Muckleford vs Walmer
Muckleford is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 54 in Walmer. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Muckleford, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Walmer: a median of $878,000, against $695,000 in Muckleford. On these figures, Muckleford tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Walmer suits share households.
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
Walmer
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (9 vs 3)
- carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 46/100)
- But Muckleford is already more of a family suburb (65% vs 53%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Muckleford
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($695,000 vs $877,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Muckleford
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (128.1 km vs 135.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Walmer
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 46/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 20%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Walmer
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (17.5% vs 5.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Muckleford and Walmer 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
Muckleford has more residents (426 vs 262); Muckleford has higher household incomes ($96,096 vs $75,348).
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 426 +38% vs other | 262 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.2% | +17.5% |
| Median age | 46 | 54 |
| Median household income | $96,096/yr +22% vs other | $75,348/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $330/wk | $331/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.5%).
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 (3.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $695,000 | $877,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $247,000 | — |
Zoning mix
Walmer has more rural and farming land (96% vs 80%).
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 80% | 96% |
| Parks and recreation | 18% | 3% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 102 across Mount Alexander same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -7% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 66% of VIC | Higher than 42% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 72% of VIC | Higher than 70% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 82% of VIC | Higher than 80% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 73% of VIC | Higher than 25% of VIC |
Liveability
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Muckleford carries more crime risk (46 vs 20); Walmer carries more bushfire risk (64 vs 38).
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 38/100 | Moderate 64/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 46/100 | Low 20/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 47/100 | Moderate 46/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 4 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Muckleford
- Castlemaine Steiner School & Kindergarten Independent · Combined below peers
Schools in Walmer
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 9 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 12 | 5 |
Mobility
Walmer sits further from the CBD (135.1 km vs 128.1 km).
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 128.1 km | 135.1 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 97 min | 95 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.2% postcode 3451 | 1.1% postcode 3463 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 59 postcode 3451 | 58 postcode 3463 |
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 (77.7%).
Setting
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 286 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 306 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 43/100 | 25/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 20% 224 premises | 0% 107 premises |
Climate
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 598 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,885/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mount Alexander same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bendigo same for both | |
| Member | Lisa Chesters same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Muckleford | Walmer | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Muckleford
Other comparisons with Walmer
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.