Willatook vs Orford
Willatook is the younger of the two, with a median age of 31 against 42 in Orford. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Willatook, the large majority of households are couple families. In Orford, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Willatook tends to suit young adults, families with children, and couples.
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
Willatook
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 46/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 67%)
- But Orford has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
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
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Willatook has a bigger rental market to choose from (30% vs 7%)
- Orford has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $225/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Willatook
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (206 min vs 226 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (277.5 km vs 302.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Willatook carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 46/100)
- Orford has more residents already 65 and over (16% vs 11%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Orford
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (9.5% vs -3.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Willatook and Orford 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
Orford has more residents (115 vs 53); Willatook rents higher ($225/wk vs $150/wk).
| Willatook | Orford | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 53 | 115 +117% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -3.6% | +9.5% |
| Median age | 31 | 42 |
| Median household income | $106,600/yr +9% vs other | $97,500/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $225/wk +33% vs other | $150/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.5%).
Zoning mix
| Willatook | Orford | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 98% |
| Other and special use | 0% | 1% |
| 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
| Willatook | Orford | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 64 across Moyne same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -15% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Willatook | Orford | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | — | Higher than 70% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 64% of VIC | Higher than 58% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 15% of VIC | Higher than 74% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 47% of VIC | Higher than 25% of VIC |
Liveability
| Willatook | Orford | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Orford carries more crime risk (46 vs 11).
| Willatook | Orford | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 11/100 | Moderate 46/100 |
| 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
| Willatook | Orford | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Willatook | Orford | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 3 |
| Waterways | 4 | 1 |
Mobility
Orford sits further from the CBD (302.8 km vs 277.5 km).
| Willatook | Orford | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 277.5 km | 302.8 km +9% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 206 min | 226 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 3283 | 0.9% postcode 3284 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 41 postcode 3283 | 25 postcode 3284 |
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 (54.5%).
Setting
| Willatook | Orford | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 89 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 72 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 23.9 km | 15.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Willatook | Orford | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 24/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 27 premises | 0% 56 premises |
Climate
| Willatook | Orford | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 699 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 22.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.2°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Willatook | Orford | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,613/yr same for both | |
| Council | Moyne same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Willatook | Orford | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Willatook | Orford | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Willatook
Other comparisons with Orford
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.