Koorlong vs Merbein South
Koorlong is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 43 in Merbein South. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Koorlong, most households are couple families. In Merbein South, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Koorlong tends to suit 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
Koorlong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Koorlong
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (543 km vs 554.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Koorlong is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- Merbein South has more residents already 65 and over (19% vs 14%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Koorlong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (8.5% vs 0.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Koorlong and Merbein South 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
Koorlong has higher household incomes ($108,888 vs $81,692); Merbein South skews older (43 vs 39).
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 397 | 407 +3% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +8.5% | +0.5% |
| Median age | 39 | 43 |
| Median household income | $108,888/yr +25% vs other | $81,692/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $280/wk | $285/wk +2% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).
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 (1.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $500,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Merbein South has more rural and farming land (76% vs 42%).
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 42% | 76% |
| Parks and recreation | 44% | 4% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 10% | 20% |
| Industrial | 3% | 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
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 446 across Mildura same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +29% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 81% of VIC | Higher than 50% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 70% of VIC | Higher than 38% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 16% of VIC | Higher than 2% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 53% of VIC | Higher than 61% of VIC |
Liveability
Koorlong is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Koorlong carries more bushfire risk (29 vs 16).
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 29/100 | Low 16/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 66/100 | Moderate 69/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 same for both | |
| 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
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Koorlong
- Koorlong Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Merbein South
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 1 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 1 same for both | |
Mobility
Merbein South sits further from the CBD (554.2 km vs 543 km).
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 543 km | 554.2 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 371 min | 375 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 3501 | 0.1% postcode 3505 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 73 postcode 3501 | 54 postcode 3505 |
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 (71.8%).
Setting
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 51 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 50 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 150 premises | 0% 169 premises |
Climate
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 278 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 33.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,340/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mildura same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Koorlong | Merbein South | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Koorlong
Other comparisons with Merbein South
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.