Highlands vs Ghin Ghin
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Ghin Ghin, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Ghin Ghin tends to suit 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
Highlands
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 65/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Ghin Ghin
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (10% vs 28%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Ghin Ghin
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $158/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Highlands
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (113 min vs 122 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (141.6 km vs 145.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Highlands
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 65/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 24%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Ghin Ghin
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (56.1% vs 23.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Highlands and Ghin Ghin 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
Highlands rents higher ($158/wk vs $0/wk); Highlands has more residents (151 vs 64).
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 151 +58% vs other | 64 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +23.8% | +56.1% |
| Median age | 54 same for both | |
| Median household income | $71,500/yr | $106,600/yr +49% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $158/wk (not reported on the other side) | — |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.1%).
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 (9.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.9%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $780,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 94% | 97% |
| Parks and recreation | 6% | 3% |
| 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
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 82 across Murrindindi same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +83% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 36% of VIC | Higher than 78% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 49% of VIC | Higher than 46% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 17% of VIC | Higher than 28% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 13% of VIC | Higher than 9% of VIC |
Liveability
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Ghin Ghin carries more crime risk (65 vs 24); Ghin Ghin carries more flood risk (77 vs 50).
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 36/100 | Low 37/100 |
| Crime | Low 24/100 | Moderate 65/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 50/100 | High 77/100 |
| 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
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 3 |
| Waterways | 35 | 23 |
Mobility
Ghin Ghin sits further from the CBD (145.3 km vs 141.6 km).
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 141.6 km | 145.3 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 113 min | 122 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 3660 | 0.3% postcode 3717 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 46 postcode 3660 | 52 postcode 3717 |
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 (67.3%).
Setting
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 605 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 217 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 16/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 48 premises | 0% 19 premises |
Climate
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 540 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,973/yr same for both | |
| Council | Murrindindi same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Highlands | Ghin Ghin | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Highlands
Other comparisons with Ghin Ghin
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.