Ballendella vs Fairy Dell

Fairy Dell is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 56 in Ballendella. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Ballendella, about half of households are couple families. In Fairy Dell, the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, Ballendella tends to suit older residents, while Fairy Dell suits couples.

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

Too close to call

Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

First-home buyers

Fairy Dell

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (13% vs 25%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Ballendella

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($120/wk vs $265/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Fairy Dell

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (205.2 km vs 209.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Ballendella

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 22%)

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

Investors

Fairy Dell

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (16.2% vs -3.2%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Ballendella Fairy Dell
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.

Ballendella Fairy Dell
Walkability 0 / 0
Ballendella — Walkability: 0/100 Fairy Dell — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 44 / 44
Ballendella — Safety: 44/100 Fairy Dell — Safety: 44/100
Low fire risk 58 / 57
Ballendella — Low fire risk: 58/100 Fairy Dell — Low fire risk: 57/100
Low flood risk 7 / 100
Ballendella — Low flood risk: 7/100 Fairy Dell — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Fairy Dell rents higher ($265/wk vs $120/wk); Fairy Dell has higher household incomes ($94,224 vs $60,632).

Ballendella Fairy Dell
Population 120
+22% vs other
 93
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.2% +16.2%
Median age 56 44
Median household income $60,632/yr $94,224/yr
+55% vs other
Median weekly rent $120/wk $265/wk
+121% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ballendella Fairy Dell
0-4 4.2% / —
Ballendella — 0-4: 4.2% Fairy Dell — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 5.0% / 15.1%
Ballendella — 5-14: 5.0% Fairy Dell — 5-14: 15.1%
15-19 7.5% / 5.4%
Ballendella — 15-19: 7.5% Fairy Dell — 15-19: 5.4%
20-24 4.2% / 10.8%
Ballendella — 20-24: 4.2% Fairy Dell — 20-24: 10.8%
25-34 2.5% / 7.5%
Ballendella — 25-34: 2.5% Fairy Dell — 25-34: 7.5%
35-44 9.2% / 9.7%
Ballendella — 35-44: 9.2% Fairy Dell — 35-44: 9.7%
45-54 13.3% / 8.6%
Ballendella — 45-54: 13.3% Fairy Dell — 45-54: 8.6%
55-64 18.3% / 18.3%
Ballendella — 55-64: 18.3% Fairy Dell — 55-64: 18.3%
65-74 25.0% / 18.3%
Ballendella — 65-74: 25.0% Fairy Dell — 65-74: 18.3%
75-84 9.2% / 3.2%
Ballendella — 75-84: 9.2% Fairy Dell — 75-84: 3.2%
85+ — / —
Ballendella — 85+: not among its largest Fairy Dell — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ballendella 46.7% couple families
Ballendella — Couple Families: 46.7% Ballendella — Lone Person: 30.0% Ballendella — One Parent Families: 23.3%
Fairy Dell 75.0% couple families
Fairy Dell — Couple Families: 75.0% Fairy Dell — Lone Person: 25.0% Fairy Dell — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Ballendella 7.3% renting
Ballendella — Owned Outright: 53.7% Ballendella — Mortgage: 39.0% Ballendella — Renting: 7.3%
Fairy Dell 16.7% renting
Fairy Dell — Owned Outright: 33.3% Fairy Dell — Mortgage: 50.0% Fairy Dell — Renting: 16.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ballendella 93.0% houses
Ballendella — Houses: 93.0% Ballendella — Flats / Apartments: 7.0%
Fairy Dell 100.0% houses
Fairy Dell — Houses: 100.0% Fairy Dell — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Ballendella Fairy Dell
Certificate III & IV 19.2% / 23.7%
Ballendella — Certificate III & IV: 19.2% Fairy Dell — Certificate III & IV: 23.7%
Bachelor Degree 5.0% / 8.6%
Ballendella — Bachelor Degree: 5.0% Fairy Dell — Bachelor Degree: 8.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 2.5% / 5.4%
Ballendella — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.5% Fairy Dell — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.4%
Postgraduate Degree 2.5% / 4.3%
Ballendella — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5% Fairy Dell — Postgraduate Degree: 4.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.5% / —
Ballendella — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5% Fairy Dell — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

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

Zoning mix

Ballendella Fairy Dell
Rural and farming 97% 96%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 3%
Parks and recreation 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

Ballendella Fairy Dell
New dwellings approved 264
across Campaspe
same for both
Approvals change year on year +63%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Ballendella Fairy Dell
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 21% of VIC Higher than 64% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 60% of VIC Higher than 1% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 32% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 70% of VIC Higher than 48% of VIC

Liveability

Ballendella Fairy Dell
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Ballendella carries more flood risk (93 vs 0).

Ballendella Fairy Dell
Bushfire Moderate
42/100
 Moderate
43/100
Crime Moderate
56/100
same for both
Flood High
93/100
 None
0/100
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

Ballendella Fairy Dell
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

Ballendella Fairy Dell
Waterways 0 2

Mobility

Ballendella sits further from the CBD (209.3 km vs 205.2 km).

Ballendella Fairy Dell
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 209.3 km
+2% vs other
 205.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 152 min 150 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 3561
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 57
postcode 3561
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.

Ballendella Fairy Dell
Car (driver) 69.8% / 57.8%
Ballendella — Car (driver): 69.8% Fairy Dell — Car (driver): 57.8%
Worked from Home 18.6% / 26.7%
Ballendella — Worked from Home: 18.6% Fairy Dell — Worked from Home: 26.7%
Walked Only 11.6% / 8.9%
Ballendella — Walked Only: 11.6% Fairy Dell — Walked Only: 8.9%
Car (passenger) — / 6.7%
Ballendella — Car (passenger): not among its largest Fairy Dell — Car (passenger): 6.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (69.8%).

Setting

Ballendella Fairy Dell
Elevation 109 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 110 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Ballendella Fairy Dell
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
54 premises
 0%
40 premises

Climate

Ballendella Fairy Dell
Annual rainfall 438 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Ballendella Fairy Dell
Average residential rate $2,035/yr
same for both
Council Campaspe
same for both

Federal electorate

Ballendella Fairy Dell
Division Nicholls Bendigo
Member Sam Birrell Lisa Chesters
Party The Nationals Australian Labor Party

First Home Owner Grant

Ballendella Fairy Dell
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Ballendella

Retirees Rural

Fairy Dell

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ballendella

Ballendella vs Rochester Ballendella vs Bamawm Ballendella vs Strathallan

Other comparisons with Fairy Dell

Fairy Dell vs Rochester Fairy Dell vs Nanneella Fairy Dell vs Strathallan
Full data on Ballendella Full data on Fairy Dell
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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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