Highlands vs Whiteheads Creek

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Whiteheads Creek, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Whiteheads Creek: a median of $1.53 million, against $780,000 in Highlands, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Highlands tends to suit older residents and buyers on a tighter budget, while Whiteheads Creek 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

Highlands

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 37/100)

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

First-home buyers

Highlands

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($780,000 vs $1,530,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Highlands

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($158/wk vs $295/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 17%)

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

Commuting to the city

Whiteheads Creek

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (122.5 km vs 141.6 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (100 min vs 113 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Highlands

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 37/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 21%)

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

Investors

Highlands

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (23.8% vs -0.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
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.

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
Walkability 0 / 0
Highlands — Walkability: 0/100 Whiteheads Creek — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 76 / 63
Highlands — Safety: 76/100 Whiteheads Creek — Safety: 63/100
Low fire risk 64 / 61
Highlands — Low fire risk: 64/100 Whiteheads Creek — Low fire risk: 61/100
Low flood risk 50 / 54
Highlands — Low flood risk: 50/100 Whiteheads Creek — Low flood risk: 54/100

Demographics

Whiteheads Creek has more residents (347 vs 151); Whiteheads Creek rents higher ($295/wk vs $158/wk).

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
Population 151 347
+130% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +23.8% -0.3%
Median age 54 53
Median household income $71,500/yr $90,012/yr
+26% vs other
Median weekly rent $158/wk $295/wk
+87% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
0-4 5.3% / 2.3%
Highlands — 0-4: 5.3% Whiteheads Creek — 0-4: 2.3%
5-14 6.6% / 9.5%
Highlands — 5-14: 6.6% Whiteheads Creek — 5-14: 9.5%
15-19 6.0% / 7.8%
Highlands — 15-19: 6.0% Whiteheads Creek — 15-19: 7.8%
20-24 — / 5.8%
Highlands — 20-24: not among its largest Whiteheads Creek — 20-24: 5.8%
25-34 6.0% / 4.9%
Highlands — 25-34: 6.0% Whiteheads Creek — 25-34: 4.9%
35-44 7.9% / 9.5%
Highlands — 35-44: 7.9% Whiteheads Creek — 35-44: 9.5%
45-54 19.2% / 14.4%
Highlands — 45-54: 19.2% Whiteheads Creek — 45-54: 14.4%
55-64 18.5% / 23.6%
Highlands — 55-64: 18.5% Whiteheads Creek — 55-64: 23.6%
65-74 22.5% / 13.5%
Highlands — 65-74: 22.5% Whiteheads Creek — 65-74: 13.5%
75-84 7.3% / 4.9%
Highlands — 75-84: 7.3% Whiteheads Creek — 75-84: 4.9%
85+ — / 2.6%
Highlands — 85+: not among its largest Whiteheads Creek — 85+: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.6%).

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.

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
England 2.0% / 2.6%
Highlands — England: 2.0% Whiteheads Creek — England: 2.6%
China — / 0.9%
Highlands — China: not among its largest Whiteheads Creek — China: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Highlands 35.0% couple families
Highlands — Couple Families: 35.0% Highlands — Lone Person: 42.5% Highlands — One Parent Families: 22.5%
Whiteheads Creek 52.5% couple families
Whiteheads Creek — Couple Families: 52.5% Whiteheads Creek — Lone Person: 41.2% Whiteheads Creek — One Parent Families: 6.2%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Highlands 93.3% houses
Highlands — Houses: 93.3% Highlands — Flats / Apartments: 6.7%
Whiteheads Creek 98.4% houses
Whiteheads Creek — Houses: 98.4% Whiteheads Creek — Flats / Apartments: 1.6%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
Certificate III & IV 19.9% / 16.7%
Highlands — Certificate III & IV: 19.9% Whiteheads Creek — Certificate III & IV: 16.7%
Bachelor Degree 13.2% / 12.7%
Highlands — Bachelor Degree: 13.2% Whiteheads Creek — Bachelor Degree: 12.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.3% / 9.2%
Highlands — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.3% Whiteheads Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.2%
Postgraduate Degree 6.6% / 1.2%
Highlands — Postgraduate Degree: 6.6% Whiteheads Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 1.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.0% / 3.7%
Highlands — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.0% Whiteheads Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Highlands 10.9% renting
Highlands — Owned Outright: 52.7% Highlands — Mortgage: 36.4% Highlands — Renting: 10.9%
Whiteheads Creek 5.6% renting
Whiteheads Creek — Owned Outright: 51.6% Whiteheads Creek — Mortgage: 42.7% Whiteheads Creek — Renting: 5.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Property market

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
Median house price $780,000 $1,530,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
Rural and farming 94% 98%
Parks and recreation 6% 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

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
New dwellings approved 82
across Murrindindi
 1,074
across Mitchell
Approvals change year on year +83% +70%

Ranking within VIC

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 36% of VIC —
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 49% of VIC Higher than 35% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 17% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 13% of VIC Higher than 35% of VIC

Liveability

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Whiteheads Creek carries more crime risk (37 vs 24).

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
Bushfire Low
36/100
 Low
39/100
Crime Low
24/100
 Low
37/100
Flood Moderate
50/100
 Moderate
46/100
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 Whiteheads Creek
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 Whiteheads Creek
Parks & reserves 2 0
Waterways 35 4

Mobility

Highlands sits further from the CBD (141.6 km vs 122.5 km).

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 141.6 km
+13% vs other
 122.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 113 min 100 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 3660
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 46
postcode 3660
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.

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
Car (driver) 67.3% / 60.4%
Highlands — Car (driver): 67.3% Whiteheads Creek — Car (driver): 60.4%
Worked from Home 32.7% / 31.2%
Highlands — Worked from Home: 32.7% Whiteheads Creek — Worked from Home: 31.2%
Walked Only — / 4.5%
Highlands — Walked Only: not among its largest Whiteheads Creek — Walked Only: 4.5%
Car (passenger) — / 3.9%
Highlands — Car (passenger): not among its largest Whiteheads Creek — Car (passenger): 3.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (67.3%).

Setting

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
Elevation 605 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 236 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
Connectivity score 16/100 28/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
48 premises
 0%
172 premises

Climate

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
Annual rainfall 540 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
Average residential rate $1,973/yr $1,947/yr
Council Murrindindi Mitchell

Federal electorate

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
Division Indi Nicholls
Member Helen Haines Sam Birrell
Party Independent The Nationals

First Home Owner Grant

Highlands Whiteheads Creek
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Highlands

Retirees River Rural

Whiteheads Creek

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Highlands

Highlands vs Ruffy Highlands vs Killingworth Highlands vs Molesworth Highlands vs Ghin Ghin Highlands vs Caveat

Other comparisons with Whiteheads Creek

Whiteheads Creek vs Seymour Whiteheads Creek vs Avenel Whiteheads Creek vs Tallarook Whiteheads Creek vs Trawool Whiteheads Creek vs Ghin Ghin
Full data on Highlands Full data on Whiteheads Creek
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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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