Howqua vs Mount Buller
Howqua is the younger of the two, with a median age of 15 against 27 in Mount Buller. In Howqua, the large majority of households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. In Mount Buller, about half of households rent, most homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. On these figures, Howqua tends to suit families with children and couples, while Mount Buller suits young adults and 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
Howqua
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (59% vs 13%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (71% vs 42%)
- But Mount Buller has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Howqua
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $241/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Howqua
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (184 min vs 293 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (215.3 km vs 251.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Mount Buller
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (58% vs 29%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Howqua
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (43.6% vs 37.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Howqua and Mount Buller 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
Mount Buller rents higher ($241/wk vs $0/wk); Mount Buller has more residents (333 vs 158).
| Howqua | Mount Buller | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 158 | 333 +111% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +43.6% | +37.0% |
| Median age | 15 | 27 |
| Median household income | $97,500/yr +5% vs other | $92,248/yr |
| Median weekly rent | — | $241/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 (37.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (5.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Howqua has more rural and farming land (39% vs 0%).
| Howqua | Mount Buller | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks and recreation | 61% | 99% |
| Rural and farming | 39% | 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
| Howqua | Mount Buller | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 76 across Mansfield same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Howqua | Mount Buller | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 70% of VIC | Higher than 61% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 64% of VIC | Higher than 46% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 60% of VIC | Higher than 59% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 17% of VIC | Higher than 99% of VIC |
Liveability
| Howqua | Mount Buller | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Howqua carries more flood risk (39 vs 13).
| Howqua | Mount Buller | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 98/100 | High 90/100 |
| Crime | Low 11/100 | Low 10/100 |
| Flood | Low 39/100 | Low 13/100 |
| 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
| Howqua | Mount Buller | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Howqua
- Lauriston Girls' School - Howqua Campus Independent · Combined
Schools in Mount Buller
- Mansfield Primary School-Mt Buller Campus Government · Primary
- Mansfield Secondary College-Mansfield Secondary Mt Buller Annexe Government · Secondary
Amenities in the suburb
| Howqua | Mount Buller | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 17 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 4 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| EV chargers | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 66 | 1615 |
Mobility
Mount Buller sits further from the CBD (251.5 km vs 215.3 km).
| Howqua | Mount Buller | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 215.3 km | 251.5 km +17% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 184 min | 293 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 3723 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 33 postcode 3723 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 (72.1%).
Setting
| Howqua | Mount Buller | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 465 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 867 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Howqua | Mount Buller | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 19/100 | 99/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 32 premises | 99% 459 premises |
Climate
| Howqua | Mount Buller | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,633 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 17.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | -2.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Howqua | Mount Buller | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,697/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mansfield same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Howqua | Mount Buller | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Howqua | Mount Buller | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Howqua
Mount Buller
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Howqua
Other comparisons with Mount Buller
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.