Orford vs Port Fairy

Orford is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 51 in Port Fairy. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Orford, about half of households are couple families. In Port Fairy, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Orford tends to suit families with children and couples, while Port Fairy 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

  • Orford is already more of a family suburb (67% vs 50%)
  • Port Fairy has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Orford

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 28%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Orford

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 21%)
  • has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $300/wk)
  • But Port Fairy has a bigger rental market to choose from (21% vs 7%)

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

Commuting to the city

Port Fairy

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (290.4 km vs 302.8 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (217 min vs 226 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Port Fairy

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (32% vs 16%)

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

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

Orford Port Fairy
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.

Orford Port Fairy
Walkability 0 / 10
Orford — Walkability: 0/100 Port Fairy — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 54 / 61
Orford — Safety: 54/100 Port Fairy — Safety: 61/100
Low fire risk 100 / 60
Orford — Low fire risk: 100/100 Port Fairy — Low fire risk: 60/100
Low flood risk 100 / 37
Orford — Low flood risk: 100/100 Port Fairy — Low flood risk: 37/100

Demographics

Port Fairy has more residents (3,742 vs 115); Port Fairy rents higher ($300/wk vs $150/wk).

Orford Port Fairy
Population 115 3,742
+3154% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.5% +12.0%
Median age 42 51
Median household income $97,500/yr
+23% vs other
 $75,400/yr
Median weekly rent $150/wk $300/wk
+100% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Orford Port Fairy
0-4 7.0% / 4.5%
Orford — 0-4: 7.0% Port Fairy — 0-4: 4.5%
5-14 14.8% / 12.8%
Orford — 5-14: 14.8% Port Fairy — 5-14: 12.8%
15-19 3.5% / 5.0%
Orford — 15-19: 3.5% Port Fairy — 15-19: 5.0%
20-24 2.6% / 2.4%
Orford — 20-24: 2.6% Port Fairy — 20-24: 2.4%
25-34 7.0% / 7.5%
Orford — 25-34: 7.0% Port Fairy — 25-34: 7.5%
35-44 17.4% / 11.0%
Orford — 35-44: 17.4% Port Fairy — 35-44: 11.0%
45-54 17.4% / 11.2%
Orford — 45-54: 17.4% Port Fairy — 45-54: 11.2%
55-64 15.7% / 13.9%
Orford — 55-64: 15.7% Port Fairy — 55-64: 13.9%
65-74 16.5% / 17.9%
Orford — 65-74: 16.5% Port Fairy — 65-74: 17.9%
75-84 — / 9.7%
Orford — 75-84: not among its largest Port Fairy — 75-84: 9.7%
85+ — / 4.4%
Orford — 85+: not among its largest Port Fairy — 85+: 4.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Orford 52.4% couple families
Orford — Couple Families: 52.4% Orford — Lone Person: 33.3% Orford — One Parent Families: 14.3% Orford — Group Household: 0.0% Orford — Other Families: 0.0%
Port Fairy 37.0% couple families
Port Fairy — Couple Families: 37.0% Port Fairy — Lone Person: 46.0% Port Fairy — One Parent Families: 12.9% Port Fairy — Group Household: 2.6% Port Fairy — Other Families: 1.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Orford 7.3% renting
Orford — Owned Outright: 61.0% Orford — Mortgage: 31.7% Orford — Renting: 7.3%
Port Fairy 20.7% renting
Port Fairy — Owned Outright: 51.6% Port Fairy — Mortgage: 27.6% Port Fairy — Renting: 20.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Orford Port Fairy
Certificate III & IV 23.5% / 12.6%
Orford — Certificate III & IV: 23.5% Port Fairy — Certificate III & IV: 12.6%
Bachelor Degree 3.5% / 14.9%
Orford — Bachelor Degree: 3.5% Port Fairy — Bachelor Degree: 14.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 2.6% / 9.1%
Orford — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.6% Port Fairy — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1%
Postgraduate Degree — / 4.0%
Orford — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Port Fairy — Postgraduate Degree: 4.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 2.8%
Orford — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Port Fairy — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.5%).

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.

