Narracan vs Driffield
Driffield is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 48 in Narracan. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Narracan, about half of households are people living alone. In Driffield, most households are couple families. On these figures, Narracan tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Driffield suits families with children and 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
- Narracan carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 73/100)
- Driffield is already more of a family suburb (79% vs 52%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Driffield
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 34%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Narracan
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $225/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Narracan
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (139.4 km vs 156.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Narracan
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 73/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 17%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Driffield
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.8% vs 3.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Narracan and Driffield 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
Narracan has more residents (262 vs 101); Driffield has higher household incomes ($97,500 vs $70,824).
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 262 +61% vs other | 101 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +3.6% | +18.8% |
| Median age | 48 | 40 |
| Median household income | $70,824/yr | $97,500/yr +38% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $225/wk +12% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).
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 (24.8%).
Property market
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $845,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Narracan has more rural and farming land (98% vs 23%).
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 98% | 23% |
| Other and special use | 0% | 75% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 1% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% | 0% |
| 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
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 619 across Baw Baw | 529 across Latrobe (Vic.) |
| Approvals change year on year | +49% | +66% |
Ranking within VIC
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 33% of VIC | Higher than 70% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 74% of VIC | Higher than 49% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 34% of VIC | Higher than 28% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 40% of VIC | Higher than 45% of VIC |
Liveability
Narracan is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Driffield carries more flood risk (37 vs 0); Driffield carries more crime risk (73 vs 38).
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 98/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 38/100 | High 73/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 | Low 37/100 |
| 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
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Narracan
- Narracan Primary School Government · Primary
Schools in Driffield
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Driffield sits further from the CBD (156.4 km vs 139.4 km).
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 13/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 139.4 km | 156.4 km +12% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 109 min | 112 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 3824 | 0.3% postcode 3840 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 41 postcode 3824 | 36 postcode 3840 |
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 (81.1%).
Setting
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 268 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 77 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 46.0 km | 45.2 km |
NBN connectivity
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 130 premises | 0% 41 premises |
Climate
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 700 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.1°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 7.7 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 15.9 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.56 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,138/yr | $1,746/yr |
| Council | Baw Baw | Latrobe (Vic.) |
Federal electorate
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Monash | Gippsland |
| Member | Mary Aldred | Darren Chester |
| Party | Liberal | The Nationals |
First Home Owner Grant
| Narracan | Driffield | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Narracan
Other comparisons with Driffield
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.