Newmerella vs Marlo
Newmerella is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 56 in Marlo. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Marlo, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Marlo: a median of $750,000, against $498,000 in Newmerella, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Newmerella tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Marlo suits people living alone.
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
Marlo
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (4 vs 1)
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 52/100)
- But Newmerella is already more of a family suburb (53% vs 41%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Newmerella
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($497,500 vs $750,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Newmerella
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Newmerella
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (272 min vs 305 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (369.8 km vs 400.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Marlo
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 52/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, 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
Newmerella and Marlo 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
Marlo rents higher ($250/wk vs $150/wk); Marlo has more residents (602 vs 415).
| Newmerella | Marlo | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 415 | 602 +45% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.7% same for both | |
| Median age | 49 | 56 |
| Median household income | $58,864/yr | $71,916/yr +22% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $150/wk | $250/wk +67% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).
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 (4.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Newmerella | Marlo | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $497,500 | $750,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $239,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 89 days from 7 sales |
Zoning mix
Newmerella has more rural and farming land (67% vs 41%).
| Newmerella | Marlo | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 67% | 41% |
| Parks and recreation | 26% | 53% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 5% | 4% |
| Residential | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Newmerella | Marlo | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 386 across East Gippsland same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +50% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Newmerella | Marlo | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 19% of VIC | Higher than 37% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 57% of VIC | Higher than 21% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 20% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 69% of VIC | Higher than 55% of VIC |
Liveability
| Newmerella | Marlo | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 20/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Marlo carries more bushfire risk (93 vs 47); Newmerella carries more crime risk (52 vs 28).
| Newmerella | Marlo | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 47/100 | High 93/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 52/100 | Low 28/100 |
| Flood | High 72/100 | Moderate 62/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | High 89/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Newmerella | Marlo | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 1 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Newmerella
- Newmerella Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Marlo
- Marlo Primary School Government · Primary above peers
- School for Student Leadership-Snowy River Campus Government · Secondary
Amenities in the suburb
| Newmerella | Marlo | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 4 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 1 | 12 |
Mobility
Marlo sits further from the CBD (400.7 km vs 369.8 km).
| Newmerella | Marlo | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 369.8 km | 400.7 km +8% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 272 min | 305 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3886 | 0.3% postcode 3888 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 50 postcode 3886 | 42 postcode 3888 |
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 (74.2%).
Setting
| Newmerella | Marlo | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 55 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 34 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 5.5 km | 3.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Newmerella | Marlo | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 213 premises | 0% 448 premises |
Council rates
| Newmerella | Marlo | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,807/yr same for both | |
| Council | East Gippsland same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Newmerella | Marlo | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gippsland same for both | |
| Member | Darren Chester same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Newmerella | Marlo | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Newmerella
Other comparisons with Marlo
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.