Middle Tarwin vs Buffalo
Middle Tarwin is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 47 in Buffalo. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Middle Tarwin, most households are couple families. In Buffalo, about half of households are couple families.
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
Middle Tarwin
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (53/100 vs 78/100)
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
Middle Tarwin
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (9% vs 16%)
- has cheaper rent ($180/wk vs $260/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Middle Tarwin
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (123 min vs 128 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (158.5 km vs 162.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Middle Tarwin carries lower crime risk (53/100 vs 78/100)
- Buffalo has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 15%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Buffalo
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (4.4% vs -4.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Middle Tarwin and Buffalo 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
Buffalo has more residents (284 vs 91); Buffalo rents higher ($260/wk vs $180/wk).
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 91 | 284 +212% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -4.2% | +4.4% |
| Median age | 41 | 47 |
| Median household income | $100,724/yr +15% vs other | $85,748/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $180/wk | $260/wk +44% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).
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 (5.5%).
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 (19.8%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $625,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 96% | 97% |
| Parks and recreation | 4% | 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
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 170 across South Gippsland same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +21% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 73% of VIC | Higher than 56% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 51% of VIC | Higher than 39% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 63% of VIC | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 37% of VIC | Higher than 36% of VIC |
Liveability
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Buffalo carries more crime risk (78 vs 53); Middle Tarwin carries more flood risk (76 vs 58).
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 53/100 | High 78/100 |
| Flood | High 76/100 | Moderate 58/100 |
| 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
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 same for both | |
Mobility
Buffalo sits further from the CBD (162.3 km vs 158.5 km).
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 158.5 km | 162.3 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 123 min | 128 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 3956 | 0.0% postcode 3958 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 36 postcode 3956 | 40 postcode 3958 |
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 (56.0%).
Setting
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 24 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 38 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 7.8 km | 15.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 39 premises | 0% 142 premises |
Climate
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 906 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 24.6°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,282/yr same for both | |
| Council | South Gippsland same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Monash same for both | |
| Member | Mary Aldred same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Middle Tarwin | Buffalo | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Middle Tarwin
Buffalo
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Middle Tarwin
Other comparisons with Buffalo
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.