Ballan vs Blackwood

Ballan is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 47 in Blackwood. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Blackwood, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Blackwood tends to suit people living alone.

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

Ballan

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (6 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (10 vs 2)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • But Blackwood carries lower crime risk (55/100 vs 75/100)

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

First-home buyers

Blackwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper land ($228,500 vs $362,500)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Blackwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($305/wk vs $330/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Ballan

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (34/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (64 min vs 71 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (85.1 km vs 87.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Ballan

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (34/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (4 vs 0)
  • But Blackwood carries lower crime risk (55/100 vs 75/100)

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

Investors

Blackwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (31.2% vs 13.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Ballan Blackwood
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.

Ballan Blackwood
Walkability 34 / 0
Ballan — Walkability: 34/100 Blackwood — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 25 / 45
Ballan — Safety: 25/100 Blackwood — Safety: 45/100
Low fire risk 34 / 17
Ballan — Low fire risk: 34/100 Blackwood — Low fire risk: 17/100
Low flood risk 63 / 77
Ballan — Low flood risk: 63/100 Blackwood — Low flood risk: 77/100

Demographics

Ballan has more residents (3,392 vs 387); Blackwood skews older (47 vs 43).

Ballan Blackwood
Population 3,392
+89% vs other
 387
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +13.6% +31.2%
Median age 43 47
Median household income $81,120/yr
+9% vs other
 $74,048/yr
Median weekly rent $330/wk
+8% vs other
 $305/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ballan Blackwood
0-4 5.7% / 6.5%
Ballan — 0-4: 5.7% Blackwood — 0-4: 6.5%
5-14 12.8% / 10.3%
Ballan — 5-14: 12.8% Blackwood — 5-14: 10.3%
15-19 4.9% / 3.9%
Ballan — 15-19: 4.9% Blackwood — 15-19: 3.9%
20-24 4.1% / 2.1%
Ballan — 20-24: 4.1% Blackwood — 20-24: 2.1%
25-34 11.5% / 8.3%
Ballan — 25-34: 11.5% Blackwood — 25-34: 8.3%
35-44 13.1% / 15.2%
Ballan — 35-44: 13.1% Blackwood — 35-44: 15.2%
45-54 12.5% / 22.2%
Ballan — 45-54: 12.5% Blackwood — 45-54: 22.2%
55-64 14.7% / 16.5%
Ballan — 55-64: 14.7% Blackwood — 55-64: 16.5%
65-74 11.2% / 11.6%
Ballan — 65-74: 11.2% Blackwood — 65-74: 11.6%
75-84 6.5% / 3.9%
Ballan — 75-84: 6.5% Blackwood — 75-84: 3.9%
85+ 2.6% / —
Ballan — 85+: 2.6% Blackwood — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ballan 38.6% lone person
Ballan — Lone Person: 38.6% Ballan — Couple Families: 41.0% Ballan — One Parent Families: 16.6% Ballan — Group Household: 2.7% Ballan — Other Families: 1.2%
Blackwood 55.9% lone person
Blackwood — Lone Person: 55.9% Blackwood — Couple Families: 23.7% Blackwood — One Parent Families: 16.1% Blackwood — Group Household: 4.2% Blackwood — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Ballan 17.9% renting
Ballan — Owned Outright: 37.0% Ballan — Mortgage: 45.1% Ballan — Renting: 17.9%
Blackwood 10.1% renting
Blackwood — Owned Outright: 38.6% Blackwood — Mortgage: 51.3% Blackwood — Renting: 10.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Ballan Blackwood
England 4.5% / 4.7%
Ballan — England: 4.5% Blackwood — England: 4.7%
New Zealand 1.3% / 3.1%
Ballan — New Zealand: 1.3% Blackwood — New Zealand: 3.1%
Scotland 0.9% / 1.8%
Ballan — Scotland: 0.9% Blackwood — Scotland: 1.8%
Germany 0.5% / —
Ballan — Germany: 0.5% Blackwood — Germany: not among its largest
Italy 0.5% / —
Ballan — Italy: 0.5% Blackwood — Italy: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.7%).

