Irrewillipe vs Swan Marsh
Swan Marsh is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 48 in Irrewillipe. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Irrewillipe tends to suit people living alone.
Irrewillipe and Swan Marsh are both small, established communities in regional Victoria with similar socio-economic standing. Irrewillipe has a slightly higher median household income at $79,872 compared to Swan Marsh's $75,816, and rents are correspondingly higher at $229 per week versus $200. The key trade-off lies in natural hazards: Irrewillipe faces notably higher bushfire risk (85/100 versus 61/100), while Swan Marsh carries substantially greater flood risk (85/100 versus 45/100). Both are roughly equidistant from Melbourne's CBD, around 175 kilometres away.
Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.
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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
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
Swan Marsh
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $229/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Swan Marsh
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (131 min vs 140 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (174.6 km vs 178.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Swan Marsh
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (5.0% vs -20.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Irrewillipe and Swan Marsh 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
Swan Marsh has more residents (127 vs 100); Irrewillipe rents higher ($229/wk vs $200/wk).
| Irrewillipe | Swan Marsh | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 100 | 127 +27% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -20.0% | +5.0% |
| Median age | 48 | 45 |
| Median household income | $79,872/yr +5% vs other | $75,816/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $229/wk +13% vs other | $200/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (21.0%).
Zoning mix
Swan Marsh has more rural and farming land (100% vs 68%).
| Irrewillipe | Swan Marsh | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 68% | 100% |
| Parks and recreation | 31% | 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
| Irrewillipe | Swan Marsh | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 226 across Colac Otway same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +64% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Irrewillipe | Swan Marsh | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 47% of VIC | Higher than 43% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 28% of VIC | Higher than 42% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 4% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 34% of VIC | Higher than 63% of VIC |
Liveability
| Irrewillipe | Swan Marsh | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Swan Marsh carries more flood risk (85 vs 43); Irrewillipe carries more bushfire risk (86 vs 62).
| Irrewillipe | Swan Marsh | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 86/100 | Moderate 62/100 |
| Crime | Low 28/100 | Low 33/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 43/100 | High 85/100 |
| 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
| Irrewillipe | Swan Marsh | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Irrewillipe | Swan Marsh | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Irrewillipe sits further from the CBD (178.5 km vs 174.6 km).
| Irrewillipe | Swan Marsh | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 178.5 km +2% vs other | 174.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 140 min | 131 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 3249 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 39 postcode 3249 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 (63.5%).
Setting
| Irrewillipe | Swan Marsh | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 132 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 134 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 33.9 km | 38.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Irrewillipe | Swan Marsh | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 72 premises | 0% 82 premises |
Climate
| Irrewillipe | Swan Marsh | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 607 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Irrewillipe | Swan Marsh | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,023/yr same for both | |
| Council | Colac Otway same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Irrewillipe | Swan Marsh | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Irrewillipe | Swan Marsh | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Irrewillipe
Other comparisons with Swan Marsh
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.