Ripplebrook vs Heath Hill
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Ripplebrook tends to suit families with children.
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
Ripplebrook
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 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
Heath Hill
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Ripplebrook is more walkable (22/100 vs 0/100)
- Heath Hill sits closer to the CBD (94 km vs 98.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Ripplebrook
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (22/100 vs 0/100)
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
Ripplebrook and Heath Hill 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
Ripplebrook has more residents (268 vs 189); Ripplebrook rents higher ($300/wk vs $250/wk).
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 268 +29% vs other | 189 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +21.3% | +17.4% |
| Median age | 43 | 45 |
| Median household income | $83,408/yr +10% vs other | $75,348/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk +17% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.9%).
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 (4.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,126,250 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 98% | 96% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 3% |
| 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
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 619 across Baw Baw | 1,323 across Cardinia |
| Approvals change year on year | +49% | +13% |
Ranking within VIC
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 51% of VIC | Higher than 42% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 80% of VIC | Higher than 50% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 55% of VIC | Higher than 25% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 62% of VIC | Higher than 66% of VIC |
Liveability
Ripplebrook is more walkable (22 vs 0).
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Heath Hill carries more flood risk (69 vs 51).
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 56/100 | Moderate 53/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 51/100 | Moderate 69/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Ripplebrook
- Ripplebrook Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Heath Hill
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 0 | 2 |
Mobility
Ripplebrook sits further from the CBD (98.9 km vs 94 km).
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 22/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 98.9 km +5% vs other | 94 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 80 min | 77 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 3818 | 0.3% postcode 3981 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 3818 | 51 postcode 3981 |
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 (70.5%).
Setting
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 62 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 108 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 23.8 km | 17.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 102 premises | 0% 79 premises |
Climate
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,090 mm | 906 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.1°C | 24.6°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.7°C | 6.9°C |
Council rates
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,138/yr | $1,880/yr |
| Council | Baw Baw | Cardinia |
Federal electorate
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Monash | La Trobe |
| Member | Mary Aldred | Jason Wood |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Ripplebrook | Heath Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Ripplebrook
Other comparisons with Heath Hill
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.