Maffra vs Riverslea

Riverslea is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 42 in Maffra. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Riverslea, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Riverslea: a median of $770,000, against $468,000 in Maffra, though rent is higher in Maffra. On these figures, Maffra tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Riverslea 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

Maffra

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (4 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
  • But Riverslea carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 72/100)

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

First-home buyers

Maffra

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($467,500 vs $770,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Riverslea

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (6% vs 20%)
  • has cheaper rent ($110/wk vs $250/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Riverslea

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (156 min vs 166 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (216.2 km vs 226.7 km)
  • But Maffra is more walkable (44/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Maffra

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (44/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 14%)
  • But Riverslea carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 72/100)

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

Investors

Riverslea

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (10.7% vs 2.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Maffra Riverslea
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.

Maffra Riverslea
Walkability 44 / 0
Maffra — Walkability: 44/100 Riverslea — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 28 / 86
Maffra — Safety: 28/100 Riverslea — Safety: 86/100
Low fire risk 8 / 100
Maffra — Low fire risk: 8/100 Riverslea — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 11 / 10
Maffra — Low flood risk: 11/100 Riverslea — Low flood risk: 10/100

Demographics

Maffra has more residents (5,384 vs 165); Maffra rents higher ($250/wk vs $110/wk).

Maffra Riverslea
Population 5,384
+97% vs other
 165
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.0% +10.7%
Median age 42 39
Median household income $66,820/yr $103,116/yr
+54% vs other
Median weekly rent $250/wk
+56% vs other
 $110/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Maffra Riverslea
0-4 5.7% / 6.1%
Maffra — 0-4: 5.7% Riverslea — 0-4: 6.1%
5-14 13.4% / 23.0%
Maffra — 5-14: 13.4% Riverslea — 5-14: 23.0%
15-19 5.6% / 2.4%
Maffra — 15-19: 5.6% Riverslea — 15-19: 2.4%
20-24 4.7% / 4.8%
Maffra — 20-24: 4.7% Riverslea — 20-24: 4.8%
25-34 11.2% / 9.7%
Maffra — 25-34: 11.2% Riverslea — 25-34: 9.7%
35-44 11.7% / 18.2%
Maffra — 35-44: 11.7% Riverslea — 35-44: 18.2%
45-54 10.3% / 7.9%
Maffra — 45-54: 10.3% Riverslea — 45-54: 7.9%
55-64 13.7% / 15.8%
Maffra — 55-64: 13.7% Riverslea — 55-64: 15.8%
65-74 13.2% / 12.7%
Maffra — 65-74: 13.2% Riverslea — 65-74: 12.7%
75-84 7.5% / 1.8%
Maffra — 75-84: 7.5% Riverslea — 75-84: 1.8%
85+ 2.8% / —
Maffra — 85+: 2.8% Riverslea — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Maffra 35.7% couple families
Maffra — Couple Families: 35.7% Maffra — Lone Person: 43.9% Maffra — One Parent Families: 16.3% Maffra — Group Household: 2.9% Maffra — Other Families: 1.2%
Riverslea 55.6% couple families
Riverslea — Couple Families: 55.6% Riverslea — Lone Person: 33.3% Riverslea — One Parent Families: 11.1% Riverslea — Group Household: 0.0% Riverslea — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Maffra 22.3% renting
Maffra — Owned Outright: 41.0% Maffra — Mortgage: 36.7% Maffra — Renting: 22.3%
Riverslea 24.1% renting
Riverslea — Owned Outright: 33.3% Riverslea — Mortgage: 42.6% Riverslea — Renting: 24.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Maffra Riverslea
New Zealand 0.9% / 4.2%
Maffra — New Zealand: 0.9% Riverslea — New Zealand: 4.2%
England 2.1% / 1.8%
Maffra — England: 2.1% Riverslea — England: 1.8%
Philippines 0.9% / 2.4%
Maffra — Philippines: 0.9% Riverslea — Philippines: 2.4%
Netherlands 0.7% / —
Maffra — Netherlands: 0.7% Riverslea — Netherlands: not among its largest
India 0.5% / —
Maffra — India: 0.5% Riverslea — India: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.2%).

