Balintore vs Colac

Balintore is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 44 in Colac. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Balintore tends to suit 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

Colac

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (20 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (10 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (9 vs 0)
  • But Balintore carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 83/100)

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

First-home buyers

Colac

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 46%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Colac

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (31% vs 16%)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (24% vs 35%)
  • has cheaper rent ($260/wk vs $300/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Colac

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (115 min vs 127 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (151.9 km vs 162.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Colac

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 19%)
  • But Balintore carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 83/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Colac

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (2.2% vs -11.9%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Balintore Colac
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.

Balintore Colac
Walkability 0 / 4
Balintore — Walkability: 0/100 Colac — Walkability: 4/100
Safety 76 / 17
Balintore — Safety: 76/100 Colac — Safety: 17/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Balintore — Low fire risk: 100/100 Colac — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 20 / 1
Balintore — Low flood risk: 20/100 Colac — Low flood risk: 1/100

Demographics

Colac has more residents (9,243 vs 59); Colac has higher household incomes ($57,616 vs $45,032).

Balintore Colac
Population 59 9,243
+15566% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -11.9% +2.2%
Median age 40 44
Median household income $45,032/yr $57,616/yr
+28% vs other
Median weekly rent $300/wk
+13% vs other
 $260/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Balintore Colac
0-4 5.1% / 5.4%
Balintore — 0-4: 5.1% Colac — 0-4: 5.4%
5-14 23.7% / 10.7%
Balintore — 5-14: 23.7% Colac — 5-14: 10.7%
15-19 — / 5.0%
Balintore — 15-19: not among its largest Colac — 15-19: 5.0%
20-24 — / 5.4%
Balintore — 20-24: not among its largest Colac — 20-24: 5.4%
25-34 15.3% / 13.8%
Balintore — 25-34: 15.3% Colac — 25-34: 13.8%
35-44 16.9% / 10.6%
Balintore — 35-44: 16.9% Colac — 35-44: 10.6%
45-54 6.8% / 11.2%
Balintore — 45-54: 6.8% Colac — 45-54: 11.2%
55-64 6.8% / 11.8%
Balintore — 55-64: 6.8% Colac — 55-64: 11.8%
65-74 8.5% / 12.6%
Balintore — 65-74: 8.5% Colac — 65-74: 12.6%
75-84 5.1% / 9.0%
Balintore — 75-84: 5.1% Colac — 75-84: 9.0%
85+ 5.1% / 4.8%
Balintore — 85+: 5.1% Colac — 85+: 4.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Balintore 48.4% lone person
Balintore — Lone Person: 48.4% Balintore — Couple Families: 25.8% Balintore — One Parent Families: 25.8% Balintore — Group Household: 0.0% Balintore — Other Families: 0.0%
Colac 51.2% lone person
Colac — Lone Person: 51.2% Colac — Couple Families: 25.5% Colac — One Parent Families: 15.5% Colac — Group Household: 5.8% Colac — Other Families: 2.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Balintore 15.8% renting
Balintore — Owned Outright: 52.6% Balintore — Mortgage: 31.6% Balintore — Renting: 15.8%
Colac 31.3% renting
Colac — Owned Outright: 39.8% Colac — Mortgage: 28.8% Colac — Renting: 31.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Balintore 80.0% houses
Balintore — Houses: 80.0% Balintore — Flats / Apartments: 20.0% Balintore — Townhouses: 0.0%
Colac 85.9% houses
Colac — Houses: 85.9% Colac — Flats / Apartments: 1.5% Colac — Townhouses: 12.6%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Qualifications

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

Balintore Colac
Certificate III & IV 11.9% / 17.1%
Balintore — Certificate III & IV: 11.9% Colac — Certificate III & IV: 17.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.1% / 5.8%
Balintore — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.1% Colac — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.8%
Bachelor Degree — / 6.4%
Balintore — Bachelor Degree: not among its largest Colac — Bachelor Degree: 6.4%
Postgraduate Degree — / 1.4%
Balintore — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Colac — Postgraduate Degree: 1.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 0.9%
Balintore — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Colac — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.1%).

Property market

Balintore Colac
Median house price — $500,000
Median unit price — $415,000
Median land price — $260,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 36 days
from 112 sales

Zoning mix

Balintore has more rural and farming land (90% vs 2%).

Balintore Colac
Rural and farming 90% 2%
Parks and recreation 10% 78%
Residential 0% 16%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 2%
Commercial 0% 1%
Industrial 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

Balintore Colac
New dwellings approved 226
across Colac Otway
same for both
Approvals change year on year +64%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Balintore Colac
Houses — 5.7%
$575/wk on $525K
Units — 4.6%
$405/wk on $455K

Ranking within VIC

Balintore Colac
House price — Higher than 11% of VIC
Income Higher than 5% of VIC Higher than 16% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 65% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 26% of VIC Higher than 65% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 69% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 4% of VIC Higher than 28% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 57% of VIC Higher than 77% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 100% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 40% of VIC

Liveability

Balintore Colac
Grade — D
Score — 27/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 high-need area
decile 1/10

Risk profile

Colac carries more crime risk (83 vs 24); Colac carries more flood risk (99 vs 80).

Balintore Colac
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
24/100
 High
83/100
Flood High
80/100
 High
99/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 6
within 5 km

Schools

Balintore Colac
Inside the suburb 0 9
Rated above peers 0 3
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0 2

Schools in Balintore

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Colac

  • Colac Secondary College Government · Secondary above peers
  • St Mary's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Trinity College Colac Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • Colac Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Colac South West Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Colac West Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Balintore Colac
Supermarkets 0 4
Cafes & restaurants 0 13
Parks & reserves 0 20
Childcare 0 10
GPs 0 5
Pharmacies 0 2
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 7
Fuel stations 0 4
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Balintore sits further from the CBD (162.9 km vs 151.9 km).

Balintore Colac
Walkability score 0/100 4/100
Distance to Melbourne 162.9 km
+7% vs other
 151.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 127 min 115 min
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 3249
 0.3%
postcode 3250
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 39
postcode 3249
 29
postcode 3250

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.

Balintore Colac
Car (driver) 80.0% / 78.1%
Balintore — Car (driver): 80.0% Colac — Car (driver): 78.1%
Worked from Home 20.0% / 6.5%
Balintore — Worked from Home: 20.0% Colac — Worked from Home: 6.5%
Car (passenger) — / 8.3%
Balintore — Car (passenger): not among its largest Colac — Car (passenger): 8.3%
Walked Only — / 6.0%
Balintore — Walked Only: not among its largest Colac — Walked Only: 6.0%
Bicycle — / 0.9%
Balintore — Bicycle: not among its largest Colac — Bicycle: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.0%).

Setting

Balintore Colac
Elevation 118 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 115 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 45.1 km 41.6 km

NBN connectivity

Balintore Colac
Connectivity score 30/100 67/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
37 premises
 40%
5,207 premises

Climate

Balintore Colac
Annual rainfall 607 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Balintore Colac
Average residential rate $2,023/yr
same for both
Council Colac Otway
same for both

Federal electorate

Balintore Colac
Division Wannon
same for both
Member Dan Tehan
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Balintore Colac
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Balintore

Family Rural

Colac

Affordable Regional Centre Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Balintore

Balintore vs Cororooke Balintore vs Warrion Balintore vs Coragulac Balintore vs Ondit

Other comparisons with Colac

Colac vs Elliminyt Colac vs Irrewarra Colac vs Cororooke Colac vs Colac East Colac vs Ondit Colac vs Colac West
Full data on Balintore Full data on Colac
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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