Hopetoun vs Rainbow
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Hopetoun: a median of $238,000, against $190,000 in Rainbow, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Rainbow tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Rainbow
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (40/100 vs 63/100)
- has more parks and reserves (12 vs 8)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Hopetoun has cheaper land ($29,000 vs $200,000)
- Rainbow has cheaper houses ($190,000 vs $237,500)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Rainbow
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($100/wk vs $150/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Hopetoun
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (387.8 km vs 403.7 km)
- has a shorter drive in (279 min vs 290 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Rainbow
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (40/100 vs 63/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, 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
Hopetoun and Rainbow 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
Hopetoun rents higher ($150/wk vs $100/wk).
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 694 +3% vs other | 672 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -6.1% | -1.6% |
| Median age | 56 same for both | |
| Median household income | $58,240/yr +6% vs other | $54,496/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $150/wk +33% vs other | $100/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).
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 (16.4%).
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 (2.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $237,500 | $190,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $29,000 | $200,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 29 days from 4 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 93% | 86% |
| Parks and recreation | 6% | 13% |
| 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
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 17 across Yarriambiack | 9 across Hindmarsh |
| Approvals change year on year | +300% | +100% |
Ranking within VIC
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 2% of VIC | Higher than 1% of VIC |
| Income | Higher than 16% of VIC | Higher than 13% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 65% of VIC | Higher than 66% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 98% of VIC | Higher than 99% of VIC |
| EV adoption | Higher than 34% of VIC | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 93% of VIC | Higher than 46% of VIC |
Liveability
Hopetoun scores higher overall (34 vs 14).
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | D |
| Score | 34/100 | 14/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Rainbow carries more flood risk (63 vs 0); Rainbow carries more bushfire risk (78 vs 46).
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 46/100 | High 78/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 63/100 | Moderate 40/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 | Moderate 63/100 |
| 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
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 2 | 0 |
Schools in Hopetoun
- Hopetoun P-12 College Government · Combined below peers
- St Joseph's School Catholic · Primary below peers
Schools in Rainbow
- Rainbow P-12 College Government · Combined above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 same for both | |
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 8 | 12 |
| Childcare | 2 | 1 |
| GPs | 3 | 2 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 same for both | |
| Police stations | 1 same for both | |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 2 same for both | |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 1 |
| Waterways | 8 | 2 |
Mobility
Rainbow sits further from the CBD (403.7 km vs 387.8 km).
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 4/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 387.8 km | 403.7 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 279 min | 290 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 3396 | 0.0% postcode 3424 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 43 postcode 3396 | 42 postcode 3424 |
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 (71.2%).
Setting
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 76 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 71 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 85/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 79% 519 premises | 0% 431 premises |
Climate
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 300 mm | 347 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,795/yr | $1,660/yr |
| Council | Yarriambiack | Hindmarsh |
Federal electorate
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hopetoun | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Hopetoun
Rainbow
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Hopetoun
Other comparisons with Rainbow
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.