Newcomb vs Moolap

Newcomb is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 59 in Moolap. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Newcomb, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Moolap: a median of $975,000, against $620,000 in Newcomb, though rent is higher in Newcomb. On these figures, Newcomb tends to suit young adults, people living alone, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Moolap suits older residents.

Newcomb is a larger, younger suburb with a walkability score of 84 compared to Moolap's 21, making it notably more pedestrian-friendly. However, Moolap has a higher median household income of $66,508 versus Newcomb's $59,696, and significantly higher property prices—median houses at $950,000 against Newcomb's $605,000. Newcomb offers better rental yields at 4.1% for houses, while Moolap carries a bushfire risk rating of 39 compared to Newcomb's zero. The choice depends on whether you prioritise walkability and affordability or prefer a quieter, more established community with stronger income levels.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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

Newcomb

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (13 vs 1)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)
  • But Moolap is already more of a family suburb (54% vs 40%)

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

First-home buyers

Newcomb

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($620,000 vs $975,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (28% vs 34%)
  • has cheaper units ($465,000 vs $514,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Moolap

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (23% vs 28%)
  • has cheaper rent ($290/wk vs $320/wk)
  • But Newcomb has a bigger rental market to choose from (42% vs 14%)

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

Commuting to the city

Newcomb

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (88/100 vs 25/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (77.9 km vs 81.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Newcomb

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (4 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (88/100 vs 25/100)
  • But Moolap has more residents already 65 and over (44% vs 22%)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Newcomb returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.0% vs 2.2%)
  • Moolap is growing faster (32.9% vs 4.5%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Newcomb Moolap
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.

Newcomb Moolap
Walkability 88 / 25
Newcomb — Walkability: 88/100 Moolap — Walkability: 25/100
Safety 12 / 19
Newcomb — Safety: 12/100 Moolap — Safety: 19/100
Low fire risk 100 / 61
Newcomb — Low fire risk: 100/100 Moolap — Low fire risk: 61/100
Low flood risk 11 / 6
Newcomb — Low flood risk: 11/100 Moolap — Low flood risk: 6/100

Demographics

Newcomb has more residents (4,704 vs 1,825); Moolap skews older (59 vs 40).

Newcomb Moolap
Population 4,704
+61% vs other
 1,825
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.5% +32.9%
Median age 40 59
Median household income $59,696/yr $66,508/yr
+11% vs other
Median weekly rent $320/wk
+9% vs other
 $290/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Newcomb Moolap
0-4 4.9% / 3.5%
Newcomb — 0-4: 4.9% Moolap — 0-4: 3.5%
5-14 8.6% / 8.5%
Newcomb — 5-14: 8.6% Moolap — 5-14: 8.5%
15-19 4.1% / 4.3%
Newcomb — 15-19: 4.1% Moolap — 15-19: 4.3%
20-24 7.6% / 2.9%
Newcomb — 20-24: 7.6% Moolap — 20-24: 2.9%
25-34 17.9% / 7.9%
Newcomb — 25-34: 17.9% Moolap — 25-34: 7.9%
35-44 11.6% / 7.6%
Newcomb — 35-44: 11.6% Moolap — 35-44: 7.6%
45-54 10.9% / 10.1%
Newcomb — 45-54: 10.9% Moolap — 45-54: 10.1%
55-64 12.5% / 11.1%
Newcomb — 55-64: 12.5% Moolap — 55-64: 11.1%
65-74 10.4% / 21.0%
Newcomb — 65-74: 10.4% Moolap — 65-74: 21.0%
75-84 8.0% / 17.0%
Newcomb — 75-84: 8.0% Moolap — 75-84: 17.0%
85+ 3.4% / 6.4%
Newcomb — 85+: 3.4% Moolap — 85+: 6.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Newcomb 51.3% lone person
Newcomb — Lone Person: 51.3% Newcomb — Couple Families: 21.1% Newcomb — One Parent Families: 18.7% Newcomb — Group Household: 7.0% Newcomb — Other Families: 1.9%
Moolap 43.0% lone person
Moolap — Lone Person: 43.0% Moolap — Couple Families: 38.7% Moolap — One Parent Families: 14.9% Moolap — Group Household: 3.3% Moolap — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Newcomb 42.4% renting
Newcomb — Owned Outright: 31.7% Newcomb — Mortgage: 25.9% Newcomb — Renting: 42.4%
Moolap 14.0% renting
Moolap — Owned Outright: 53.5% Moolap — Mortgage: 32.5% Moolap — Renting: 14.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Newcomb Moolap
Certificate III & IV 18.5% / 17.9%
Newcomb — Certificate III & IV: 18.5% Moolap — Certificate III & IV: 17.9%
Bachelor Degree 9.6% / 8.1%
Newcomb — Bachelor Degree: 9.6% Moolap — Bachelor Degree: 8.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.2% / 8.7%
Newcomb — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.2% Moolap — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7%
Postgraduate Degree 3.0% / 1.3%
Newcomb — Postgraduate Degree: 3.0% Moolap — Postgraduate Degree: 1.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.7% / 1.8%
Newcomb — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7% Moolap — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.5%).

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.

