Stanley vs Bruarong
Bruarong is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 53 in Stanley. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Stanley, about half of households are couple families. In Bruarong, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Bruarong tends to suit people living alone and 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
Stanley
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (8 vs 1)
- is already more of a family suburb (61% vs 50%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Stanley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 32%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Bruarong
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (20% vs 9%)
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $288/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Stanley
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (293.4 km vs 316.9 km)
- has a shorter drive in (199 min vs 209 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Bruarong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (48.1% vs 1.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Stanley and Bruarong 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
Stanley has more residents (371 vs 114); Stanley skews older (53 vs 45).
| Stanley | Bruarong | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 371 +69% vs other | 114 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.9% | +48.1% |
| Median age | 53 | 45 |
| Median household income | $76,180/yr +2% vs other | $74,724/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $288/wk +13% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.8%).
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 (6.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Bruarong has more rural and farming land (88% vs 55%).
| Stanley | Bruarong | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 55% | 88% |
| Parks and recreation | 44% | 12% |
| 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
| Stanley | Bruarong | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 120 across Indigo same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +15% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Stanley | Bruarong | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 43% of VIC | Higher than 41% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 32% of VIC | Higher than 25% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 81% of VIC | Higher than 94% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 35% of VIC | Higher than 24% of VIC |
Liveability
| Stanley | Bruarong | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
| Stanley | Bruarong | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 71/100 | High 79/100 |
| Crime | Low 14/100 | Low 16/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 same for both | |
| 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
| Stanley | Bruarong | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Stanley
- Stanley Primary School Government · Primary
Schools in Bruarong
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Stanley | Bruarong | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 8 | 1 |
| Waterways | 33 | 3 |
Mobility
Bruarong sits further from the CBD (316.9 km vs 293.4 km).
| Stanley | Bruarong | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 293.4 km | 316.9 km +8% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 199 min | 209 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.2% postcode 3747 | 2.0% postcode 3749 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 68 postcode 3747 | 85 postcode 3749 |
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 (65.8%).
Setting
| Stanley | Bruarong | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 685 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 387 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Stanley | Bruarong | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 24/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 169 premises | 0% 44 premises |
Climate
| Stanley | Bruarong | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 984 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Stanley | Bruarong | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,828/yr same for both | |
| Council | Indigo same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Stanley | Bruarong | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Stanley | Bruarong | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Stanley
Other comparisons with Bruarong
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.