Murrabit vs Lake Charm
Murrabit is the younger of the two, with a median age of 52 against 55 in Lake Charm. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Murrabit tends to suit people living alone and families with children.
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
Murrabit
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 54/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 45%)
- But Lake Charm has more parks and reserves (7 vs 3)
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
Murrabit
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($158/wk vs $188/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Lake Charm
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (206 min vs 211 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (299.2 km vs 302.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Murrabit
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 54/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (32% vs 25%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Murrabit
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (14.4% vs -12.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Murrabit and Lake Charm 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
Murrabit has more residents (230 vs 147); Lake Charm has higher household incomes ($68,692 vs $53,872).
| Murrabit | Lake Charm | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 230 +36% vs other | 147 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +14.4% | -12.5% |
| Median age | 52 | 55 |
| Median household income | $53,872/yr | $68,692/yr +28% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $158/wk | $188/wk +19% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.8%).
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 (4.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Murrabit has more rural and farming land (89% vs 75%).
| Murrabit | Lake Charm | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 89% | 75% |
| Parks and recreation | 9% | 24% |
| 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
| Murrabit | Lake Charm | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 19 across Gannawarra same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Murrabit | Lake Charm | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 12% of VIC | Higher than 31% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 31% of VIC | Higher than 16% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 1% of VIC | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 17% of VIC | Higher than 16% of VIC |
Liveability
| Murrabit | Lake Charm | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Lake Charm carries more crime risk (54 vs 38); Lake Charm carries more bushfire risk (34 vs 24).
| Murrabit | Lake Charm | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 24/100 | Low 34/100 |
| Crime | Low 38/100 | Moderate 54/100 |
| Flood | High 96/100 | High 95/100 |
| 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
| Murrabit | Lake Charm | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Murrabit
- Murrabit Group School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Lake Charm
- Lake Charm Primary School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Murrabit | Lake Charm | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 7 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 same for both | |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 0 | 13 |
Mobility
Murrabit sits further from the CBD (302.5 km vs 299.2 km).
| Murrabit | Lake Charm | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 302.5 km +1% vs other | 299.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 211 min | 206 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 3579 | 0.0% postcode 3581 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 3579 | — |
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 (70.2%).
Setting
| Murrabit | Lake Charm | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 73 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 72 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Murrabit | Lake Charm | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 20/100 | 19/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 42 premises | 0% 51 premises |
Climate
| Murrabit | Lake Charm | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 364 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 32.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.5°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Murrabit | Lake Charm | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,855/yr same for both | |
| Council | Gannawarra same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Murrabit | Lake Charm | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Murrabit | Lake Charm | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Murrabit
Other comparisons with Lake Charm
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.