Amherst vs Adelaide Lead
Adelaide Lead is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 57 in Amherst. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Amherst tends to suit older residents, while Adelaide Lead suits 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
Amherst
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 80/100)
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
Adelaide Lead
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $200/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Amherst
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (169.8 km vs 183.7 km)
- has a shorter drive in (126 min vs 134 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Amherst
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 80/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (32% vs 24%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Adelaide Lead
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (4.9% vs -3.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Amherst and Adelaide Lead 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
Amherst rents higher ($200/wk vs $0/wk); Adelaide Lead has more residents (85 vs 63).
| Amherst | Adelaide Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 63 | 85 +35% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -3.1% | +4.9% |
| Median age | 57 | 50 |
| Median household income | $44,200/yr | $58,500/yr +32% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk (not reported on the other side) | — |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.6%).
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 (23.5%).
Zoning mix
Amherst has more rural and farming land (40% vs 6%); Adelaide Lead has more land zoned for conservation (16% vs 4%).
| Amherst | Adelaide Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks and recreation | 55% | 76% |
| Rural and farming | 40% | 6% |
| Environmental | 4% | 16% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Amherst | Adelaide Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 40 across Central Goldfields same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +129% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Amherst | Adelaide Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 5% of VIC | Higher than 17% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 10% of VIC | Higher than 11% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 35% of VIC | Higher than 14% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 12% of VIC | Higher than 33% of VIC |
Liveability
| Amherst | Adelaide Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Adelaide Lead carries more crime risk (80 vs 26).
| Amherst | Adelaide Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 84/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 26/100 | High 80/100 |
| Flood | High 70/100 | Moderate 64/100 |
| 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
| Amherst | Adelaide Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Amherst | Adelaide Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 2 |
| Waterways | 0 | 3 |
Mobility
Adelaide Lead sits further from the CBD (183.7 km vs 169.8 km).
| Amherst | Adelaide Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 169.8 km | 183.7 km +8% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 126 min | 134 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 3371 | 0.2% postcode 3465 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 3371 | 36 postcode 3465 |
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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Amherst | Adelaide Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 277 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 254 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Amherst | Adelaide Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 16/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 20 premises | 0% 38 premises |
Climate
| Amherst | Adelaide Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 510 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Amherst | Adelaide Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,555/yr same for both | |
| Council | Central Goldfields same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Amherst | Adelaide Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Amherst | Adelaide Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Amherst
Other comparisons with Adelaide Lead
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.