Athlone vs Heath Hill

Athlone is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 45 in Heath Hill. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Athlone, most households are couple families. In Heath Hill, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Athlone tends to suit families with children and couples, while Heath Hill suits older residents.

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

Athlone

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 53/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (84% vs 71%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Athlone

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 30%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Athlone

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($231/wk vs $250/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Heath Hill

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (77 min vs 86 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (94 km vs 103.7 km)
  • But Athlone is more walkable (16/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Athlone

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (16/100 vs 0/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 53/100)
  • But Heath Hill has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 8%)

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

Athlone and Heath Hill drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Athlone Heath Hill
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Athlone Heath Hill
Walkability 16 / 0
Athlone — Walkability: 16/100 Heath Hill — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 79 / 47
Athlone — Safety: 79/100 Heath Hill — Safety: 47/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Athlone — Low fire risk: 100/100 Heath Hill — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 16 / 31
Athlone — Low flood risk: 16/100 Heath Hill — Low flood risk: 31/100

Demographics

Heath Hill skews older (45 vs 33); Heath Hill has more residents (189 vs 147).

Athlone Heath Hill
Population 147 189
+29% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +20.5% +17.4%
Median age 33 45
Median household income $93,756/yr
+20% vs other
 $75,348/yr
Median weekly rent $231/wk $250/wk
+8% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Athlone Heath Hill
0-4 11.6% / 3.7%
Athlone — 0-4: 11.6% Heath Hill — 0-4: 3.7%
5-14 17.0% / 11.1%
Athlone — 5-14: 17.0% Heath Hill — 5-14: 11.1%
15-19 2.7% / 4.8%
Athlone — 15-19: 2.7% Heath Hill — 15-19: 4.8%
20-24 6.8% / 8.5%
Athlone — 20-24: 6.8% Heath Hill — 20-24: 8.5%
25-34 16.3% / 11.6%
Athlone — 25-34: 16.3% Heath Hill — 25-34: 11.6%
35-44 5.4% / 10.6%
Athlone — 35-44: 5.4% Heath Hill — 35-44: 10.6%
45-54 19.0% / 14.3%
Athlone — 45-54: 19.0% Heath Hill — 45-54: 14.3%
55-64 13.6% / 15.9%
Athlone — 55-64: 13.6% Heath Hill — 55-64: 15.9%
65-74 5.4% / 13.8%
Athlone — 65-74: 5.4% Heath Hill — 65-74: 13.8%
75-84 2.7% / 5.8%
Athlone — 75-84: 2.7% Heath Hill — 75-84: 5.8%
85+ — / 2.1%
Athlone — 85+: not among its largest Heath Hill — 85+: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Athlone 68.8% couple families
Athlone — Couple Families: 68.8% Athlone — Lone Person: 15.6% Athlone — One Parent Families: 15.6%
Heath Hill 51.4% couple families
Heath Hill — Couple Families: 51.4% Heath Hill — Lone Person: 28.6% Heath Hill — One Parent Families: 20.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Athlone 15.8% renting
Athlone — Owned Outright: 36.8% Athlone — Mortgage: 47.4% Athlone — Renting: 15.8%
Heath Hill 8.8% renting
Heath Hill — Owned Outright: 42.6% Heath Hill — Mortgage: 48.5% Heath Hill — Renting: 8.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Athlone 100.0% houses
Athlone — Houses: 100.0% Athlone — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Heath Hill 93.8% houses
Heath Hill — Houses: 93.8% Heath Hill — Flats / Apartments: 6.2%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Athlone Heath Hill
Certificate III & IV 19.0% / 23.3%
Athlone — Certificate III & IV: 19.0% Heath Hill — Certificate III & IV: 23.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.1% / 9.5%
Athlone — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.1% Heath Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.5%
Bachelor Degree 6.8% / 4.2%
Athlone — Bachelor Degree: 6.8% Heath Hill — Bachelor Degree: 4.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.3%).

Property market

Athlone Heath Hill
Median house price — $1,126,250
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Athlone Heath Hill
Rural and farming 94% 96%
Parks and recreation 6% 1%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 3%
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

Athlone Heath Hill
New dwellings approved 619
across Baw Baw
 1,323
across Cardinia
Approvals change year on year +49% +13%

Ranking within VIC

Athlone Heath Hill
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 63% of VIC Higher than 42% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 77% of VIC Higher than 50% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 54% of VIC Higher than 25% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 53% of VIC Higher than 66% of VIC

Liveability

Athlone is more walkable (16 vs 0).

Athlone Heath Hill
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Heath Hill carries more crime risk (53 vs 21); Athlone carries more flood risk (84 vs 69).

Athlone Heath Hill
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
21/100
 Moderate
53/100
Flood High
84/100
 Moderate
69/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Athlone Heath Hill
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

Athlone Heath Hill
Parks & reserves 2 0
Waterways 6 2

Mobility

Athlone sits further from the CBD (103.7 km vs 94 km).

Athlone Heath Hill
Walkability score 16/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 103.7 km
+9% vs other
 94 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 86 min 77 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 3818
 0.3%
postcode 3981
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 49
postcode 3818
 51
postcode 3981

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.

Athlone Heath Hill
Car (driver) 68.9% / 70.5%
Athlone — Car (driver): 68.9% Heath Hill — Car (driver): 70.5%
Worked from Home 16.4% / 24.4%
Athlone — Worked from Home: 16.4% Heath Hill — Worked from Home: 24.4%
Car (passenger) 8.2% / 5.1%
Athlone — Car (passenger): 8.2% Heath Hill — Car (passenger): 5.1%
Walked Only 6.6% / —
Athlone — Walked Only: 6.6% Heath Hill — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.5%).

Setting

Athlone Heath Hill
Elevation 68 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 108 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 23.8 km 17.4 km

NBN connectivity

Athlone Heath Hill
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
60 premises
 0%
79 premises

Climate

Athlone Heath Hill
Annual rainfall 1,090 mm 906 mm
Summer max (Jan) 25.1°C 24.6°C
Winter min (Jul) 3.7°C 6.9°C

Council rates

Athlone Heath Hill
Average residential rate $2,138/yr $1,880/yr
Council Baw Baw Cardinia

Federal electorate

Athlone Heath Hill
Division Monash La Trobe
Member Mary Aldred Jason Wood
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Athlone Heath Hill
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Athlone

Family Rural Young Families

Heath Hill

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Athlone

Athlone vs Drouin South Athlone vs Ripplebrook Athlone vs Poowong North Athlone vs Hallora

Other comparisons with Heath Hill

Heath Hill vs Nyora Heath Hill vs Catani Heath Hill vs Yannathan Heath Hill vs Ripplebrook Heath Hill vs Poowong North Heath Hill vs Modella
Full data on Athlone Full data on Heath Hill
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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.

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