Macs Cove vs Piries
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Macs Cove, most households are people living alone. In Piries, most households are couple families. On these figures, Macs Cove tends to suit people living alone, while Piries suits 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
Piries
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (69% vs 26%)
- carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 55/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Piries
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 32%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Macs Cove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($206/wk vs $396/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Macs Cove is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- Piries sits closer to the CBD (205 km vs 207.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Macs Cove
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (36% vs 29%)
- But Piries carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 55/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Macs Cove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (33.0% vs 13.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Macs Cove and Piries 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
Piries has higher household incomes ($94,224 vs $48,516); Piries rents higher ($396/wk vs $206/wk).
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 121 +45% vs other | 66 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +33.0% | +13.8% |
| Median age | 56 same for both | |
| Median household income | $48,516/yr | $94,224/yr +94% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $206/wk | $396/wk +92% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.7%).
Property market
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $440,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 234 days from 3 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Macs Cove has more rural and farming land (89% vs 76%).
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 89% | 76% |
| Parks and recreation | 3% | 16% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 4% | 8% |
| Residential | 4% | 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
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 76 across Mansfield same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 8% of VIC | Higher than 65% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 71% of VIC | Higher than 56% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 59% of VIC | Higher than 60% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 60% of VIC | Higher than 46% of VIC |
Liveability
Macs Cove is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Piries carries more flood risk (70 vs 22); Macs Cove carries more crime risk (55 vs 42).
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 100/100 | High 98/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 55/100 | Moderate 42/100 |
| Flood | Low 22/100 | High 70/100 |
| 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
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 18 | 5 |
Mobility
Macs Cove sits further from the CBD (207.9 km vs 205 km).
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 207.9 km +1% vs other | 205 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 173 min same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 3723 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 33 postcode 3723 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (71.4%).
Setting
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 338 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 491 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 100 premises | 0% 39 premises |
Climate
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 810 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.3°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,697/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mansfield same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Macs Cove | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Macs Cove
Other comparisons with Piries
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.