Qualifications

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

Maffra Riverslea
Certificate III & IV 19.8% / 19.4%
Maffra — Certificate III & IV: 19.8% Riverslea — Certificate III & IV: 19.4%
Bachelor Degree 7.5% / 6.1%
Maffra — Bachelor Degree: 7.5% Riverslea — Bachelor Degree: 6.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.2% / 6.1%
Maffra — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.2% Riverslea — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / —
Maffra — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Riverslea — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest
Postgraduate Degree 1.7% / —
Maffra — Postgraduate Degree: 1.7% Riverslea — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Maffra 92.9% houses
Maffra — Houses: 92.9% Maffra — Flats / Apartments: 7.1%
Riverslea 100.0% houses
Riverslea — Houses: 100.0% Riverslea — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Maffra Riverslea
Median house price $467,500 $770,000
Median unit price $360,000 —
Median land price $227,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 37 days
from 65 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Riverslea has more rural and farming land (98% vs 85%).

Maffra Riverslea
Rural and farming 85% 98%
Infrastructure and transport 6% 0%
Residential 5% 0%
Parks and recreation 4% 2%
Industrial 1% 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

Maffra Riverslea
New dwellings approved 209
across Wellington
same for both
Approvals change year on year +17%
same for both

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.

Maffra Riverslea
Houses 4.7%
$500/wk on $548K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Maffra Riverslea
House price Higher than 12% of VIC —
Income Higher than 28% of VIC Higher than 76% of VIC
Schools Higher than 16% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 5% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 83% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 15% of VIC Higher than 14% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 78% of VIC Higher than 49% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 95% of VIC —

Liveability

Maffra is more walkable (44 vs 0).

Maffra Riverslea
Grade D —
Score 18/100 —
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Maffra carries more bushfire risk (92 vs 0); Maffra carries more crime risk (72 vs 14).

Maffra Riverslea
Bushfire High
92/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
72/100
 Low
14/100
Flood High
89/100
 High
90/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 3
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Maffra Riverslea
Inside the suburb 3 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 3 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Maffra

  • Maffra Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Maffra Secondary College Government · Secondary at peers
  • St Mary's School Catholic · Primary at peers

Schools in Riverslea

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

Amenities in the suburb

Maffra Riverslea
Supermarkets 4 0
Cafes & restaurants 5 0
Parks & reserves 4 0
Childcare 4 0
GPs 3 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3 0
Fuel stations 2 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 7 3

Mobility

Maffra sits further from the CBD (226.7 km vs 216.2 km).

Maffra Riverslea
Walkability score 44/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 226.7 km
+5% vs other
 216.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 166 min 156 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 3860
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 41
postcode 3860
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.

Maffra Riverslea
Car (driver) 79.7% / 68.1%
Maffra — Car (driver): 79.7% Riverslea — Car (driver): 68.1%
Worked from Home 10.6% / 19.4%
Maffra — Worked from Home: 10.6% Riverslea — Worked from Home: 19.4%
Walked Only 3.5% / 12.5%
Maffra — Walked Only: 3.5% Riverslea — Walked Only: 12.5%
Car (passenger) 5.7% / —
Maffra — Car (passenger): 5.7% Riverslea — Car (passenger): not among its largest
Bicycle 0.6% / —
Maffra — Bicycle: 0.6% Riverslea — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.7%).

Setting

Maffra Riverslea
Elevation 44 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 24 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 45.3 km 44.7 km

NBN connectivity

Maffra Riverslea
Connectivity score 67/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 42%
2,801 premises
 0%
67 premises

Climate

Maffra Riverslea
Annual rainfall 546 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 4.0°C
same for both

Council rates

Maffra Riverslea
Average residential rate $1,960/yr
same for both
Council Wellington
same for both

Federal electorate

Maffra Riverslea
Division Gippsland
same for both
Member Darren Chester
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Maffra Riverslea
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Maffra

Acreage Affordable

Riverslea

Family Rural

More comparisons

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Other comparisons with Riverslea

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Full data on Maffra Full data on Riverslea
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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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