Port Fairy vs Rosebrook
Rosebrook is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 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 Port Fairy, about half of households are people living alone. In Rosebrook, most households are couple families. On these figures, Port Fairy tends to suit older residents, while Rosebrook suits 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
Rosebrook
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 39/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 50%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 90%)
- But Port Fairy has more parks and reserves (9 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Port Fairy
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (21% vs 8%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Rosebrook
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (278 km vs 290.4 km)
- has a shorter drive in (208 min vs 217 min)
- But Port Fairy is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
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 14%)
- But Rosebrook carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 39/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Port Fairy
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (12.0% vs -3.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Port Fairy and Rosebrook 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
Port Fairy has more residents (3,742 vs 128); Port Fairy skews older (51 vs 37).
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,742 +97% vs other | 128 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +12.0% | -3.0% |
| Median age | 51 | 37 |
| Median household income | $75,400/yr | $94,224/yr +25% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).
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 (4.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 92% | 99% |
| Residential | 4% | 0% |
| Parks and recreation | 2% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 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
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 64 across Moyne same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -15% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2.7% $545/wk on $1.05M | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 54% of VIC | — |
| Income | Higher than 42% of VIC | Higher than 65% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 72% of VIC | Higher than 58% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 35% of VIC | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 74% of VIC | Higher than 42% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 75% of VIC | Higher than 69% of VIC |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 6% of VIC | — |
Liveability
Port Fairy is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 40/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Port Fairy carries more bushfire risk (40 vs 0); Port Fairy carries more crime risk (39 vs 23).
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 40/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 39/100 | Low 23/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 63/100 | High 80/100 |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 57/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Port Fairy
- St Patrick's School Catholic · Primary at peers
- Port Fairy Consolidated School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Rosebrook
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 19 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 9 | 0 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| GPs | 2 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 4 | 1 |
Mobility
Port Fairy sits further from the CBD (290.4 km vs 278 km).
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 290.4 km +4% vs other | 278 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 217 min | 208 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.9% postcode 3284 | 0.5% postcode 3285 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 25 postcode 3284 | 39 postcode 3285 |
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 (85.1%).
Setting
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 19 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 9 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 6.1 km | 2.0 km 2.5 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 61/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 34% 2,512 premises | 0% 56 premises |
Climate
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,613/yr same for both | |
| Council | Moyne same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Port Fairy | Rosebrook | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Port Fairy
Other comparisons with Rosebrook
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.