Swan Reach vs Kalimna West
Swan Reach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 57 in Kalimna West. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Kalimna West tends to suit share households.
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
Swan Reach
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (53/100 vs 77/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (57% vs 40%)
- But Kalimna West has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 87%)
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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Swan Reach
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (226 min vs 244 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (303.8 km vs 316.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Swan Reach
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (53/100 vs 77/100)
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
Swan Reach and Kalimna West 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
Swan Reach has more residents (861 vs 161); Kalimna West skews older (57 vs 51).
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 861 +81% vs other | 161 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +14.6% | +14.2% |
| Median age | 51 | 57 |
| Median household income | $55,848/yr | $59,748/yr +7% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $210/wk | $225/wk +7% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.7%).
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 (6.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $645,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $245,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 18 days from 3 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Swan Reach has more rural and farming land (77% vs 21%).
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks and recreation | 13% | 78% |
| Rural and farming | 77% | 21% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 7% | 0% |
| Residential | 2% | 0% |
| 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
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 386 across East Gippsland same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +50% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 37% of VIC | — |
| Income | Higher than 14% of VIC | Higher than 20% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 76% of VIC | Higher than 51% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 24% of VIC | — |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 30% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 50% of VIC | Higher than 67% of VIC |
Liveability
Swan Reach is more walkable (14 vs 0).
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 22/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Swan Reach carries more flood risk (58 vs 15); Kalimna West carries more crime risk (77 vs 53).
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 53/100 | Moderate 61/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 53/100 | High 77/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 58/100 | Low 15/100 |
| 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
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Swan Reach
- Swan Reach Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Kalimna West
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 | 6 |
Mobility
Kalimna West sits further from the CBD (316.4 km vs 303.8 km).
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 14/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 303.8 km | 316.4 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 226 min | 244 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3903 | 0.3% postcode 3909 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 55 postcode 3903 | 41 postcode 3909 |
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 (76.8%).
Setting
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 49 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 92 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 11.1 km | 7.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 428 premises | 0% 86 premises |
Climate
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 620 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.5°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,807/yr same for both | |
| Council | East Gippsland same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gippsland same for both | |
| Member | Darren Chester same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Swan Reach | Kalimna West | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Swan Reach
Other comparisons with Kalimna West
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.