Reservoir vs Heidelberg West

Heidelberg West is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 38 in Reservoir. In both, most homes are detached houses. In Reservoir, most households own their home. In Heidelberg West, most households rent. Houses cost more in Reservoir: a median of $920,000, against $775,000 in Heidelberg West, and rent is higher there too. Reservoir is closer to the city centre: 13 km, against 15 km. On these figures, Heidelberg West tends to suit renters and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Reservoir

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (58 vs 6)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (17 vs 2)
  • has more childcare (30 vs 4)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Reservoir leaves households under less mortgage stress (30% vs 35%)
  • Heidelberg West has cheaper houses ($775,000 vs $920,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Heidelberg West

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (56% vs 38%)
  • has cheaper rent ($306/wk vs $360/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Reservoir

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (95/100 vs 80/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (13 km vs 15 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Reservoir

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (14 vs 3)
  • carries lower crime risk (78/100 vs 95/100)
  • is more walkable (95/100 vs 80/100)

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

Investors

Reservoir

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (1.2% vs -5.3%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (4.5% vs 3.8%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Reservoir Heidelberg West
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.

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Walkability 95 / 80
Reservoir — Walkability: 95/100 Heidelberg West — Walkability: 80/100
Safety 22 / 5
Reservoir — Safety: 22/100 Heidelberg West — Safety: 5/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Reservoir — Low fire risk: 100/100 Heidelberg West — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 57 / 48
Reservoir — Low flood risk: 57/100 Heidelberg West — Low flood risk: 48/100

Demographics

Reservoir has more residents (51,096 vs 5,252); Reservoir has higher household incomes ($80,132 vs $65,364).

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Population 51,096
+90% vs other
 5,252
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.2% -5.3%
Median age 38 35
Median household income $80,132/yr
+18% vs other
 $65,364/yr
Median weekly rent $360/wk
+15% vs other
 $306/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Reservoir Heidelberg West
0-4 6.1% / 6.7%
Reservoir — 0-4: 6.1% Heidelberg West — 0-4: 6.7%
5-14 9.5% / 10.3%
Reservoir — 5-14: 9.5% Heidelberg West — 5-14: 10.3%
15-19 4.1% / 5.2%
Reservoir — 15-19: 4.1% Heidelberg West — 15-19: 5.2%
20-24 6.1% / 7.5%
Reservoir — 20-24: 6.1% Heidelberg West — 20-24: 7.5%
25-34 18.5% / 20.1%
Reservoir — 25-34: 18.5% Heidelberg West — 25-34: 20.1%
35-44 15.7% / 13.6%
Reservoir — 35-44: 15.7% Heidelberg West — 35-44: 13.6%
45-54 12.6% / 11.0%
Reservoir — 45-54: 12.6% Heidelberg West — 45-54: 11.0%
55-64 10.1% / 11.7%
Reservoir — 55-64: 10.1% Heidelberg West — 55-64: 11.7%
65-74 7.8% / 8.1%
Reservoir — 65-74: 7.8% Heidelberg West — 65-74: 8.1%
75-84 6.0% / 4.0%
Reservoir — 75-84: 6.0% Heidelberg West — 75-84: 4.0%
85+ 3.4% / 1.6%
Reservoir — 85+: 3.4% Heidelberg West — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Reservoir 40.2% lone person
Reservoir — Lone Person: 40.2% Reservoir — Couple Families: 35.6% Reservoir — One Parent Families: 14.9% Reservoir — Group Household: 6.9% Reservoir — Other Families: 2.4%
Heidelberg West 42.7% lone person
Heidelberg West — Lone Person: 42.7% Heidelberg West — Couple Families: 26.6% Heidelberg West — One Parent Families: 18.9% Heidelberg West — Group Household: 9.2% Heidelberg West — Other Families: 2.6%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Reservoir 37.8% renting
Reservoir — Owned Outright: 32.1% Reservoir — Mortgage: 30.1% Reservoir — Renting: 37.8%
Heidelberg West 56.0% renting
Heidelberg West — Owned Outright: 16.6% Heidelberg West — Mortgage: 27.4% Heidelberg West — Renting: 56.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Bachelor Degree 15.5% / 14.0%
Reservoir — Bachelor Degree: 15.5% Heidelberg West — Bachelor Degree: 14.0%
Certificate III & IV 10.1% / 10.1%
Reservoir — Certificate III & IV: 10.1% Heidelberg West — Certificate III & IV: 10.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.8% / 7.2%
Reservoir — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8% Heidelberg West — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.2%
Postgraduate Degree 6.6% / 6.2%
Reservoir — Postgraduate Degree: 6.6% Heidelberg West — Postgraduate Degree: 6.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.3% / 2.3%
Reservoir — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3% Heidelberg West — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.5%).

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.

Reservoir Heidelberg West
China 3.1% / 3.1%
Reservoir — China: 3.1% Heidelberg West — China: 3.1%
India 3.7% / 2.1%
Reservoir — India: 3.7% Heidelberg West — India: 2.1%
Italy 5.5% / —
Reservoir — Italy: 5.5% Heidelberg West — Italy: not among its largest
Greece 2.4% / 1.0%
Reservoir — Greece: 2.4% Heidelberg West — Greece: 1.0%
Vietnam 2.0% / 1.3%
Reservoir — Vietnam: 2.0% Heidelberg West — Vietnam: 1.3%
New Zealand 1.3% / 1.9%
Reservoir — New Zealand: 1.3% Heidelberg West — New Zealand: 1.9%
England 1.3% / 1.6%
Reservoir — England: 1.3% Heidelberg West — England: 1.6%
Philippines — / 1.4%
Reservoir — Philippines: not among its largest Heidelberg West — Philippines: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Reservoir 63.2% houses
Reservoir — Houses: 63.2% Reservoir — Townhouses: 32.5% Reservoir — Flats / Apartments: 4.3%
Heidelberg West 56.7% houses
Heidelberg West — Houses: 56.7% Heidelberg West — Townhouses: 42.2% Heidelberg West — Flats / Apartments: 1.1%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Median house price $920,000 $775,000
Median unit price $588,750 $610,000
Median land price $815,000 $720,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 455 sales
 23 days
from 53 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.

