Lorne vs Barwon Downs

Barwon Downs is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 56 in Lorne. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lorne, about half of households are people living alone. In Barwon Downs, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Lorne: a median of $1.68 million, against $708,000 in Barwon Downs, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Barwon Downs tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Barwon Downs

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 86%)

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

First-home buyers

Barwon Downs

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($708,000 vs $1,681,500)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 33%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Lorne has a bigger rental market to choose from (24% vs 6%)
  • Barwon Downs has cheaper rent ($230/wk vs $363/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Lorne

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (145.8 km vs 157.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Lorne

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 27%)

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

Investors

Lorne

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (19.1% vs 3.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Lorne Barwon Downs
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.

Lorne Barwon Downs
Walkability 0 / 0
Lorne — Walkability: 0/100 Barwon Downs — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 40 / 39
Lorne — Safety: 40/100 Barwon Downs — Safety: 39/100
Low fire risk 12 / 14
Lorne — Low fire risk: 12/100 Barwon Downs — Low fire risk: 14/100
Low flood risk 85 / 58
Lorne — Low flood risk: 85/100 Barwon Downs — Low flood risk: 58/100

Demographics

Lorne has more residents (1,327 vs 136); Lorne rents higher ($363/wk vs $230/wk).

Lorne Barwon Downs
Population 1,327
+90% vs other
 136
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +19.1% +3.8%
Median age 56 48
Median household income $79,300/yr
+32% vs other
 $53,924/yr
Median weekly rent $363/wk
+37% vs other
 $230/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Lorne Barwon Downs
0-4 3.0% / 2.2%
Lorne — 0-4: 3.0% Barwon Downs — 0-4: 2.2%
5-14 6.4% / 10.3%
Lorne — 5-14: 6.4% Barwon Downs — 5-14: 10.3%
15-19 3.9% / 7.4%
Lorne — 15-19: 3.9% Barwon Downs — 15-19: 7.4%
20-24 4.2% / —
Lorne — 20-24: 4.2% Barwon Downs — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 13.0% / 5.1%
Lorne — 25-34: 13.0% Barwon Downs — 25-34: 5.1%
35-44 8.1% / 14.7%
Lorne — 35-44: 8.1% Barwon Downs — 35-44: 14.7%
45-54 9.8% / 19.1%
Lorne — 45-54: 9.8% Barwon Downs — 45-54: 19.1%
55-64 17.0% / 11.8%
Lorne — 55-64: 17.0% Barwon Downs — 55-64: 11.8%
65-74 20.4% / 19.9%
Lorne — 65-74: 20.4% Barwon Downs — 65-74: 19.9%
75-84 9.4% / 2.9%
Lorne — 75-84: 9.4% Barwon Downs — 75-84: 2.9%
85+ 4.2% / 4.4%
Lorne — 85+: 4.2% Barwon Downs — 85+: 4.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Lorne 51.8% lone person
Lorne — Lone Person: 51.8% Lorne — Couple Families: 27.5% Lorne — One Parent Families: 12.4% Lorne — Group Household: 7.4% Lorne — Other Families: 0.9%
Barwon Downs 65.8% lone person
Barwon Downs — Lone Person: 65.8% Barwon Downs — Couple Families: 26.3% Barwon Downs — One Parent Families: 7.9% Barwon Downs — Group Household: 0.0% Barwon Downs — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Lorne 24.5% renting
Lorne — Owned Outright: 56.7% Lorne — Mortgage: 18.9% Lorne — Renting: 24.5%
Barwon Downs 6.1% renting
Barwon Downs — Owned Outright: 51.0% Barwon Downs — Mortgage: 42.9% Barwon Downs — Renting: 6.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Lorne Barwon Downs
Bachelor Degree 19.1% / 16.9%
Lorne — Bachelor Degree: 19.1% Barwon Downs — Bachelor Degree: 16.9%
Certificate III & IV 12.4% / 14.7%
Lorne — Certificate III & IV: 12.4% Barwon Downs — Certificate III & IV: 14.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.9% / 8.8%
Lorne — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.9% Barwon Downs — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8%
Postgraduate Degree 5.2% / 2.9%
Lorne — Postgraduate Degree: 5.2% Barwon Downs — Postgraduate Degree: 2.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.1% / 3.7%
Lorne — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1% Barwon Downs — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).