Qualifications

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

Ballan Blackwood
Certificate III & IV 18.2% / 15.5%
Ballan — Certificate III & IV: 18.2% Blackwood — Certificate III & IV: 15.5%
Bachelor Degree 9.1% / 16.5%
Ballan — Bachelor Degree: 9.1% Blackwood — Bachelor Degree: 16.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.8% / 7.0%
Ballan — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8% Blackwood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.0%
Postgraduate Degree 2.3% / 5.2%
Ballan — Postgraduate Degree: 2.3% Blackwood — Postgraduate Degree: 5.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.6% / 3.6%
Ballan — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6% Blackwood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ballan 93.5% houses
Ballan — Houses: 93.5% Ballan — Townhouses: 5.0% Ballan — Flats / Apartments: 1.5%
Blackwood 99.4% houses
Blackwood — Houses: 99.4% Blackwood — Townhouses: 0.0% Blackwood — Flats / Apartments: 0.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Ballan Blackwood
Median house price $640,000 $597,500
Median unit price $520,000 —
Median land price $362,500 $228,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 47 days
from 39 sales
 46 days
from 7 sales

Zoning mix

Ballan has more rural and farming land (86% vs 0%).

Ballan Blackwood
Parks and recreation 4% 92%
Rural and farming 86% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 7% 1%
Environmental 0% 4%
Residential 3% 2%
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

Ballan Blackwood
New dwellings approved 338
across Moorabool
same for both
Approvals change year on year +4%
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.

Ballan Blackwood
Houses 4.0%
$545/wk on $709K
 —
Units 3.7%
$420/wk on $585K
 —

Ranking within VIC

Ballan Blackwood
House price Higher than 38% of VIC —
Income Higher than 48% of VIC Higher than 40% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 84% of VIC Higher than 59% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 63% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 69% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of VIC Higher than 14% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 68% of VIC —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 4% of VIC —

Liveability

Ballan is more walkable (34 vs 0).

Ballan Blackwood
Grade C —
Score 32/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
same for both

Risk profile

Ballan carries more flood risk (37 vs 23); Ballan carries more crime risk (75 vs 55).

Ballan Blackwood
Bushfire Moderate
66/100
 High
83/100
Crime High
75/100
 Moderate
55/100
Flood Low
37/100
 Low
23/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Ballan Blackwood
Inside the suburb 2 1
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Ballan

  • Ballan Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Brigid's School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Blackwood

  • Frankston Special Developmental School-Blackwood Special Schools Outdoor Education Centre Government · Secondary · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Ballan Blackwood
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 5 3
Parks & reserves 10 2
Childcare 6 0
GPs 4 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 1
Fuel stations 3 0
Waterways 18 9

Mobility

Blackwood sits further from the CBD (87.9 km vs 85.1 km).

Ballan Blackwood
Walkability score 34/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 85.1 km 87.9 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 64 min 71 min
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 3342
 1.6%
postcode 3458
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 48
postcode 3342
 50
postcode 3458

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.

Ballan Blackwood
Car (driver) 67.4% / 59.2%
Ballan — Car (driver): 67.4% Blackwood — Car (driver): 59.2%
Worked from Home 22.0% / 34.4%
Ballan — Worked from Home: 22.0% Blackwood — Worked from Home: 34.4%
Car (passenger) 5.2% / 3.2%
Ballan — Car (passenger): 5.2% Blackwood — Car (passenger): 3.2%
Walked Only 2.5% / 3.2%
Ballan — Walked Only: 2.5% Blackwood — Walked Only: 3.2%
Train 2.5% / —
Ballan — Train: 2.5% Blackwood — Train: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (67.4%).

Setting

Ballan Blackwood
Elevation 504 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 658 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Ballan Blackwood
Connectivity score 71/100 17/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 52%
1,848 premises
 0%
51 premises

Climate

Ballan Blackwood
Annual rainfall 578 mm 778 mm
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Ballan Blackwood
Average residential rate $1,979/yr
same for both
Council Moorabool
same for both

Federal electorate

Ballan Blackwood
Division Hawke
same for both
Member Sam Rae
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Ballan Blackwood
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Ballan

Acreage Trains

Blackwood

Affordable Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ballan

Ballan vs Gordon Ballan vs Mount Egerton Ballan vs Greendale Ballan vs Myrniong Ballan vs Ingliston Ballan vs Bunding

Other comparisons with Blackwood

Blackwood vs Greendale Blackwood vs Dales Creek Blackwood vs Lyonville Blackwood vs Newbury
Full data on Ballan Full data on Blackwood
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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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