Reservoir Heidelberg West
2 bed $812K / $718K
Reservoir — 2 bed: $812K (142 sales) Heidelberg West — 2 bed: $718K (26 sales)

142 vs 26 sales

3 bed $900K / $770K
Reservoir — 3 bed: $900K (468 sales) Heidelberg West — 3 bed: $770K (68 sales)

468 vs 68 sales

4 bed $1.11M / $880K
Reservoir — 4 bed: $1.11M (153 sales) Heidelberg West — 4 bed: $880K (6 sales)

153 vs 6 sales

Zoning mix

Heidelberg West has more industrially zoned land (30% vs 6%).

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Residential 74% 45%
Industrial 6% 30%
Parks and recreation 9% 15%
Infrastructure and transport 10% 8%
Commercial 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

Reservoir Heidelberg West
New dwellings approved 1,213
across Darebin
 722
across Banyule
Approvals change year on year +0% -75%

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.

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Houses 3.9%
$650/wk on $865K
 4.2%
$650/wk on $800K
Units 4.5%
$500/wk on $575K
 3.8%
$460/wk on $628K

Ranking within VIC

Reservoir Heidelberg West
House price Higher than 67% of VIC Higher than 52% of VIC
Income Higher than 47% of VIC Higher than 26% of VIC
Schools Higher than 53% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 98% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 26% of VIC Higher than 23% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 74% of VIC Higher than 88% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 97% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 62% of VIC Higher than 82% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 33% of VIC Higher than 4% of VIC

Liveability

Reservoir scores higher overall (61 vs 45); Reservoir is more walkable (95 vs 80).

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Grade B C
Score 61/100 45/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Heidelberg West carries more crime risk (95 vs 78).

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
78/100
 High
95/100
Flood Moderate
43/100
 Moderate
52/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 19
within 5 km
 7
within 5 km

Schools

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Inside the suburb 17 2
Rated above peers 4 0
Rated at peers 4 0
Rated below peers 3 1
Universities within 10 km 3
Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus, 4.9 km
 3
Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus, 4.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.3% 3.2%

Schools in Reservoir

  • Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment Independent · Primary above peers
  • Reservoir High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Reservoir Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Reservoir West Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Holy Name School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Reservoir East Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Heidelberg West

  • St Pius X School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • Charles La Trobe P-12 College-Olympic Village Primary Campus Government · Combined

Amenities in the suburb

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Supermarkets 10 3
Cafes & restaurants 35 2
Parks & reserves 58 6
Childcare 30 4
GPs 14 3
Pharmacies 9 3
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 5 1
Fuel stations 8 0
Waterways 15 0

Mobility

Heidelberg West sits further from the CBD (15 km vs 13 km).

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Walkability score 95/100 80/100
Distance to Melbourne 13 km 15 km
+15% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 27 min
same for both
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 997.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 216.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 3073
 1.5%
postcode 3081
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 20
postcode 3073
 22
postcode 3081

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.

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Car (driver) 53.7% / 57.0%
Reservoir — Car (driver): 53.7% Heidelberg West — Car (driver): 57.0%
Worked from Home 32.5% / 28.4%
Reservoir — Worked from Home: 32.5% Heidelberg West — Worked from Home: 28.4%
Train 6.0% / 2.1%
Reservoir — Train: 6.0% Heidelberg West — Train: 2.1%
Car (passenger) 3.5% / 4.5%
Reservoir — Car (passenger): 3.5% Heidelberg West — Car (passenger): 4.5%
Bus 1.4% / 4.2%
Reservoir — Bus: 1.4% Heidelberg West — Bus: 4.2%
Walked Only 1.0% / 2.9%
Reservoir — Walked Only: 1.0% Heidelberg West — Walked Only: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (57.0%).

Setting

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Elevation 95 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 71 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 15.8 km 14.8 km

NBN connectivity

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Connectivity score 76/100 91/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 9%
26,272 premises
 54%
4,163 premises

Climate

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Annual rainfall 534 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Reservoir Heidelberg West
PM2.5 3.9 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Average residential rate $1,764/yr $1,787/yr
Council Darebin Banyule

Federal electorate

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Division Cooper Jagajaga
Member Ged Kearney Kate Thwaites
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Reservoir Heidelberg West
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Reservoir

Easy Commute Gentrifying Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Townhouses Trams Transport Hub

Heidelberg West

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Reservoir

Reservoir vs Preston Reservoir vs Bundoora Reservoir vs Thomastown Reservoir vs Fawkner Reservoir vs Coburg North Reservoir vs Campbellfield

Other comparisons with Heidelberg West

Heidelberg West vs Preston Heidelberg West vs Bundoora Heidelberg West vs Ivanhoe Heidelberg West vs Macleod Heidelberg West vs Heidelberg Heights Heidelberg West vs Bellfield
Full data on Reservoir Full data on Heidelberg West
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.

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