Ballan vs Bunding
Ballan is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 56 in Bunding. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Bunding tends to suit 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
Ballan
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (10 vs 0)
- has more childcare (6 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
- But Bunding carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 75/100)
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
Ballan
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (21% vs 39%)
- has cheaper rent ($330/wk vs $450/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Ballan
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (34/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (85.1 km vs 89.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Ballan is more walkable (34/100 vs 0/100)
- Bunding carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 75/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, 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
Ballan and Bunding 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
Ballan has more residents (3,392 vs 61); Bunding rents higher ($450/wk vs $330/wk).
| Ballan | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,392 +98% vs other | 61 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +13.6% | +10.9% |
| Median age | 43 | 56 |
| Median household income | $81,120/yr +25% vs other | $60,632/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $330/wk | $450/wk +36% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).
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 (18.2%).
Property market
| Ballan | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $640,000 | — |
| Median unit price | $520,000 | — |
| Median land price | $362,500 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 47 days from 39 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Ballan | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 86% | 91% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 7% | 2% |
| Parks and recreation | 4% | 6% |
| Residential | 3% | 0% |
| Environmental | 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
| Ballan | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 338 across Moorabool same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +4% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Ballan | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.0% $545/wk on $709K | — |
| Units | 3.7% $420/wk on $585K | — |
Ranking within VIC
| Ballan | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 38% of VIC | — |
| Income | Higher than 48% of VIC | Higher than 21% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 84% of VIC | Higher than 31% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 63% of VIC | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 69% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 80% of VIC | Higher than 35% 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 | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 32/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Ballan carries more bushfire risk (66 vs 0); Ballan carries more crime risk (75 vs 24).
| Ballan | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 66/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | High 75/100 | Low 24/100 |
| Flood | Low 37/100 | Low 28/100 |
| 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 | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 0 |
| 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 Bunding
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Ballan | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 5 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 10 | 0 |
| Childcare | 6 | 0 |
| GPs | 4 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 3 | 0 |
| Waterways | 18 | 2 |
Mobility
Bunding sits further from the CBD (89.4 km vs 85.1 km).
| Ballan | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 34/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 85.1 km | 89.4 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 64 min | 68 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.8% postcode 3342 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 48 postcode 3342 same for both | |
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 (67.4%).
Setting
| Ballan | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 504 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 598 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Ballan | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 71/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 52% 1,848 premises | 0% 31 premises |
Climate
| Ballan | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 578 mm | 714 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Ballan | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,979/yr same for both | |
| Council | Moorabool same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Ballan | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Hawke | Ballarat |
| Member | Sam Rae | Catherine King |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Ballan | Bunding | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Ballan
Other comparisons with Bunding
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.