Musk Vale vs Sailors Falls

Sailors Falls is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 48 in Musk Vale. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Musk Vale, about half of households are couple families. In Sailors Falls, most households are couple families. On these figures, Sailors Falls 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

Musk Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 27/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Musk Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 32%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Sailors Falls

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($246/wk vs $341/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Sailors Falls

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (80 min vs 91 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (106.8 km vs 114.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Musk Vale carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 27/100)
  • Sailors Falls is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)

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

Musk Vale and Sailors Falls drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Walkability 0 / 8
Musk Vale — Walkability: 0/100 Sailors Falls — Walkability: 8/100
Safety 84 / 73
Musk Vale — Safety: 84/100 Sailors Falls — Safety: 73/100
Low fire risk 18 / 32
Musk Vale — Low fire risk: 18/100 Sailors Falls — Low fire risk: 32/100
Low flood risk 44 / 75
Musk Vale — Low flood risk: 44/100 Sailors Falls — Low flood risk: 75/100

Demographics

Musk Vale has more residents (170 vs 79); Musk Vale rents higher ($341/wk vs $246/wk).

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Population 170
+54% vs other
 79
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +28.8% +27.4%
Median age 48 44
Median household income $73,320/yr
+14% vs other
 $62,816/yr
Median weekly rent $341/wk
+28% vs other
 $246/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
0-4 4.1% / 6.3%
Musk Vale — 0-4: 4.1% Sailors Falls — 0-4: 6.3%
5-14 11.2% / 15.2%
Musk Vale — 5-14: 11.2% Sailors Falls — 5-14: 15.2%
15-19 5.9% / 10.1%
Musk Vale — 15-19: 5.9% Sailors Falls — 15-19: 10.1%
20-24 2.4% / 3.8%
Musk Vale — 20-24: 2.4% Sailors Falls — 20-24: 3.8%
25-34 12.9% / 17.7%
Musk Vale — 25-34: 12.9% Sailors Falls — 25-34: 17.7%
35-44 8.8% / 7.6%
Musk Vale — 35-44: 8.8% Sailors Falls — 35-44: 7.6%
45-54 20.0% / 19.0%
Musk Vale — 45-54: 20.0% Sailors Falls — 45-54: 19.0%
55-64 15.3% / 16.5%
Musk Vale — 55-64: 15.3% Sailors Falls — 55-64: 16.5%
65-74 15.3% / 11.4%
Musk Vale — 65-74: 15.3% Sailors Falls — 65-74: 11.4%
75-84 3.5% / 3.8%
Musk Vale — 75-84: 3.5% Sailors Falls — 75-84: 3.8%
85+ — / —
Musk Vale — 85+: not among its largest Sailors Falls — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Musk Vale 50.0% couple families
Musk Vale — Couple Families: 50.0% Musk Vale — Lone Person: 32.5% Musk Vale — Group Household: 10.0% Musk Vale — One Parent Families: 7.5%
Sailors Falls 55.6% couple families
Sailors Falls — Couple Families: 55.6% Sailors Falls — Lone Person: 44.4% Sailors Falls — Group Household: 0.0% Sailors Falls — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person Group Household One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Musk Vale 11.1% renting
Musk Vale — Owned Outright: 58.7% Musk Vale — Mortgage: 30.2% Musk Vale — Renting: 11.1%
Sailors Falls 14.3% renting
Sailors Falls — Owned Outright: 60.7% Sailors Falls — Mortgage: 25.0% Sailors Falls — Renting: 14.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
England 2.4% / 5.1%
Musk Vale — England: 2.4% Sailors Falls — England: 5.1%
Thailand 3.5% / —
Musk Vale — Thailand: 3.5% Sailors Falls — Thailand: not among its largest
New Zealand 1.8% / —
Musk Vale — New Zealand: 1.8% Sailors Falls — New Zealand: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.1%).

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Certificate III & IV 18.8% / 24.1%
Musk Vale — Certificate III & IV: 18.8% Sailors Falls — Certificate III & IV: 24.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.2% / 15.2%
Musk Vale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2% Sailors Falls — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 15.2%
Bachelor Degree 8.8% / 10.1%
Musk Vale — Bachelor Degree: 8.8% Sailors Falls — Bachelor Degree: 10.1%
Postgraduate Degree 7.1% / 5.1%
Musk Vale — Postgraduate Degree: 7.1% Sailors Falls — Postgraduate Degree: 5.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.4% / —
Musk Vale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4% Sailors Falls — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Musk Vale 103.2% houses
Musk Vale — Houses: 103.2%
Sailors Falls 100.0% houses
Sailors Falls — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Zoning mix

Sailors Falls has more rural and farming land (57% vs 46%).

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Rural and farming 46% 57%
Parks and recreation 48% 42%
Infrastructure and transport 7% 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

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
New dwellings approved 104
across Hepburn
same for both
Approvals change year on year -6%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 39% of VIC Higher than 24% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 1% of VIC Higher than 68% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 86% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 1% of VIC Higher than 5% of VIC

Liveability

Sailors Falls is more walkable (8 vs 0).

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
same for both

Risk profile

Musk Vale carries more flood risk (56 vs 25); Sailors Falls carries more crime risk (27 vs 16).

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Bushfire High
82/100
 Moderate
68/100
Crime Low
16/100
 Low
27/100
Flood Moderate
56/100
 Low
25/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
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

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Waterways 4 17

Mobility

Musk Vale sits further from the CBD (114.9 km vs 106.8 km).

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Walkability score 0/100 8/100
Distance to Melbourne 114.9 km
+7% vs other
 106.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 91 min 80 min
Electric vehicle share 1.4%
postcode 3461
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 48
postcode 3461
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.

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Car (driver) 67.2% / 37.5%
Musk Vale — Car (driver): 67.2% Sailors Falls — Car (driver): 37.5%
Worked from Home 25.4% / 62.5%
Musk Vale — Worked from Home: 25.4% Sailors Falls — Worked from Home: 62.5%
Car (passenger) 7.5% / —
Musk Vale — Car (passenger): 7.5% Sailors Falls — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (67.2%).

Setting

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Elevation 611 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 639 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Connectivity score 15/100
same for both
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
73 premises
 0%
29 premises

Climate

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Annual rainfall 714 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Average residential rate $1,748/yr
same for both
Council Hepburn
same for both

Federal electorate

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Division Ballarat
same for both
Member Catherine King
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Musk Vale Sailors Falls
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Musk Vale

Rural

Sailors Falls

River Rural

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Other comparisons with Sailors Falls

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Full data on Musk Vale Full data on Sailors Falls
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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.

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