Merricks vs Point Leo
Point Leo is the younger of the two, with a median age of 54 against 57 in Merricks. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Merricks, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Merricks tends to suit 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
- Merricks carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 56/100)
- Point Leo is already more of a family suburb (67% vs 49%)
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
Merricks
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (9% vs 29%)
- has cheaper rent ($258/wk vs $611/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Merricks
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (88.3 km vs 91.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Merricks
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 56/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (33% vs 26%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Point Leo
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (12.7% vs -3.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Merricks and Point Leo 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
Point Leo rents higher ($611/wk vs $258/wk); Merricks has higher household incomes ($143,000 vs $108,888).
| Merricks | Point Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 184 +3% vs other | 178 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -3.2% | +12.7% |
| Median age | 57 | 54 |
| Median household income | $143,000/yr +24% vs other | $108,888/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $258/wk | $611/wk +137% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).
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 (8.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Merricks has more rural and farming land (95% vs 70%).
| Merricks | Point Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 95% | 70% |
| Residential | 1% | 16% |
| Parks and recreation | 2% | 12% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 2% |
| 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
| Merricks | Point Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 791 across Mornington Peninsula same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +9% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Merricks | Point Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 97% of VIC | Higher than 81% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 69% of VIC | Higher than 67% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 99% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 48% of VIC | Higher than 87% of VIC |
Liveability
| Merricks | Point Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Point Leo carries more crime risk (56 vs 30); Point Leo carries more flood risk (29 vs 19).
| Merricks | Point Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 30/100 | Moderate 56/100 |
| Flood | Low 19/100 | Low 29/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Moderate 43/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Merricks | Point Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Merricks | Point Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 13 | 1 |
Mobility
Point Leo sits further from the CBD (91.8 km vs 88.3 km).
| Merricks | Point Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 88.3 km | 91.8 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 75 min | 77 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 3.1% postcode 3916 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 3916 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 (52.7%).
Setting
| Merricks | Point Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 65 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 31 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.8 km | 784 m |
NBN connectivity
| Merricks | Point Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 77/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 137 premises | 61% 129 premises |
Climate
| Merricks | Point Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 696 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 24.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.5°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Merricks | Point Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,659/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mornington Peninsula same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Merricks | Point Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Flinders same for both | |
| Member | Zoe Mckenzie same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Merricks | Point Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Merricks
Other comparisons with Point Leo
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.