Rokewood vs Dereel
Rokewood is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 46 in Dereel. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Dereel: a median of $535,000, against $412,000 in Rokewood, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Rokewood tends to suit 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
Dereel
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 90/100)
- has more parks and reserves (7 vs 3)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Rokewood
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 24%)
- has cheaper houses ($412,500 vs $535,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Rokewood
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 24%)
- has cheaper rent ($215/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Rokewood
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (130.1 km vs 144.6 km)
- has a shorter drive in (103 min vs 111 min)
- But Dereel is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Dereel
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 90/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Dereel
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (24.6% vs -4.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Rokewood and Dereel 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
Dereel has more residents (664 vs 208); Dereel rents higher ($300/wk vs $215/wk).
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 208 | 664 +219% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -4.1% | +24.6% |
| Median age | 41 | 46 |
| Median household income | $66,872/yr +2% vs other | $65,312/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $215/wk | $300/wk +40% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.5%).
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 (18.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $412,500 | $535,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $382,500 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 153 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
Rokewood has more rural and farming land (98% vs 64%); Dereel has more land zoned for conservation (24% vs 0%).
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 98% | 64% |
| Environmental | 0% | 24% |
| Residential | 0% | 5% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% | 5% |
| 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
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 186 across Golden Plains same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +10% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 28% of VIC | Higher than 26% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 46% of VIC | Higher than 76% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 38% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 45% of VIC same for both | |
Liveability
Dereel is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 30/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Rokewood carries more crime risk (90 vs 36); Rokewood carries more flood risk (47 vs 22).
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 69/100 | High 78/100 |
| Crime | High 90/100 | Low 36/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 47/100 | Low 22/100 |
| 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
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Rokewood
- Rokewood Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Dereel
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 7 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 26 | 17 |
Mobility
Dereel sits further from the CBD (144.6 km vs 130.1 km).
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 13/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 130.1 km | 144.6 km +11% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 103 min | 111 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3330 | 0.4% postcode 3352 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 32 postcode 3330 | 51 postcode 3352 |
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 (77.6%).
Setting
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 176 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 337 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 122 premises | 0% 305 premises |
Climate
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 502 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.3°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,052/yr same for both | |
| Council | Golden Plains same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Rokewood | Dereel | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Rokewood
Dereel
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Rokewood
Other comparisons with Dereel
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.