Koonwarra vs Tarwin

Tarwin is the younger of the two, with a median age of 34 against 53 in Koonwarra. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Koonwarra, about half of households are couple families. In Tarwin, the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, Koonwarra tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Tarwin suits families with children and 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

Tarwin

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (82% vs 61%)

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

First-home buyers

Tarwin

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (10% vs 19%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Tarwin

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (24% vs 4%)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 14%)
  • has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $252/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Koonwarra

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (23/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (114 min vs 125 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (144 km vs 153.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Koonwarra

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (23/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 12%)

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

Investors

Tarwin

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (5.4% vs -9.4%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Koonwarra Tarwin
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.

Koonwarra Tarwin
Walkability 23 / 0
Koonwarra — Walkability: 23/100 Tarwin — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 44 / 53
Koonwarra — Safety: 44/100 Tarwin — Safety: 53/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Koonwarra — Low fire risk: 100/100 Tarwin — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 53 / 59
Koonwarra — Low flood risk: 53/100 Tarwin — Low flood risk: 59/100

Demographics

Koonwarra has more residents (366 vs 59); Koonwarra rents higher ($252/wk vs $150/wk).

Koonwarra Tarwin
Population 366
+84% vs other
 59
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -9.4% +5.4%
Median age 53 34
Median household income $94,900/yr $99,632/yr
+5% vs other
Median weekly rent $252/wk
+40% vs other
 $150/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Koonwarra Tarwin
0-4 2.7% / 10.2%
Koonwarra — 0-4: 2.7% Tarwin — 0-4: 10.2%
5-14 9.0% / 15.3%
Koonwarra — 5-14: 9.0% Tarwin — 5-14: 15.3%
15-19 6.6% / 13.6%
Koonwarra — 15-19: 6.6% Tarwin — 15-19: 13.6%
20-24 5.7% / —
Koonwarra — 20-24: 5.7% Tarwin — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 4.6% / 6.8%
Koonwarra — 25-34: 4.6% Tarwin — 25-34: 6.8%
35-44 7.9% / 16.9%
Koonwarra — 35-44: 7.9% Tarwin — 35-44: 16.9%
45-54 16.4% / 10.2%
Koonwarra — 45-54: 16.4% Tarwin — 45-54: 10.2%
55-64 23.2% / 11.9%
Koonwarra — 55-64: 23.2% Tarwin — 55-64: 11.9%
65-74 13.7% / 5.1%
Koonwarra — 65-74: 13.7% Tarwin — 65-74: 5.1%
75-84 6.6% / 6.8%
Koonwarra — 75-84: 6.6% Tarwin — 75-84: 6.8%
85+ 1.9% / —
Koonwarra — 85+: 1.9% Tarwin — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Koonwarra 49.4% couple families
Koonwarra — Couple Families: 49.4% Koonwarra — Lone Person: 39.3% Koonwarra — One Parent Families: 11.2%
Tarwin 82.4% couple families
Tarwin — Couple Families: 82.4% Tarwin — Lone Person: 17.6% Tarwin — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Koonwarra 4.5% renting
Koonwarra — Owned Outright: 59.4% Koonwarra — Mortgage: 36.1% Koonwarra — Renting: 4.5%
Tarwin 23.5% renting
Tarwin — Owned Outright: 47.1% Tarwin — Mortgage: 29.4% Tarwin — Renting: 23.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Koonwarra 97.9% houses
Koonwarra — Houses: 97.9% Koonwarra — Flats / Apartments: 2.1%
Tarwin 100.0% houses
Tarwin — Houses: 100.0% Tarwin — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Koonwarra Tarwin
Certificate III & IV 17.2% / 16.9%
Koonwarra — Certificate III & IV: 17.2% Tarwin — Certificate III & IV: 16.9%
Bachelor Degree 16.9% / 15.3%
Koonwarra — Bachelor Degree: 16.9% Tarwin — Bachelor Degree: 15.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.5% / 11.9%
Koonwarra — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5% Tarwin — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 11.9%
Postgraduate Degree 3.6% / —
Koonwarra — Postgraduate Degree: 3.6% Tarwin — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.7% / —
Koonwarra — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.7% Tarwin — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).

Zoning mix

Koonwarra Tarwin
Rural and farming 93% 97%
Parks and recreation 5% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 1%
same for both
Residential 1% 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

Koonwarra Tarwin
New dwellings approved 170
across South Gippsland
same for both
Approvals change year on year +21%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Koonwarra Tarwin
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 66% of VIC —
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 81% of VIC Higher than 19% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption — Higher than 63% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 51% of VIC Higher than 40% of VIC

Liveability

Koonwarra is more walkable (23 vs 0).

Koonwarra Tarwin
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Koonwarra Tarwin
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
56/100
 Moderate
47/100
Flood Moderate
47/100
 Moderate
41/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Koonwarra Tarwin
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Koonwarra

  • Koonwarra Village School Independent · Primary below peers

Schools in Tarwin

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Koonwarra Tarwin
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 3 1
Waterways 8 1

Mobility

Tarwin sits further from the CBD (153.3 km vs 144 km).

Koonwarra Tarwin
Walkability score 23/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 144 km 153.3 km
+6% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 114 min 125 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 3954
 0.6%
postcode 3956
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 63
postcode 3954
 36
postcode 3956

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.

Koonwarra Tarwin
Car (driver) 69.9% / 52.6%
Koonwarra — Car (driver): 69.9% Tarwin — Car (driver): 52.6%
Worked from Home 26.2% / 31.6%
Koonwarra — Worked from Home: 26.2% Tarwin — Worked from Home: 31.6%
Walked Only 3.8% / 15.8%
Koonwarra — Walked Only: 3.8% Tarwin — Walked Only: 15.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (69.9%).

Setting

Koonwarra Tarwin
Elevation 28 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 36 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 14.9 km 12.4 km

NBN connectivity

Koonwarra Tarwin
Connectivity score 30/100 29/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
179 premises
 0%
23 premises

Climate

Koonwarra Tarwin
Annual rainfall 906 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 24.6°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.9°C
same for both

Council rates

Koonwarra Tarwin
Average residential rate $2,282/yr
same for both
Council South Gippsland
same for both

Federal electorate

Koonwarra Tarwin
Division Monash
same for both
Member Mary Aldred
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Koonwarra Tarwin
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Koonwarra

River Rural

Tarwin

Family Rural Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Koonwarra

Koonwarra vs Meeniyan Koonwarra vs Leongatha South Koonwarra vs Nerrena

Other comparisons with Tarwin

Tarwin vs Meeniyan Tarwin vs Leongatha South Tarwin vs Pound Creek Tarwin vs Middle Tarwin
Full data on Koonwarra Full data on Tarwin
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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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