St James vs Tungamah
Tungamah is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 60 in St James. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, St James tends to suit share households, while Tungamah 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
Tungamah
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (7 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 42%)
- carries lower crime risk (60/100 vs 81/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
St James
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 21%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Tungamah
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 24%)
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $236/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Tungamah
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (34/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (249.5 km vs 258.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Tungamah
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (34/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (60/100 vs 81/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Tungamah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (10.0% vs -6.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
St James and Tungamah 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
Tungamah has more residents (449 vs 123); St James rents higher ($236/wk vs $150/wk).
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 123 | 449 +265% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -6.8% | +10.0% |
| Median age | 60 | 50 |
| Median household income | $50,232/yr | $52,416/yr +4% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $236/wk +36% vs other | $150/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.0%).
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 (4.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $370,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $68,000 |
Zoning mix
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 98% | 96% |
| Parks and recreation | 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
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 332 across Moira same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -70% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 13% of VIC |
| Income | Higher than 10% of VIC | Higher than 11% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 3% of VIC | Higher than 83% of VIC |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 52% of VIC |
| EV adoption | Higher than 65% of VIC | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 20% of VIC | Higher than 61% of VIC |
Liveability
Tungamah is more walkable (34 vs 0).
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
St James carries more bushfire risk (42 vs 17); St James carries more crime risk (81 vs 60).
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 42/100 | Low 17/100 |
| Crime | High 81/100 | Moderate 60/100 |
| Flood | High 75/100 | High 89/100 |
| 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
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in St James
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Tungamah
- Tungamah Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 7 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 | 12 |
Mobility
St James sits further from the CBD (258.7 km vs 249.5 km).
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 34/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 258.7 km +4% vs other | 249.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 173 min | 174 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 3727 | 0.0% postcode 3728 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 67 postcode 3727 | 64 postcode 3728 |
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 (91.7%).
Setting
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 132 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 126 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 22/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 65 premises | 0% 208 premises |
Climate
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 484 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,908/yr same for both | |
| Council | Moira same for both | |
Federal electorate
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Nicholls same for both | |
| Member | Sam Birrell same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| St James | Tungamah | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 St James
Other comparisons with Tungamah
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.