Kewell vs Murtoa
Kewell is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 48 in Murtoa. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Kewell, most households are couple families. In Murtoa, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Kewell tends to suit families with children and couples, while Murtoa suits people living alone and older residents.
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
Murtoa
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (10 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (63/100 vs 75/100)
- But Kewell is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 44%)
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
Murtoa
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($178/wk vs $211/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Murtoa
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (208 min vs 223 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (297.3 km vs 315.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Murtoa
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 5%)
- carries lower crime risk (63/100 vs 75/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Kewell
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.8% vs 3.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Kewell and Murtoa 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
Murtoa has more residents (897 vs 57); Kewell has higher household incomes ($71,448 vs $52,364).
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 57 | 897 +1474% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +18.8% | +3.7% |
| Median age | 36 | 48 |
| Median household income | $71,448/yr +27% vs other | $52,364/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $211/wk +16% vs other | $178/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.8%).
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 (22.8%).
Property market
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $267,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $95,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 75 days from 5 sales |
Zoning mix
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 98% | 97% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 17 across Yarriambiack same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +300% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 1% of VIC |
| Income | Higher than 34% of VIC | Higher than 11% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 63% of VIC | Higher than 44% of VIC |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 99% of VIC |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 38% of VIC | Higher than 64% of VIC |
Liveability
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 32/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Murtoa carries more bushfire risk (24 vs 0); Kewell carries more crime risk (75 vs 63).
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 24/100 |
| Crime | High 75/100 | Moderate 63/100 |
| Flood | Low 14/100 | Low 15/100 |
| 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
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 2 |
Schools in Kewell
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Murtoa
- Murtoa College Government · Combined below peers
- Our Lady Help of Christians School Catholic · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 10 |
| Childcare | 0 | 2 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 2 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 0 | 7 |
Mobility
Kewell sits further from the CBD (315.6 km vs 297.3 km).
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 315.6 km +6% vs other | 297.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 223 min | 208 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3390 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 41 postcode 3390 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 (76.3%).
Setting
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 134 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 144 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 20 premises | 0% 509 premises |
Climate
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 383 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,795/yr same for both | |
| Council | Yarriambiack same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Kewell | Murtoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Kewell
Murtoa
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Kewell
Other comparisons with Murtoa
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.