Marlo vs Bemm River
Marlo is the younger of the two, with a median age of 56 against 67 in Bemm River. In both, the large majority of households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Marlo: a median of $750,000, against $508,000 in Bemm River, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Bemm River tends to suit people living alone, older residents, 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
Marlo
ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 51/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (41% vs 25%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Marlo leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 39%)
- Bemm River has cheaper houses ($507,500 vs $750,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Marlo leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 31%)
- Bemm River has cheaper rent ($220/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Marlo
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (305 min vs 334 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (400.7 km vs 430.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Bemm River
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (35% vs 4%)
- has more residents already 65 and over (65% vs 31%)
- But Marlo carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 51/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Bemm River
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (20.0% vs 6.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Marlo and Bemm River 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
Marlo has more residents (602 vs 72); Marlo has higher household incomes ($71,916 vs $36,920).
| Marlo | Bemm River | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 602 +88% vs other | 72 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.7% | +20.0% |
| Median age | 56 | 67 |
| Median household income | $71,916/yr +49% vs other | $36,920/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk +12% vs other | $220/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (37.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.6%).
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 (5.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Marlo | Bemm River | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $750,000 | $507,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $239,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 89 days from 7 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Marlo has more rural and farming land (41% vs 6%).
| Marlo | Bemm River | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks and recreation | 53% | 94% |
| Rural and farming | 41% | 6% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 4% | 0% |
| Residential | 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
| Marlo | Bemm River | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 386 across East Gippsland same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +50% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Marlo | Bemm River | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 37% of VIC | Higher than 2% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 21% of VIC | Higher than 56% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 20% of VIC | Higher than 86% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 55% of VIC | Higher than 10% of VIC |
Liveability
| Marlo | Bemm River | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 20/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Marlo carries more flood risk (62 vs 0); Bemm River carries more crime risk (51 vs 28).
| Marlo | Bemm River | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 93/100 | High 90/100 |
| Crime | Low 28/100 | Moderate 51/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 62/100 | None 0/100 |
| Coastal erosion | High 89/100 | High 76/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Marlo | Bemm River | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Marlo
- Marlo Primary School Government · Primary above peers
- School for Student Leadership-Snowy River Campus Government · Secondary
Schools in Bemm River
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Marlo | Bemm River | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 2 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 12 | 9 |
Mobility
Bemm River sits further from the CBD (430.2 km vs 400.7 km).
| Marlo | Bemm River | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 400.7 km | 430.2 km +7% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 305 min | 334 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 3888 | 1.4% postcode 3889 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 42 postcode 3888 | 38 postcode 3889 |
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 (74.2%).
Setting
| Marlo | Bemm River | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 34 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 109 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 3.3 km | 7.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Marlo | Bemm River | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 448 premises | 0% 8 premises |
Council rates
| Marlo | Bemm River | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,807/yr same for both | |
| Council | East Gippsland same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Marlo | Bemm River | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gippsland same for both | |
| Member | Darren Chester same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Marlo | Bemm River | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
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.