Samaria vs Bridge Creek

Bridge Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 54 in Samaria. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Samaria, about half of households are people living alone. In Bridge Creek, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Samaria tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Bridge Creek suits 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

Bridge Creek

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (6 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 66/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 54%)

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

First-home buyers

Samaria

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 28%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Samaria

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($163/wk vs $200/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Samaria has a shorter drive in (158 min vs 187 min)
  • Bridge Creek sits closer to the CBD (207.7 km vs 236.1 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Samaria has more residents already 65 and over (40% vs 18%)
  • Bridge Creek carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 66/100)

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

Investors

Bridge Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (20.6% vs 0.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Samaria Bridge Creek
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.

Samaria Bridge Creek
Walkability 0 / 0
Samaria — Walkability: 0/100 Bridge Creek — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 34 / 88
Samaria — Safety: 34/100 Bridge Creek — Safety: 88/100
Low fire risk 2 / 4
Samaria — Low fire risk: 2/100 Bridge Creek — Low fire risk: 4/100
Low flood risk 100 / 82
Samaria — Low flood risk: 100/100 Bridge Creek — Low flood risk: 82/100

Demographics

Bridge Creek has more residents (117 vs 57); Bridge Creek has higher household incomes ($84,500 vs $58,500).

Samaria Bridge Creek
Population 57 117
+105% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.0% +20.6%
Median age 54 49
Median household income $58,500/yr $84,500/yr
+44% vs other
Median weekly rent $163/wk $200/wk
+23% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Samaria Bridge Creek
0-4 — / 3.4%
Samaria — 0-4: not among its largest Bridge Creek — 0-4: 3.4%
5-14 5.3% / 17.9%
Samaria — 5-14: 5.3% Bridge Creek — 5-14: 17.9%
15-19 — / 9.4%
Samaria — 15-19: not among its largest Bridge Creek — 15-19: 9.4%
20-24 — / 2.6%
Samaria — 20-24: not among its largest Bridge Creek — 20-24: 2.6%
25-34 10.5% / 2.6%
Samaria — 25-34: 10.5% Bridge Creek — 25-34: 2.6%
35-44 8.8% / 15.4%
Samaria — 35-44: 8.8% Bridge Creek — 35-44: 15.4%
45-54 15.8% / 17.1%
Samaria — 45-54: 15.8% Bridge Creek — 45-54: 17.1%
55-64 15.8% / 16.2%
Samaria — 55-64: 15.8% Bridge Creek — 55-64: 16.2%
65-74 26.3% / 11.1%
Samaria — 65-74: 26.3% Bridge Creek — 65-74: 11.1%
75-84 14.0% / 3.4%
Samaria — 75-84: 14.0% Bridge Creek — 75-84: 3.4%
85+ — / 3.4%
Samaria — 85+: not among its largest Bridge Creek — 85+: 3.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Samaria 53.8% couple families
Samaria — Couple Families: 53.8% Samaria — Lone Person: 46.2% Samaria — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Bridge Creek 51.6% couple families
Bridge Creek — Couple Families: 51.6% Bridge Creek — Lone Person: 32.3% Bridge Creek — One Parent Families: 16.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Samaria 18.2% renting
Samaria — Owned Outright: 63.6% Samaria — Mortgage: 18.2% Samaria — Renting: 18.2%
Bridge Creek 0.0% renting
Bridge Creek — Owned Outright: 47.4% Bridge Creek — Mortgage: 52.6% Bridge Creek — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Samaria 100.0% houses
Samaria — Houses: 100.0%
Bridge Creek 100.0% houses
Bridge Creek — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Samaria Bridge Creek
Certificate III & IV 17.5% / 14.5%
Samaria — Certificate III & IV: 17.5% Bridge Creek — Certificate III & IV: 14.5%
Bachelor Degree 5.3% / 10.3%
Samaria — Bachelor Degree: 5.3% Bridge Creek — Bachelor Degree: 10.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.3% / 10.3%
Samaria — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.3% Bridge Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.3%
Postgraduate Degree 7.0% / —
Samaria — Postgraduate Degree: 7.0% Bridge Creek — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 3.4%
Samaria — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Bridge Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).

Zoning mix

Samaria has more rural and farming land (68% vs 44%).

Samaria Bridge Creek
Rural and farming 68% 44%
Parks and recreation 31% 56%
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

Samaria Bridge Creek
New dwellings approved 235
across Benalla
 76
across Mansfield
Approvals change year on year +65% -50%

Ranking within VIC

Samaria Bridge Creek
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 17% of VIC Higher than 53% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 10% of VIC Higher than 1% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 50% of VIC Higher than 59% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 2% of VIC Higher than 33% of VIC

Liveability

Samaria Bridge Creek
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Bridge Creek carries more flood risk (18 vs 0); Samaria carries more crime risk (66 vs 12).

Samaria Bridge Creek
Bushfire High
98/100
 High
96/100
Crime Moderate
66/100
 Low
12/100
Flood None
0/100
 Low
18/100
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

Samaria Bridge Creek
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

Samaria Bridge Creek
Parks & reserves 0 6
Waterways 0 9

Mobility

Samaria sits further from the CBD (236.1 km vs 207.7 km).

Samaria Bridge Creek
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 236.1 km
+12% vs other
 207.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 158 min 187 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 3673
 0.6%
postcode 3723
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 66
postcode 3673
 33
postcode 3723

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.

Samaria Bridge Creek
Car (driver) 56.7% / 58.5%
Samaria — Car (driver): 56.7% Bridge Creek — Car (driver): 58.5%
Worked from Home 43.3% / 28.3%
Samaria — Worked from Home: 43.3% Bridge Creek — Worked from Home: 28.3%
Car (passenger) — / 13.2%
Samaria — Car (passenger): not among its largest Bridge Creek — Car (passenger): 13.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (58.5%).

Setting

Samaria Bridge Creek
Elevation 334 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 609 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Samaria Bridge Creek
Connectivity score 15/100 28/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
20 premises
 0%
52 premises

Climate

Samaria Bridge Creek
Annual rainfall 865 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.2°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 2.0°C
same for both

Council rates

Samaria Bridge Creek
Average residential rate $2,119/yr $1,697/yr
Council Benalla Mansfield

Federal electorate

Samaria Bridge Creek
Division Indi
same for both
Member Helen Haines
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Samaria Bridge Creek
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Samaria

Retirees Rural

Bridge Creek

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Samaria

Samaria vs Tatong Samaria vs Swanpool Samaria vs Lima South Samaria vs Moorngag

Other comparisons with Bridge Creek

Bridge Creek vs Mansfield Bridge Creek vs Tolmie Bridge Creek vs Tatong Bridge Creek vs Barwite Bridge Creek vs Lima South Bridge Creek vs Barjarg
Full data on Samaria Full data on Bridge Creek
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or