Benloch vs Pastoria

Benloch is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 50 in Pastoria. 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. In Pastoria, most households are couple families. On these figures, Benloch tends to suit families with children, while Pastoria 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 the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 60%)

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

First-home buyers

Benloch

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 49%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Pastoria

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($346/wk vs $417/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Benloch sits closer to the CBD (82 km vs 99.4 km)
  • Pastoria is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Pastoria

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (32% vs 17%)

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

Investors

Pastoria

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (56.2% vs 2.2%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Benloch Pastoria
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.

Benloch Pastoria
Walkability 0 / 10
Benloch — Walkability: 0/100 Pastoria — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 77 / 80
Benloch — Safety: 77/100 Pastoria — Safety: 80/100
Low fire risk 32 / 39
Benloch — Low fire risk: 32/100 Pastoria — Low fire risk: 39/100
Low flood risk 100 / 84
Benloch — Low flood risk: 100/100 Pastoria — Low flood risk: 84/100

Demographics

Benloch has more residents (138 vs 75); Pastoria skews older (50 vs 37).

Benloch Pastoria
Population 138
+46% vs other
 75
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.2% +56.2%
Median age 37 50
Median household income $101,816/yr
+4% vs other
 $97,500/yr
Median weekly rent $417/wk
+17% vs other
 $346/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Benloch Pastoria
0-4 8.0% / —
Benloch — 0-4: 8.0% Pastoria — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 13.8% / 9.3%
Benloch — 5-14: 13.8% Pastoria — 5-14: 9.3%
15-19 4.3% / 8.0%
Benloch — 15-19: 4.3% Pastoria — 15-19: 8.0%
20-24 5.1% / 4.0%
Benloch — 20-24: 5.1% Pastoria — 20-24: 4.0%
25-34 17.4% / 5.3%
Benloch — 25-34: 17.4% Pastoria — 25-34: 5.3%
35-44 12.3% / 4.0%
Benloch — 35-44: 12.3% Pastoria — 35-44: 4.0%
45-54 8.7% / 22.7%
Benloch — 45-54: 8.7% Pastoria — 45-54: 22.7%
55-64 15.9% / 14.7%
Benloch — 55-64: 15.9% Pastoria — 55-64: 14.7%
65-74 8.7% / 24.0%
Benloch — 65-74: 8.7% Pastoria — 65-74: 24.0%
75-84 8.0% / —
Benloch — 75-84: 8.0% Pastoria — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ — / 8.0%
Benloch — 85+: not among its largest Pastoria — 85+: 8.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Benloch 51.5% couple families
Benloch — Couple Families: 51.5% Benloch — Lone Person: 30.3% Benloch — One Parent Families: 18.2%
Pastoria 60.0% couple families
Pastoria — Couple Families: 60.0% Pastoria — Lone Person: 40.0% Pastoria — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Benloch 11.1% renting
Benloch — Owned Outright: 31.1% Benloch — Mortgage: 57.8% Benloch — Renting: 11.1%
Pastoria 0.0% renting
Pastoria — Owned Outright: 68.2% Pastoria — Mortgage: 31.8% Pastoria — Renting: 0.0%
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.

Benloch Pastoria
England 8.7% / 5.3%
Benloch — England: 8.7% Pastoria — England: 5.3%
New Zealand — / 12.0%
Benloch — New Zealand: not among its largest Pastoria — New Zealand: 12.0%
Germany 2.2% / —
Benloch — Germany: 2.2% Pastoria — Germany: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (12.0%).

Qualifications

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

Benloch Pastoria
Bachelor Degree 11.6% / 22.7%
Benloch — Bachelor Degree: 11.6% Pastoria — Bachelor Degree: 22.7%
Certificate III & IV 17.4% / 5.3%
Benloch — Certificate III & IV: 17.4% Pastoria — Certificate III & IV: 5.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.5% / 5.3%
Benloch — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.5% Pastoria — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.6% / 4.0%
Benloch — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.6% Pastoria — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.0%
Postgraduate Degree 2.2% / —
Benloch — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2% Pastoria — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Benloch 100.0% houses
Benloch — Houses: 100.0%
Pastoria 100.0% houses
Pastoria — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Zoning mix

Pastoria has more rural and farming land (61% vs 0%); Benloch has more land zoned for conservation (80% vs 28%).

Benloch Pastoria
Environmental 80% 28%
Rural and farming 0% 61%
Parks and recreation 20% 10%
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 Pastoria
New dwellings approved 331
across Macedon Ranges
same for both
Approvals change year on year +80%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Benloch Pastoria
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 75% of VIC Higher than 70% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 47% of VIC Higher than 72% 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
same for both

Liveability

Pastoria is more walkable (10 vs 0).

Benloch Pastoria
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

Pastoria carries more flood risk (16 vs 0).

Benloch Pastoria
Bushfire Moderate
68/100
 Moderate
61/100
Crime Low
23/100
 Low
20/100
Flood None
0/100
 Low
16/100
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 Pastoria
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 Pastoria
Parks & reserves 2 1

Mobility

Pastoria sits further from the CBD (99.4 km vs 82 km).

Benloch Pastoria
Walkability score 0/100 10/100
Distance to Melbourne 82 km 99.4 km
+21% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 76 min 75 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.

Benloch Pastoria
Car (driver) 66.7% / 48.3%
Benloch — Car (driver): 66.7% Pastoria — Car (driver): 48.3%
Worked from Home 25.0% / 51.7%
Benloch — Worked from Home: 25.0% Pastoria — Worked from Home: 51.7%
Walked Only 8.3% / —
Benloch — Walked Only: 8.3% Pastoria — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.7%).

Setting

Benloch Pastoria
Elevation 615 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 479 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Benloch Pastoria
Connectivity score 17/100
same for both
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
47 premises
 0%
28 premises

Climate

Benloch Pastoria
Annual rainfall 553 mm 778 mm
Summer max (Jan) 29.6°C —
Winter min (Jul) 3.1°C —

Council rates

Benloch Pastoria
Average residential rate $2,065/yr
same for both
Council Macedon Ranges
same for both

Federal electorate

Benloch Pastoria
Division Bendigo
same for both
Member Lisa Chesters
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Benloch Pastoria
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Benloch

Rural

Pastoria

Professionals Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Benloch

Benloch vs Lancefield Benloch vs Nulla Vale Benloch vs Baynton Benloch vs Pastoria East

Other comparisons with Pastoria

Pastoria vs Kyneton Pastoria vs Lancefield Pastoria vs Pipers Creek Pastoria vs Pastoria East
Full data on Benloch Full data on Pastoria
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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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