Benloch vs Baynton
Benloch is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 56 in Baynton. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Benloch, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Benloch tends to suit families with children and couples, while Baynton suits people living alone and 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
Benloch
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 72/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 56%)
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
Baynton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($305/wk vs $417/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Benloch
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (82 km vs 108.3 km)
- has a shorter drive in (76 min vs 82 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Benloch carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 72/100)
- Baynton has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 17%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Benloch
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (2.2% vs -11.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Benloch and Baynton 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
Baynton skews older (56 vs 37); Benloch has more residents (138 vs 95).
| Benloch | Baynton | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 138 +31% vs other | 95 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.2% | -11.2% |
| Median age | 37 | 56 |
| Median household income | $101,816/yr +22% vs other | $79,612/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $417/wk +27% vs other | $305/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Baynton has more rural and farming land (97% vs 0%); Benloch has more land zoned for conservation (80% vs 3%).
| Benloch | Baynton | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 0% | 97% |
| Environmental | 80% | 3% |
| Parks and recreation | 20% | 0% |
| 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
| Benloch | Baynton | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 331 across Macedon Ranges same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +80% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Benloch | Baynton | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 75% of VIC | Higher than 46% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 47% of VIC | Higher than 19% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 67% of VIC | Higher than 76% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 14% of VIC | Higher than 15% of VIC |
Liveability
| Benloch | Baynton | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
Baynton carries more flood risk (18 vs 0); Baynton carries more crime risk (72 vs 23).
| Benloch | Baynton | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 68/100 | Moderate 60/100 |
| Crime | Low 23/100 | High 72/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 | Low 18/100 |
| 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
| Benloch | Baynton | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Benloch | Baynton | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 1 |
| Waterways | 0 | 7 |
Mobility
Baynton sits further from the CBD (108.3 km vs 82 km).
| Benloch | Baynton | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 82 km | 108.3 km +32% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 76 min | 82 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 3435 | 1.0% postcode 3444 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 54 postcode 3435 | 49 postcode 3444 |
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 (66.7%).
Setting
| Benloch | Baynton | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 615 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 483 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Benloch | Baynton | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 17/100 | 18/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 47 premises | 0% 42 premises |
Climate
| Benloch | Baynton | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 553 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.6°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Benloch | Baynton | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,065/yr same for both | |
| Council | Macedon Ranges same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Benloch | Baynton | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bendigo same for both | |
| Member | Lisa Chesters same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Benloch | Baynton | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Benloch
Other comparisons with Baynton
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.