Moriac vs Paraparap
Moriac is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 44 in Paraparap. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Moriac, the large majority of households are couple families. In Paraparap, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Moriac tends to suit couples, while Paraparap 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
Moriac
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 57/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (83% vs 62%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 86%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Moriac
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 24%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Paraparap
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (23% vs 4%)
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $410/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Moriac
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (51/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (75 min vs 83 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (99 km vs 105 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Moriac
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (51/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 57/100)
- has more GPs (2 vs 0)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Moriac and Paraparap 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
Moriac has more residents (852 vs 167); Moriac rents higher ($410/wk vs $300/wk).
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 852 +80% vs other | 167 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +9.0% | +10.6% |
| Median age | 38 | 44 |
| Median household income | $129,272/yr +7% vs other | $120,224/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $410/wk +27% vs other | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).
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 (3.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $901,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 90% | 96% |
| Residential | 7% | 0% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 4% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 3% | 1% |
| 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
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 300 across Surf Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +57% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 94% of VIC | Higher than 91% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 86% of VIC | Higher than 55% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 90% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 58% of VIC | Higher than 32% of VIC |
Liveability
Moriac is more walkable (51 vs 0).
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | A | — |
| Score | 74/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Paraparap carries more bushfire risk (82 vs 0); Paraparap carries more crime risk (57 vs 12).
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | High 82/100 |
| Crime | Low 12/100 | Moderate 57/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 59/100 | Moderate 54/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Moriac
- Moriac Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Paraparap
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| GPs | 2 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 5 | 2 |
Mobility
Paraparap sits further from the CBD (105 km vs 99 km).
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 51/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 99 km | 105 km +6% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 75 min | 83 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.6% postcode 3240 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 62 postcode 3240 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 (68.6%).
Setting
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 93 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 90 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 16.0 km | 11.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 27/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 311 premises | 0% 66 premises |
Climate
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 599 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 23.2°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.6°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 20.5 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,314/yr same for both | |
| Council | Surf Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Moriac | Paraparap | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Moriac
Other comparisons with Paraparap
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.