Long Forest vs Merrimu

Merrimu is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 44 in Long Forest. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Merrimu: a median of $1.32 million, against $1.07 million in Long Forest, though rent is higher in Long Forest. On these figures, Long Forest tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Merrimu 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

Long Forest

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (43/100 vs 68/100)

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

First-home buyers

Long Forest

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,070,000 vs $1,320,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Merrimu

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($100/wk vs $520/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (4% vs 21%)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Long Forest

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (46 min vs 52 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (54.1 km vs 56.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Long Forest

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (43/100 vs 68/100)

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

Investors

Merrimu

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (6.1% vs -5.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Long Forest Merrimu
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.

Long Forest Merrimu
Walkability 0 / 4
Long Forest — Walkability: 0/100 Merrimu — Walkability: 4/100
Safety 57 / 32
Long Forest — Safety: 57/100 Merrimu — Safety: 32/100
Low fire risk 34 / 100
Long Forest — Low fire risk: 34/100 Merrimu — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 71 / 68
Long Forest — Low flood risk: 71/100 Merrimu — Low flood risk: 68/100

Demographics

Long Forest rents higher ($520/wk vs $100/wk); Long Forest skews older (44 vs 39).

Long Forest Merrimu
Population 343 397
+16% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -5.0% +6.1%
Median age 44 39
Median household income $126,724/yr $126,932/yr
Median weekly rent $520/wk
+81% vs other
 $100/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Long Forest Merrimu
0-4 1.5% / 5.5%
Long Forest — 0-4: 1.5% Merrimu — 0-4: 5.5%
5-14 13.1% / 18.6%
Long Forest — 5-14: 13.1% Merrimu — 5-14: 18.6%
15-19 10.2% / 4.0%
Long Forest — 15-19: 10.2% Merrimu — 15-19: 4.0%
20-24 5.5% / 5.5%
Long Forest — 20-24: 5.5% Merrimu — 20-24: 5.5%
25-34 7.3% / 11.1%
Long Forest — 25-34: 7.3% Merrimu — 25-34: 11.1%
35-44 14.6% / 14.9%
Long Forest — 35-44: 14.6% Merrimu — 35-44: 14.9%
45-54 16.9% / 13.9%
Long Forest — 45-54: 16.9% Merrimu — 45-54: 13.9%
55-64 16.3% / 12.6%
Long Forest — 55-64: 16.3% Merrimu — 55-64: 12.6%
65-74 13.1% / 8.1%
Long Forest — 65-74: 13.1% Merrimu — 65-74: 8.1%
75-84 2.9% / 2.0%
Long Forest — 75-84: 2.9% Merrimu — 75-84: 2.0%
85+ — / 1.5%
Long Forest — 85+: not among its largest Merrimu — 85+: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Long Forest 64.1% couple families
Long Forest — Couple Families: 64.1% Long Forest — Lone Person: 15.4% Long Forest — One Parent Families: 20.5% Long Forest — Group Household: 0.0%
Merrimu 76.3% couple families
Merrimu — Couple Families: 76.3% Merrimu — Lone Person: 14.5% Merrimu — One Parent Families: 5.3% Merrimu — Group Household: 3.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Long Forest 0.0% renting
Long Forest — Owned Outright: 46.2% Long Forest — Mortgage: 53.8% Long Forest — Renting: 0.0%
Merrimu 5.7% renting
Merrimu — Owned Outright: 34.3% Merrimu — Mortgage: 60.0% Merrimu — Renting: 5.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Long Forest Merrimu
Certificate III & IV 20.1% / 21.2%
Long Forest — Certificate III & IV: 20.1% Merrimu — Certificate III & IV: 21.2%
Bachelor Degree 9.0% / 7.8%
Long Forest — Bachelor Degree: 9.0% Merrimu — Bachelor Degree: 7.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.8% / 5.0%
Long Forest — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.8% Merrimu — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.5% / 2.5%
Long Forest — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5% Merrimu — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5%
Postgraduate Degree 2.9% / 0.8%
Long Forest — Postgraduate Degree: 2.9% Merrimu — Postgraduate Degree: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).

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.

