Mountain Bay vs Piries
Piries is the younger of the two, with a median age of 56 against 61 in Mountain Bay. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mountain Bay, most households are people living alone. In Piries, most households are couple families. On these figures, Mountain Bay tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Piries suits couples.
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
- Mountain Bay carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 42/100)
- Piries is already more of a family suburb (69% vs 30%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Piries
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 36%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Mountain Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $396/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Piries
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (173 min vs 186 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (205 km vs 211.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Mountain Bay
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (50% vs 29%)
- carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 42/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Mountain Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (25.6% vs 13.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Mountain Bay and Piries 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
Piries rents higher ($396/wk vs $0/wk); Piries has higher household incomes ($94,224 vs $50,232).
| Mountain Bay | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 54 | 66 +22% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +25.6% | +13.8% |
| Median age | 61 | 56 |
| Median household income | $50,232/yr | $94,224/yr +88% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | — | $396/wk (not reported on the other side) |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (35.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (22.2%).
Zoning mix
Piries has more rural and farming land (76% vs 0%).
| Mountain Bay | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Other and special use | 99% | 0% |
| Rural and farming | 0% | 76% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% | 16% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 8% |
| 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
| Mountain Bay | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 76 across Mansfield same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Mountain Bay | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 10% of VIC | Higher than 65% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 62% of VIC | Higher than 56% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 60% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 71% of VIC | Higher than 46% of VIC |
Liveability
| Mountain Bay | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Piries carries more bushfire risk (98 vs 0); Piries carries more flood risk (70 vs 24).
| Mountain Bay | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | High 98/100 |
| Crime | Low 26/100 | Moderate 42/100 |
| Flood | Low 24/100 | High 70/100 |
| 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
| Mountain Bay | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Mountain Bay | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 0 | 5 |
Mobility
Mountain Bay sits further from the CBD (211.6 km vs 205 km).
| Mountain Bay | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 211.6 km +3% vs other | 205 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 186 min | 173 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 3723 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 33 postcode 3723 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 (71.4%).
Setting
| Mountain Bay | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 349 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 491 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Mountain Bay | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 46 premises | 0% 39 premises |
Climate
| Mountain Bay | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 810 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.3°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Mountain Bay | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,697/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mansfield same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Mountain Bay | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Mountain Bay | Piries | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Mountain Bay
Other comparisons with Piries
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.