Macarthur vs Bessiebelle
Bessiebelle is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 51 in Macarthur. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Bessiebelle tends to suit families with children.
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
Macarthur
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 78/100)
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
Bessiebelle
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($140/wk vs $158/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Macarthur
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (298.5 km vs 307.3 km)
- has a shorter drive in (224 min vs 230 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Macarthur
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 78/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Bessiebelle
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (15.3% vs -10.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Macarthur and Bessiebelle 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
Macarthur has more residents (469 vs 113); Macarthur skews older (51 vs 42).
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 469 +76% vs other | 113 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -10.2% | +15.3% |
| Median age | 51 | 42 |
| Median household income | $55,068/yr +8% vs other | $50,648/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $158/wk +11% vs other | $140/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).
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 (6.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $297,500 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Macarthur has more rural and farming land (95% vs 85%).
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 95% | 85% |
| Parks and recreation | 5% | 15% |
| 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
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 64 across Moyne same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -15% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 1% of VIC | — |
| Income | Higher than 13% of VIC | Higher than 10% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 45% of VIC | Higher than 27% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 100% of VIC | — |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 44% of VIC | Higher than 21% of VIC |
Liveability
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Bessiebelle carries more flood risk (12 vs 0); Bessiebelle carries more crime risk (78 vs 25).
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 82/100 | High 85/100 |
| Crime | Low 25/100 | High 78/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 | Low 12/100 |
| 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
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Macarthur
- Macarthur Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Bessiebelle
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 3 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 12 | 2 |
Mobility
Bessiebelle sits further from the CBD (307.3 km vs 298.5 km).
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 298.5 km | 307.3 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 224 min | 230 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3286 | 0.0% postcode 3304 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 30 postcode 3286 | 38 postcode 3304 |
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 (67.0%).
Setting
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 75 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 60 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 26.7 km | 12.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 22/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 299 premises | 0% 41 premises |
Climate
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 699 mm | 661 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 22.5°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.2°C | — |
Council rates
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,613/yr same for both | |
| Council | Moyne same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Macarthur | Bessiebelle | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Macarthur
Bessiebelle
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Macarthur
Other comparisons with Bessiebelle
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.