Long Forest Merrimu
England 4.7% / 1.5%
Long Forest — England: 4.7% Merrimu — England: 1.5%
New Zealand 2.3% / 2.8%
Long Forest — New Zealand: 2.3% Merrimu — New Zealand: 2.8%
India — / 1.8%
Long Forest — India: not among its largest Merrimu — India: 1.8%
Germany 0.9% / 0.8%
Long Forest — Germany: 0.9% Merrimu — Germany: 0.8%
Scotland — / 1.5%
Long Forest — Scotland: not among its largest Merrimu — Scotland: 1.5%
Italy — / 1.3%
Long Forest — Italy: not among its largest Merrimu — Italy: 1.3%
Netherlands 0.9% / —
Long Forest — Netherlands: 0.9% Merrimu — Netherlands: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Long Forest 100.0% houses
Long Forest — Houses: 100.0%
Merrimu 100.0% houses
Merrimu — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Property market

Long Forest Merrimu
Median house price $1,070,000 $1,320,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $1,382,500

Zoning mix

Merrimu has more land zoned for conservation (50% vs 1%); Long Forest has more rural and farming land (58% vs 30%).

Long Forest Merrimu
Rural and farming 58% 30%
Environmental 1% 50%
Parks and recreation 37% 12%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 6%
Other and special use 0% 2%
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

Long Forest Merrimu
New dwellings approved 338
across Moorabool
same for both
Approvals change year on year +4%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Long Forest Merrimu
House price —
same for both
Income — Higher than 94% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 38% of VIC Higher than 64% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 65% of VIC Higher than 64% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 21% of VIC Higher than 48% of VIC

Liveability

Long Forest Merrimu
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
same for both

Risk profile

Long Forest carries more bushfire risk (66 vs 0); Merrimu carries more crime risk (68 vs 43).

Long Forest Merrimu
Bushfire Moderate
66/100
 None
0/100
Crime Moderate
43/100
 Moderate
68/100
Flood Low
29/100
 Low
32/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Long Forest Merrimu
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

Long Forest Merrimu
Parks & reserves 1 0
Waterways 1 2

Mobility

Merrimu sits further from the CBD (56.3 km vs 54.1 km).

Long Forest Merrimu
Walkability score 0/100 4/100
Distance to Melbourne 54.1 km 56.3 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 46 min 52 min
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 3340
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 42
postcode 3340
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.

Long Forest Merrimu
Car (driver) 64.8% / 70.8%
Long Forest — Car (driver): 64.8% Merrimu — Car (driver): 70.8%
Worked from Home 25.5% / 22.7%
Long Forest — Worked from Home: 25.5% Merrimu — Worked from Home: 22.7%
Car (passenger) 6.1% / 3.2%
Long Forest — Car (passenger): 6.1% Merrimu — Car (passenger): 3.2%
Train 3.6% / —
Long Forest — Train: 3.6% Merrimu — Train: not among its largest
Walked Only — / 3.2%
Long Forest — Walked Only: not among its largest Merrimu — Walked Only: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.8%).

Setting

Long Forest Merrimu
Elevation 175 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 190 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 36.5 km 38.4 km

NBN connectivity

Long Forest Merrimu
Connectivity score 22/100 30/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
66 premises
 0%
133 premises

Climate

Long Forest Merrimu
Annual rainfall 778 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Long Forest Merrimu
PM2.5 4.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Long Forest Merrimu
Average residential rate $1,979/yr
same for both
Council Moorabool
same for both

Federal electorate

Long Forest Merrimu
Division Hawke
same for both
Member Sam Rae
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Long Forest Merrimu
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Long Forest

Acreage Outer

Merrimu

Acreage Family Outer

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Long Forest

Long Forest vs Harkness Long Forest vs Brookfield Long Forest vs Melton West Long Forest vs Hopetoun Park Long Forest vs Toolern Vale Long Forest vs Coimadai

Other comparisons with Merrimu

Merrimu vs Darley Merrimu vs Bacchus Marsh Merrimu vs Hopetoun Park Merrimu vs Coimadai
Full data on Long Forest Full data on Merrimu
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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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