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.

Lorne Barwon Downs
Japan — / 4.4%
Lorne — Japan: not among its largest Barwon Downs — Japan: 4.4%
England 2.9% / —
Lorne — England: 2.9% Barwon Downs — England: not among its largest
New Zealand 2.0% / —
Lorne — New Zealand: 2.0% Barwon Downs — New Zealand: not among its largest
India 1.1% / —
Lorne — India: 1.1% Barwon Downs — India: not among its largest
Germany 0.7% / —
Lorne — Germany: 0.7% Barwon Downs — Germany: not among its largest
China 0.6% / —
Lorne — China: 0.6% Barwon Downs — China: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Lorne 85.5% houses
Lorne — Houses: 85.5% Lorne — Flats / Apartments: 7.6% Lorne — Townhouses: 7.0%
Barwon Downs 100.0% houses
Barwon Downs — Houses: 100.0% Barwon Downs — Flats / Apartments: 0.0% Barwon Downs — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Lorne Barwon Downs
Median house price $1,681,500 $708,000
Median unit price $930,000 —
Median land price $1,435,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 38 days
from 30 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Barwon Downs has more rural and farming land (30% vs 0%).

Lorne Barwon Downs
Parks and recreation 90% 70%
Rural and farming 0% 30%
Environmental 7% 0%
Residential 2% 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

Lorne Barwon Downs
New dwellings approved 300
across Surf Coast
 226
across Colac Otway
Approvals change year on year +57% +64%

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Lorne Barwon Downs
Houses 2.5%
$850/wk on $1.75M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Lorne Barwon Downs
House price Higher than 91% of VIC —
Income — Higher than 12% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 12% of VIC Higher than 60% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 80% of VIC Higher than 62% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 77% of VIC Higher than 70% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 5% of VIC —

Liveability

Lorne Barwon Downs
Grade C —
Score 36/100 —
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Barwon Downs carries more flood risk (42 vs 15).

Lorne Barwon Downs
Bushfire High
88/100
 High
86/100
Crime Moderate
60/100
 Moderate
61/100
Flood Low
15/100
 Moderate
42/100
Coastal erosion Moderate
43/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Lorne Barwon Downs
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 Lorne

  • Lorne P-12 College Government · Combined below peers

Schools in Barwon Downs

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

Amenities in the suburb

Lorne Barwon Downs
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 19 0
Parks & reserves 4 2
Childcare 1 0
GPs 3 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3 0
Fuel stations 1 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 22 36

Mobility

Barwon Downs sits further from the CBD (157.3 km vs 145.8 km).

Lorne Barwon Downs
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 145.8 km 157.3 km
+8% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 129 min 126 min
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 3232
 0.6%
postcode 3243
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 15
postcode 3232
 36
postcode 3243

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.

Lorne Barwon Downs
Car (driver) 57.5% / 61.9%
Lorne — Car (driver): 57.5% Barwon Downs — Car (driver): 61.9%
Worked from Home 26.0% / 31.7%
Lorne — Worked from Home: 26.0% Barwon Downs — Worked from Home: 31.7%
Walked Only 12.4% / —
Lorne — Walked Only: 12.4% Barwon Downs — Walked Only: not among its largest
Car (passenger) 3.5% / 6.3%
Lorne — Car (passenger): 3.5% Barwon Downs — Car (passenger): 6.3%
Bicycle 0.6% / —
Lorne — Bicycle: 0.6% Barwon Downs — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (61.9%).

Setting

Lorne Barwon Downs
Elevation 165 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 238 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.5 km
4.5 km to a named beach
 15.0 km

NBN connectivity

Lorne Barwon Downs
Connectivity score 66/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 39%
2,235 premises
 0%
122 premises

Climate

Lorne Barwon Downs
Annual rainfall 599 mm 607 mm
Summer max (Jan) 23.2°C —
Winter min (Jul) 7.6°C —

Council rates

Lorne Barwon Downs
Average residential rate $2,314/yr $2,023/yr
Council Surf Coast Colac Otway

Federal electorate

Lorne Barwon Downs
Division Wannon
same for both
Member Dan Tehan
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Lorne Barwon Downs
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Lorne

Premium Retirees River Rural

Barwon Downs

Retirees River Rural
Full data on Lorne Full data on Barwon Downs
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or