Merbein West vs Wargan
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Merbein West, about half of households are couple families. In Wargan, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Merbein West tends to suit families with children and older residents, while Wargan 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
Merbein West
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (60% vs 42%)
- carries lower crime risk (73/100 vs 97/100)
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
Merbein West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $231/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Merbein West
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (380 min vs 401 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (560.2 km vs 577.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Merbein West
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 11%)
- carries lower crime risk (73/100 vs 97/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Merbein West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (17.4% vs -25.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Merbein West and Wargan 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
Merbein West has more residents (223 vs 53); Wargan rents higher ($231/wk vs $150/wk).
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 223 +76% vs other | 53 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +17.4% | -25.4% |
| Median age | 42 same for both | |
| Median household income | $68,224/yr | $84,500/yr +24% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $150/wk | $231/wk +54% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.6%).
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 (11.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 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 (17.0%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $477,990 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 62% | 63% |
| Parks and recreation | 29% | 37% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 8% | 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
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 446 across Mildura same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +29% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 29% of VIC | Higher than 54% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 20% of VIC | Higher than 30% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 2% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 55% of VIC | Higher than 42% of VIC |
Liveability
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Wargan carries more bushfire risk (11 vs 0); Wargan carries more flood risk (97 vs 25).
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 11/100 |
| Crime | High 73/100 | High 97/100 |
| Flood | Low 25/100 | High 97/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 2 | 17 |
Mobility
Wargan sits further from the CBD (577.5 km vs 560.2 km).
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 560.2 km | 577.5 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 380 min | 401 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 3505 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 54 postcode 3505 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 (84.9%).
Setting
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 47 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 41 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 83 premises | 0% 25 premises |
Climate
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 278 mm | 257 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 33.0°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.9°C | — |
Council rates
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,340/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mildura same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Merbein West | Wargan | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Merbein West
Other comparisons with Wargan
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.