Purnim West vs Bushfield
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Purnim West tends to suit families with children, couples, 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
- Purnim West is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 82%)
- Bushfield carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 28/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Bushfield
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 31%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Bushfield
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (252.1 km vs 254.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Purnim West has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 15%)
- Bushfield carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 28/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Purnim West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (35.1% vs 4.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Purnim West and Bushfield 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
Bushfield has more residents (596 vs 50); Purnim West has higher household incomes ($136,448 vs $110,500).
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 50 | 596 +1092% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +35.1% | +4.4% |
| Median age | 42 | 43 |
| Median household income | $136,448/yr +19% vs other | $110,500/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $346/wk | $350/wk +1% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (40.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
Property market
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $842,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 92% |
| Residential | 0% | 6% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 2% |
| 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
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 64 across Moyne | 388 across Warrnambool |
| Approvals change year on year | -15% | -22% |
Ranking within VIC
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 96% of VIC | Higher than 83% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 21% of VIC | Higher than 27% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 29% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 55% of VIC | Higher than 57% of VIC |
Liveability
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 58/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Purnim West carries more crime risk (28 vs 14).
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 28/100 | Low 14/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 same for both | |
| 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
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Purnim West sits further from the CBD (254.2 km vs 252.1 km).
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 254.2 km | 252.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 187 min | 188 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3278 | 0.3% postcode 3281 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 52 postcode 3278 | 53 postcode 3281 |
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 (77.8%).
Setting
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 60 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 52 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 12.1 km | 8.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 15 premises | 0% 217 premises |
Climate
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,613/yr | $2,162/yr |
| Council | Moyne | Warrnambool |
Federal electorate
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Purnim West | Bushfield | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Purnim West
Other comparisons with Bushfield
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.