Maroona vs Willaura
Maroona is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 53 in Willaura. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Maroona, most households are couple families. In Willaura, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Maroona tends to suit couples, while Willaura suits people living alone.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Maroona has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- Willaura has more parks and reserves (6 vs 2)
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
Maroona
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 16%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Maroona
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 4/100)
- has a shorter drive in (151 min vs 166 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (222.6 km vs 243.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Willaura
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 24%)
- carries lower crime risk (59/100 vs 72/100)
- But Maroona is more walkable (13/100 vs 4/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Willaura
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-17.2% vs -27.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Maroona and Willaura 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
Willaura has more residents (439 vs 80); Maroona has higher household incomes ($97,448 vs $50,752).
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 80 | 439 +449% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -27.3% | -17.2% |
| Median age | 48 | 53 |
| Median household income | $97,448/yr +48% vs other | $50,752/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $145/wk | $155/wk +7% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).
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 (5.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $252,250 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 28 days from 6 sales |
Zoning mix
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% same for both | |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 56 across Ararat same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +80% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 68% of VIC | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 76% of VIC | Higher than 65% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 20% of VIC | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 26% of VIC | Higher than 41% of VIC |
Liveability
Maroona is more walkable (13 vs 4).
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Willaura carries more bushfire risk (75 vs 48); Maroona carries more crime risk (72 vs 59).
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 48/100 | High 75/100 |
| Crime | High 72/100 | Moderate 59/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 same for both | |
| 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
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Maroona
- Maroona Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Willaura
- Willaura Primary School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 6 |
| Childcare | 0 | 2 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 6 | 57 |
Mobility
Willaura sits further from the CBD (243.2 km vs 222.6 km).
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 13/100 | 4/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 222.6 km | 243.2 km +9% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 151 min | 166 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 3377 | 0.0% postcode 3379 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 38 postcode 3377 | 33 postcode 3379 |
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 (71.0%).
Setting
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 253 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 271 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 25/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 41 premises | 0% 261 premises |
Climate
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 554 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.0°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,002/yr same for both | |
| Council | Ararat same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Maroona | Willaura | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Maroona
Willaura
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Maroona
Other comparisons with Willaura
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.