Netherby vs Rainbow
Netherby is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 56 in Rainbow. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Netherby, most households are couple families. In Rainbow, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Netherby tends to suit families with children and couples, while Rainbow suits people living alone and older residents.
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
- Netherby carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 40/100)
- Rainbow has more parks and reserves (12 vs 2)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Rainbow
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (11% vs 19%)
Weighs 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
Rainbow
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (403.7 km vs 406.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Rainbow
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more GPs (2 vs 0)
- has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 13%)
- But Netherby carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 40/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Rainbow
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-1.6% vs -7.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Netherby and Rainbow 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
Rainbow has more residents (672 vs 111); Rainbow skews older (56 vs 38).
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 111 | 672 +505% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -7.5% | -1.6% |
| Median age | 38 | 56 |
| Median household income | $67,184/yr +19% vs other | $54,496/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $97/wk | $100/wk +3% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).
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 (4.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $190,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $200,000 |
Zoning mix
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 92% | 86% |
| Parks and recreation | 8% | 13% |
| 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
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 9 across Hindmarsh same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +100% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 1% of VIC |
| Income | Higher than 28% of VIC | Higher than 13% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 58% of VIC | Higher than 66% of VIC |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 99% of VIC |
| EV adoption | Higher than 3% of VIC | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 13% of VIC | Higher than 46% of VIC |
Liveability
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 14/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Rainbow carries more flood risk (63 vs 0); Rainbow carries more crime risk (40 vs 16).
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 84/100 | High 78/100 |
| Crime | Low 16/100 | Moderate 40/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 | Moderate 63/100 |
| 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
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Netherby
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Rainbow
- Rainbow P-12 College Government · Combined above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 12 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| GPs | 0 | 2 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 2 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 0 | 2 |
Mobility
Netherby sits further from the CBD (406.8 km vs 403.7 km).
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 4/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 406.8 km | 403.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 286 min | 290 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 3418 | 0.0% postcode 3424 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 40 postcode 3418 | 42 postcode 3424 |
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 (65.5%).
Setting
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 111 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 71 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 16/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 20 premises | 0% 431 premises |
Climate
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 375 mm | 347 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,660/yr same for both | |
| Council | Hindmarsh same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Netherby | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Netherby
Rainbow
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Netherby
Other comparisons with Rainbow
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.