywood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($360,000 vs $810,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Heywood

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (21% vs 8%)
  • has cheaper rent ($180/wk vs $200/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Heywood

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (248 min vs 258 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (332.2 km vs 344.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Heywood

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 21%)
  • But Heathmere carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 78/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Heywood Heathmere
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.

Heywood Heathmere
Walkability 4 / 0
Heywood — Walkability: 4/100 Heathmere — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 22 / 84
Heywood — Safety: 22/100 Heathmere — Safety: 84/100
Low fire risk 17 / 9
Heywood — Low fire risk: 17/100 Heathmere — Low fire risk: 9/100
Low flood risk 53 / 81
Heywood — Low flood risk: 53/100 Heathmere — Low flood risk: 81/100

Demographics

Heywood has more residents (1,815 vs 238); Heathmere has higher household incomes ($76,648 vs $56,004).

Heywood Heathmere
Population 1,815
+87% vs other
 238
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.2% +0.4%
Median age 48 45
Median household income $56,004/yr $76,648/yr
+37% vs other
Median weekly rent $180/wk $200/wk
+11% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Heywood Heathmere
0-4 5.6% / 5.9%
Heywood — 0-4: 5.6% Heathmere — 0-4: 5.9%
5-14 12.2% / 7.6%
Heywood — 5-14: 12.2% Heathmere — 5-14: 7.6%
15-19 4.5% / 5.0%
Heywood — 15-19: 4.5% Heathmere — 15-19: 5.0%
20-24 4.0% / 3.8%
Heywood — 20-24: 4.0% Heathmere — 20-24: 3.8%
25-34 9.9% / 18.5%
Heywood — 25-34: 9.9% Heathmere — 25-34: 18.5%
35-44 10.5% / 7.1%
Heywood — 35-44: 10.5% Heathmere — 35-44: 7.1%
45-54 10.9% / 16.0%
Heywood — 45-54: 10.9% Heathmere — 45-54: 16.0%
55-64 16.0% / 14.7%
Heywood — 55-64: 16.0% Heathmere — 55-64: 14.7%
65-74 15.3% / 13.9%
Heywood — 65-74: 15.3% Heathmere — 65-74: 13.9%
75-84 6.8% / 4.6%
Heywood — 75-84: 6.8% Heathmere — 75-84: 4.6%
85+ 3.8% / 2.1%
Heywood — 85+: 3.8% Heathmere — 85+: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Heywood 27.5% couple families
Heywood — Couple Families: 27.5% Heywood — Lone Person: 49.5% Heywood — One Parent Families: 17.2% Heywood — Group Household: 2.9% Heywood — Other Families: 2.9%
Heathmere 46.3% couple families
Heathmere — Couple Families: 46.3% Heathmere — Lone Person: 20.4% Heathmere — One Parent Families: 27.8% Heathmere — Group Household: 5.6% Heathmere — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Heywood 20.7% renting
Heywood — Owned Outright: 45.6% Heywood — Mortgage: 33.7% Heywood — Renting: 20.7%
Heathmere 7.9% renting
Heathmere — Owned Outright: 44.9% Heathmere — Mortgage: 47.2% Heathmere — Renting: 7.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Heywood Heathmere
England 2.4% / 1.7%
Heywood — England: 2.4% Heathmere — England: 1.7%
New Zealand 1.6% / 1.3%
Heywood — New Zealand: 1.6% Heathmere — New Zealand: 1.3%
Netherlands 0.9% / —
Heywood — Netherlands: 0.9% Heathmere — Netherlands: not among its largest
Philippines 0.6% / —
Heywood — Philippines: 0.6% Heathmere — Philippines: not among its largest
Scotland 0.2% / —
Heywood — Scotland: 0.2% Heathmere — Scotland: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.4%).

Qualifications

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

Heywood Heathmere
Certificate III & IV 17.3% / 20.2%
Heywood — Certificate III & IV: 17.3% Heathmere — Certificate III & IV: 20.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.8% / 9.7%
Heywood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.8% Heathmere — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.7%
Bachelor Degree 3.4% / 5.0%
Heywood — Bachelor Degree: 3.4% Heathmere — Bachelor Degree: 5.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.0% / —
Heywood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0% Heathmere — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest
Postgraduate Degree 0.4% / —
Heywood — Postgraduate Degree: 0.4% Heathmere — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Heywood 95.5% houses
Heywood — Houses: 95.5% Heywood — Townhouses: 3.4% Heywood — Flats / Apartments: 1.1%
Heathmere 100.0% houses
Heathmere — Houses: 100.0% Heathmere — Townhouses: 0.0% Heathmere — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Heywood Heathmere
Median house price $360,000 $810,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $151,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 67 days
from 17 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Heywood Heathmere
Rural and farming 75% 71%
Parks and recreation 21% 28%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 1%
Other and special use 1% 0%
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

Heywood Heathmere
New dwellings approved 60
across Glenelg
same for both
Approvals change year on year -65%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Heywood Heathmere
House price Higher than 4% of VIC —
Income Higher than 14% of VIC Higher than 44% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 65% of VIC Higher than 53% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 93% of VIC —
EV adoption — Higher than 6% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 73% of VIC Higher than 67% of VIC

Liveability

Heywood Heathmere
Grade D —
Score 8/100 —
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Heywood carries more crime risk (78 vs 16); Heywood carries more flood risk (47 vs 19).

Heywood Heathmere
Bushfire High
83/100
 High
91/100
Crime High
78/100
 Low
16/100
Flood Moderate
47/100
 Low
19/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Heywood Heathmere
Inside the suburb 2 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Heywood

  • Heywood Consolidated School Government · Primary at peers
  • Heywood District Secondary College Government · Secondary below peers

Schools in Heathmere

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Heywood Heathmere
Supermarkets 1 0
Parks & reserves 11 3
Childcare 2 0
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 18 5

Mobility

Heathmere sits further from the CBD (344.3 km vs 332.2 km).

Heywood Heathmere
Walkability score 4/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 332.2 km 344.3 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 248 min 258 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 3304
 0.2%
postcode 3305
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 38
postcode 3304
 33
postcode 3305

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.

Heywood Heathmere
Car (driver) 77.1% / 76.9%
Heywood — Car (driver): 77.1% Heathmere — Car (driver): 76.9%
Worked from Home 14.7% / 11.5%
Heywood — Worked from Home: 14.7% Heathmere — Worked from Home: 11.5%
Walked Only 4.4% / 7.7%
Heywood — Walked Only: 4.4% Heathmere — Walked Only: 7.7%
Car (passenger) 3.9% / 3.8%
Heywood — Car (passenger): 3.9% Heathmere — Car (passenger): 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.1%).

Setting

Heywood Heathmere
Elevation 27 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 16 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 14.8 km 7.7 km

NBN connectivity

Heywood Heathmere
Connectivity score 50/100 30/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 24%
962 premises
 0%
106 premises

Climate

Heywood Heathmere
Annual rainfall 661 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Heywood Heathmere
Average residential rate $1,852/yr
same for both
Council Glenelg
same for both

Federal electorate

Heywood Heathmere
Division Wannon
same for both
Member Dan Tehan
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Heywood Heathmere
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Heywood

Affordable Retirees Rural

Heathmere

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Heywood

Heywood vs Narrawong Heywood vs Gorae Heywood vs Tyrendarra Heywood vs Drumborg

Other comparisons with Heathmere

Heathmere vs Bolwarra Heathmere vs Narrawong Heathmere vs Gorae Heathmere vs Allestree
Full data on Heywood Full data on Heathmere
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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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