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Fish Creek vs Waratah Bay
Suburb / Locality comparison ≈ 8.5 km apart · Fish Creek profile · Waratah Bay profile
Fish Creek Waratah Bay
Fish Creek and Waratah Bay are neighbouring areas in South Gippsland, but they have very different profiles. Fish Creek is a larger community where 16.8% of people are children under 15 and 26.4% of adults provide unpaid childcare. In contrast, Waratah Bay is sparsely populated and far older, with no children under 15 and a typical resident age of 59. Waratah Bay is also more affluent, with 33.3% of households earning $3,000 or more a week and 91.7% of homes owned outright, compared to 15.8% and 55.8% in Fish Creek. Education levels are also higher in Waratah Bay, where 38.3% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher.
Everyday life in both places shares several common traits. All homes in both areas are separate houses, and both are car-dependent, with no one relying on public transport for daily trips. Residents in both areas are equally likely to work from home, and about 29% of people in each area are aged 65 or over. While Fish Creek has more public transport stops and a school, the distance between the two areas remains small, and they both lack local groceries and health services within a 15-minute walk.
Where they differ most
Demographics & Identity
- First area, 2011: 791
- First area, 2016: 827
- First area, 2021: 858
- Second area, 2016: 56
- Second area, 2021: 48
- First area, 2011: 48 yrs
- First area, 2016: 46 yrs
- First area, 2021: 51 yrs
- Second area, 2016: 50 yrs
- Second area, 2021: 59 yrs
Age structure
Marital status
Age & sex structure
Bars show the share of each area's own population, so differently sized areas stay comparable.
- 85+ in Fish Creek: 1.1% males, 0.5% females; 85+ in Waratah Bay: 0.0% males, 0.0% females
- 80–84 in Fish Creek: 2.0% males, 2.0% females; 80–84 in Waratah Bay: 0.0% males, 0.0% females
- 75–79 in Fish Creek: 3.1% males, 2.5% females; 75–79 in Waratah Bay: 0.0% males, 0.0% females
- 70–74 in Fish Creek: 4.5% males, 5.1% females; 70–74 in Waratah Bay: 16.7% males, 0.0% females
- 65–69 in Fish Creek: 4.4% males, 4.6% females; 65–69 in Waratah Bay: 6.3% males, 16.7% females
- 60–64 in Fish Creek: 3.2% males, 5.0% females; 60–64 in Waratah Bay: 8.3% males, 6.3% females
- 55–59 in Fish Creek: 3.9% males, 3.8% females; 55–59 in Waratah Bay: 0.0% males, 0.0% females
- 50–54 in Fish Creek: 3.8% males, 2.8% females; 50–54 in Waratah Bay: 10.4% males, 8.3% females
- 45–49 in Fish Creek: 2.1% males, 3.8% females; 45–49 in Waratah Bay: 0.0% males, 0.0% females
- 40–44 in Fish Creek: 2.7% males, 2.6% females; 40–44 in Waratah Bay: 0.0% males, 0.0% females
- 35–39 in Fish Creek: 3.0% males, 2.6% females; 35–39 in Waratah Bay: 0.0% males, 0.0% females
- 30–34 in Fish Creek: 0.4% males, 1.2% females; 30–34 in Waratah Bay: 0.0% males, 0.0% females
- 25–29 in Fish Creek: 1.9% males, 1.8% females; 25–29 in Waratah Bay: 0.0% males, 0.0% females
- 20–24 in Fish Creek: 3.0% males, 1.3% females; 20–24 in Waratah Bay: 0.0% males, 0.0% females
- 15–19 in Fish Creek: 2.6% males, 2.6% females; 15–19 in Waratah Bay: 6.3% males, 14.6% females
- 10–14 in Fish Creek: 2.8% males, 3.6% females; 10–14 in Waratah Bay: 6.3% males, 0.0% females
- 5–9 in Fish Creek: 3.9% males, 3.0% females; 5–9 in Waratah Bay: 0.0% males, 0.0% females
- 0–4 in Fish Creek: 1.8% males, 1.3% females; 0–4 in Waratah Bay: 0.0% males, 0.0% females
Ancestry & Birthplace
Country of birth
Ancestry
Language
Language used at home
Religion
Religious affiliation
Education & Qualifications
Highest year of school
Highest qualification level
Field of qualification
Income
- First area, 2011: $484
- First area, 2016: $570
- First area, 2021: $687
- Second area, 2016: $478
- Second area, 2021: $900
- First area, 2011: $878
- First area, 2016: $1,039
- First area, 2021: $1,281
- Second area, 2016: $900
- Second area, 2021: $1,406
- First area, 2011: $962
- First area, 2016: $1,278
- First area, 2021: $1,760
- Second area, 2016: $1,875
- Second area, 2021: $2,250
Household income distribution
Personal income distribution
Health & Disability
Long-term health conditions reported
Number of long-term health conditions
Community Participation
First Nations
Family & Households
- First area, 2011: 2.4
- First area, 2016: 2.4
- First area, 2021: 2.4
- Second area, 2016: 2.6
- Second area, 2021: 2.0
Family composition
Household size
Housing & Dwellings
- First area, 2011: $51
- First area, 2016: $120
- First area, 2021: $235
- Second area, 2021: $2,358
- First area, 2011: $1,127
- First area, 2016: $1,135
- First area, 2021: $1,400
- Second area, 2016: $1,322
- Second area, 2021: $2,000
- First area, 2011: 1.10
- First area, 2016: 0.70
- First area, 2021: 0.70
- Second area, 2016: 0.60
- Second area, 2021: 0.60
How homes are owned or rented
Types of homes
Bedrooms per home
Weekly rent distribution
Transport & Vehicles
How people get to work
Motor vehicles per home
Migration & Movement
Jobs & Industry
Industries people work in
Occupations people work in
Walkability
Compare Fish Creek with nearby areas
Compare Waratah Bay with nearby areas
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Fish Creek vs Waratah Bay [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sal/SAL20921/fish-creek/vs/SAL22688/waratah-bay