Orford Port Fairy
England 4.3% / 2.7%
Orford — England: 4.3% Port Fairy — England: 2.7%
Philippines 2.6% / —
Orford — Philippines: 2.6% Port Fairy — Philippines: not among its largest
New Zealand — / 1.4%
Orford — New Zealand: not among its largest Port Fairy — New Zealand: 1.4%
South Africa — / 0.4%
Orford — South Africa: not among its largest Port Fairy — South Africa: 0.4%
Netherlands — / 0.3%
Orford — Netherlands: not among its largest Port Fairy — Netherlands: 0.3%
Germany — / 0.2%
Orford — Germany: not among its largest Port Fairy — Germany: 0.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Orford 100.0% houses
Orford — Houses: 100.0% Orford — Townhouses: 0.0% Orford — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Port Fairy 90.0% houses
Port Fairy — Houses: 90.0% Port Fairy — Townhouses: 8.6% Port Fairy — Flats / Apartments: 1.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Orford Port Fairy
Median house price — $850,000
Median unit price — $703,500
Median land price — $900,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 120 days
from 40 sales

Zoning mix

Orford Port Fairy
Rural and farming 98% 92%
Residential 0% 4%
Parks and recreation 0% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 1%
same for both
Other and special use 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

Orford Port Fairy
New dwellings approved 64
across Moyne
same for both
Approvals change year on year -15%
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.

Orford Port Fairy
Houses — 2.7%
$545/wk on $1.05M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Orford Port Fairy
House price — Higher than 54% of VIC
Income Higher than 70% of VIC Higher than 42% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 58% of VIC Higher than 72% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 35% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 74% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 25% of VIC Higher than 75% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 6% of VIC

Liveability

Port Fairy is more walkable (10 vs 0).

Orford Port Fairy
Grade — C
Score — 40/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
same for both

Risk profile

Port Fairy carries more flood risk (63 vs 0); Port Fairy carries more bushfire risk (40 vs 0).

Orford Port Fairy
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
40/100
Crime Moderate
46/100
 Low
39/100
Flood None
0/100
 Moderate
63/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Moderate
57/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Orford Port Fairy
Inside the suburb 0 2
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Orford

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Port Fairy

  • St Patrick's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Port Fairy Consolidated School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Orford Port Fairy
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 0 19
Parks & reserves 3 9
Childcare 0 2
GPs 0 2
Pharmacies 0 1
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 0 1
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 1 4

Mobility

Orford sits further from the CBD (302.8 km vs 290.4 km).

Orford Port Fairy
Walkability score 0/100 10/100
Distance to Melbourne 302.8 km
+4% vs other
 290.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 226 min 217 min
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 3284
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 25
postcode 3284
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.

Orford Port Fairy
Car (driver) 50.9% / 66.1%
Orford — Car (driver): 50.9% Port Fairy — Car (driver): 66.1%
Worked from Home 37.7% / 21.7%
Orford — Worked from Home: 37.7% Port Fairy — Worked from Home: 21.7%
Walked Only 11.3% / 6.0%
Orford — Walked Only: 11.3% Port Fairy — Walked Only: 6.0%
Car (passenger) — / 4.3%
Orford — Car (passenger): not among its largest Port Fairy — Car (passenger): 4.3%
Bicycle — / 1.1%
Orford — Bicycle: not among its largest Port Fairy — Bicycle: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.1%).

Setting

Orford Port Fairy
Elevation 72 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 19 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 15.6 km 6.1 km

NBN connectivity

Orford Port Fairy
Connectivity score 24/100 61/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
56 premises
 34%
2,512 premises

Climate

Orford Port Fairy
Annual rainfall 699 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 22.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.2°C
same for both

Council rates

Orford Port Fairy
Average residential rate $1,613/yr
same for both
Council Moyne
same for both

Federal electorate

Orford Port Fairy
Division Wannon
same for both
Member Dan Tehan
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Orford Port Fairy
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Orford

Rural

Port Fairy

Acreage Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Orford

Orford vs Hawkesdale Orford vs Yambuk Orford vs Bessiebelle Orford vs Broadwater Orford vs Tarrone Orford vs Willatook

Other comparisons with Port Fairy

Port Fairy vs Yambuk Port Fairy vs Killarney Port Fairy vs Rosebrook Port Fairy vs Toolong Port Fairy vs Tarrone
Full data on Orford Full data on Port Fairy
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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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