Newcomb Moolap
England 2.7% / 4.0%
Newcomb — England: 2.7% Moolap — England: 4.0%
India 1.9% / 0.4%
Newcomb — India: 1.9% Moolap — India: 0.4%
New Zealand 0.9% / 1.4%
Newcomb — New Zealand: 0.9% Moolap — New Zealand: 1.4%
Italy 0.8% / 1.1%
Newcomb — Italy: 0.8% Moolap — Italy: 1.1%
Scotland 0.6% / 0.9%
Newcomb — Scotland: 0.6% Moolap — Scotland: 0.9%
Germany 0.5% / 0.9%
Newcomb — Germany: 0.5% Moolap — Germany: 0.9%
Philippines 0.7% / —
Newcomb — Philippines: 0.7% Moolap — Philippines: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Newcomb 82.9% houses
Newcomb — Houses: 82.9% Newcomb — Townhouses: 16.5% Newcomb — Flats / Apartments: 0.5%
Moolap 90.1% houses
Moolap — Houses: 90.1% Moolap — Townhouses: 4.0% Moolap — Flats / Apartments: 5.9%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Newcomb Moolap
Median house price $620,000 $975,000
Median unit price $465,000 $514,000
Median land price — $810,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 40 sales
 90 days
from 8 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Newcomb Moolap
3 bed $615K / $570K
Newcomb — 3 bed: $615K (125 sales) Moolap — 3 bed: $570K (11 sales)

125 vs 11 sales

4 bed $715K / $1.05M
Newcomb — 4 bed: $715K (15 sales) Moolap — 4 bed: $1.05M (6 sales)

15 vs 6 sales

Zoning mix

Moolap has more rural and farming land (44% vs 0%); Moolap has more industrially zoned land (12% vs 0%).

Newcomb Moolap
Residential 59% 3%
Rural and farming 0% 44%
Other and special use 31% 11%
Parks and recreation 3% 28%
Industrial 0% 12%
Commercial 4% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 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

Newcomb Moolap
New dwellings approved 3,468
across Greater Geelong
same for both
Approvals change year on year +56%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Newcomb Moolap
Houses 4.0%
$500/wk on $652K
 2.2%
$600/wk on $1.41M
Units 4.2%
$402/wk on $502K
 —

Ranking within VIC

Newcomb Moolap
House price Higher than 25% of VIC —
Income Higher than 20% of VIC Higher than 27% of VIC
Schools Higher than 30% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 96% of VIC Higher than 81% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 41% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 43% of VIC Higher than 54% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 90% of VIC Higher than 80% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 67% of VIC Higher than 2% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 15% of VIC —

Liveability

Newcomb is more walkable (88 vs 25).

Newcomb Moolap
Grade D
same for both
Score 28/100 26/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Moolap carries more bushfire risk (39 vs 0).

Newcomb Moolap
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
39/100
Crime High
88/100
 High
81/100
Flood High
89/100
 High
94/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Moderate
40/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 10
within 5 km
 7
within 5 km

Schools

Newcomb Moolap
Inside the suburb 3 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 2 0
Universities within 10 km 2
Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, 3.3 km
 2
Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, 6.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.5% 0.5%

Schools in Newcomb

  • Christ the King School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Newcomb Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Newcomb Secondary College Government · Secondary below peers

Schools in Moolap

  • Moolap Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Newcomb Moolap
Supermarkets 4 0
Cafes & restaurants 3 1
Parks & reserves 13 1
Childcare 4 2
GPs 4 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 3
same for both
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 0 2

Mobility

Moolap sits further from the CBD (81.2 km vs 77.9 km).

Newcomb Moolap
Walkability score 88/100 25/100
Distance to Melbourne 77.9 km 81.2 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 70 min 72 min
Public transport score 75/100
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 101.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 58.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 3219
 0.6%
postcode 3224
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 28
postcode 3219
 40
postcode 3224

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.

Newcomb Moolap
Car (driver) 73.9% / 70.2%
Newcomb — Car (driver): 73.9% Moolap — Car (driver): 70.2%
Worked from Home 14.8% / 18.9%
Newcomb — Worked from Home: 14.8% Moolap — Worked from Home: 18.9%
Car (passenger) 5.6% / 6.3%
Newcomb — Car (passenger): 5.6% Moolap — Car (passenger): 6.3%
Walked Only 2.1% / 3.4%
Newcomb — Walked Only: 2.1% Moolap — Walked Only: 3.4%
Bus 1.9% / —
Newcomb — Bus: 1.9% Moolap — Bus: not among its largest
Train 1.0% / 0.6%
Newcomb — Train: 1.0% Moolap — Train: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (73.9%).

Setting

Newcomb Moolap
Elevation 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 10 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.4 km
2.6 km to a named beach
 2.8 km

NBN connectivity

Newcomb Moolap
Connectivity score 79/100 70/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 53%
2,733 premises
 36%
1,327 premises

Climate

Newcomb Moolap
Annual rainfall —
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 22.8°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.8°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Newcomb Moolap
PM2.5 5.0 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 20.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Newcomb Moolap
Average residential rate $1,802/yr
same for both
Council Greater Geelong
same for both

Federal electorate

Newcomb Moolap
Division Corio Corangamite
Member Richard Marles Libby Coker
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Newcomb Moolap
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Newcomb

Coastal Parks

Moolap

Acreage Coastal Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Newcomb

Newcomb vs East Geelong Newcomb vs Whittington Newcomb vs Thomson

Other comparisons with Moolap

Moolap vs Leopold Moolap vs Armstrong Creek Moolap vs St Albans Park Moolap vs Whittington Moolap vs Charlemont Moolap vs Connewarre
Full data on Newcomb Full data on Moolap
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or