Tarwin Lower vs Walkerville
Tarwin Lower is the younger of the two, with a median age of 53 against 57 in Walkerville. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Tarwin Lower: a median of $422,000, against $378,000 in Walkerville, though rent is higher in Walkerville.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Tarwin Lower has more parks and reserves (10 vs 1)
- Walkerville carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 62/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Walkerville
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($377,500 vs $421,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Tarwin Lower
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 43%)
- has cheaper rent ($210/wk vs $458/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Tarwin Lower
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (138 min vs 156 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (175.9 km vs 187.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Walkerville
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 62/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Walkerville
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (54.8% vs 29.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Tarwin Lower and Walkerville 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
Tarwin Lower has more residents (462 vs 130); Walkerville rents higher ($458/wk vs $210/wk).
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 462 +72% vs other | 130 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +29.1% | +54.8% |
| Median age | 53 | 57 |
| Median household income | $65,624/yr +16% vs other | $55,224/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $210/wk | $458/wk +118% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.1%).
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 (4.5%).
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.
Property market
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $421,500 | $377,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $1,075,000 | — |
Zoning mix
Tarwin Lower has more rural and farming land (82% vs 65%).
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 82% | 65% |
| Parks and recreation | 10% | 33% |
| Planning zones cover 92% of Tarwin Lower and 100% of Walkerville. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve. | ||
| 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
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 170 across South Gippsland same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +21% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | — | Higher than 14% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 49% of VIC | Higher than 51% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 63% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 18% of VIC | Higher than 13% of VIC |
Liveability
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Tarwin Lower carries more flood risk (73 vs 0); Tarwin Lower carries more bushfire risk (12 vs 0).
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 12/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 62/100 | Low 28/100 |
| Flood | High 73/100 | None 0/100 |
| Coastal erosion | High 92/100 | Moderate 40/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Tarwin Lower
- Tarwin Lower Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Walkerville
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 10 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Beaches | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 4 | 3 |
Mobility
Walkerville sits further from the CBD (187.4 km vs 175.9 km).
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 175.9 km | 187.4 km +7% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 138 min | 156 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 3956 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 36 postcode 3956 same for both | |
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 (61.3%).
Setting
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 37 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 91 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 3.6 km | 2.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 20/100 | 16/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 121 premises | 0% 71 premises |
Climate
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 906 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 24.6°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,282/yr same for both | |
| Council | South Gippsland same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Monash same for both | |
| Member | Mary Aldred same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Tarwin Lower | Walkerville | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Tarwin Lower
Other comparisons with Walkerville
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.