Bridgewater vs Leichardt

Leichardt is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 49 in Bridgewater. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Bridgewater tends to suit 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

Leichardt

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 64/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 59%)

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

Bridgewater

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($115/wk vs $215/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Leichardt

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (114 min vs 127 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (162.5 km vs 176.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Bridgewater has more residents already 65 and over (29% vs 9%)
  • Leichardt carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 64/100)

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

Investors

Leichardt

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (33.6% vs -6.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Bridgewater Leichardt
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.

Bridgewater Leichardt
Walkability 0 / 0
Bridgewater — Walkability: 0/100 Leichardt — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 36 / 78
Bridgewater — Safety: 36/100 Leichardt — Safety: 78/100
Low fire risk 41 / 62
Bridgewater — Low fire risk: 41/100 Leichardt — Low fire risk: 62/100
Low flood risk 33 / 58
Bridgewater — Low flood risk: 33/100 Leichardt — Low flood risk: 58/100

Demographics

Leichardt rents higher ($215/wk vs $115/wk); Leichardt has higher household incomes ($120,224 vs $92,092).

Bridgewater Leichardt
Population 133 167
+26% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -6.3% +33.6%
Median age 49 38
Median household income $92,092/yr $120,224/yr
+31% vs other
Median weekly rent $115/wk $215/wk
+87% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bridgewater Leichardt
0-4 3.8% / 3.0%
Bridgewater — 0-4: 3.8% Leichardt — 0-4: 3.0%
5-14 15.0% / 13.8%
Bridgewater — 5-14: 15.0% Leichardt — 5-14: 13.8%
15-19 4.5% / 11.4%
Bridgewater — 15-19: 4.5% Leichardt — 15-19: 11.4%
20-24 6.0% / 9.0%
Bridgewater — 20-24: 6.0% Leichardt — 20-24: 9.0%
25-34 6.0% / 9.6%
Bridgewater — 25-34: 6.0% Leichardt — 25-34: 9.6%
35-44 12.0% / 13.8%
Bridgewater — 35-44: 12.0% Leichardt — 35-44: 13.8%
45-54 18.8% / 16.2%
Bridgewater — 45-54: 18.8% Leichardt — 45-54: 16.2%
55-64 11.3% / 16.8%
Bridgewater — 55-64: 11.3% Leichardt — 55-64: 16.8%
65-74 18.0% / 7.2%
Bridgewater — 65-74: 18.0% Leichardt — 65-74: 7.2%
75-84 6.8% / 1.8%
Bridgewater — 75-84: 6.8% Leichardt — 75-84: 1.8%
85+ 3.8% / —
Bridgewater — 85+: 3.8% Leichardt — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bridgewater 58.8% couple families
Bridgewater — Couple Families: 58.8% Bridgewater — Lone Person: 41.2% Bridgewater — Group Household: 0.0%
Leichardt 68.4% couple families
Leichardt — Couple Families: 68.4% Leichardt — Lone Person: 21.1% Leichardt — Group Household: 10.5%
Couple Families Lone Person Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bridgewater 5.8% renting
Bridgewater — Owned Outright: 61.5% Bridgewater — Mortgage: 32.7% Bridgewater — Renting: 5.8%
Leichardt 8.9% renting
Leichardt — Owned Outright: 42.2% Leichardt — Mortgage: 48.9% Leichardt — Renting: 8.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bridgewater 90.9% houses
Bridgewater — Houses: 90.9% Bridgewater — Flats / Apartments: 9.1%
Leichardt 100.0% houses
Leichardt — Houses: 100.0% Leichardt — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Bridgewater Leichardt
Certificate III & IV 11.3% / 19.2%
Bridgewater — Certificate III & IV: 11.3% Leichardt — Certificate III & IV: 19.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.0% / 7.2%
Bridgewater — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.0% Leichardt — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.2%
Bachelor Degree 7.5% / 4.8%
Bridgewater — Bachelor Degree: 7.5% Leichardt — Bachelor Degree: 4.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.0% / 2.4%
Bridgewater — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0% Leichardt — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.2%).

Zoning mix

Bridgewater Leichardt
Rural and farming 96% 98%
Parks and recreation 2% 1%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 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

Bridgewater Leichardt
New dwellings approved 27
across Loddon
 885
across Greater Bendigo
Approvals change year on year +150% +28%

Ranking within VIC

Bridgewater Leichardt
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 61% of VIC Higher than 91% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 40% of VIC Higher than 22% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption —
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 62% of VIC Higher than 41% of VIC

Liveability

Bridgewater Leichardt
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Bridgewater carries more crime risk (64 vs 22); Bridgewater carries more flood risk (67 vs 42).

Bridgewater Leichardt
Bushfire Moderate
59/100
 Low
38/100
Crime Moderate
64/100
 Low
22/100
Flood Moderate
67/100
 Moderate
42/100
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

Bridgewater Leichardt
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

Bridgewater Leichardt
Parks & reserves 2 1
Waterways 7 5

Mobility

Bridgewater sits further from the CBD (176.2 km vs 162.5 km).

Bridgewater Leichardt
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 176.2 km
+8% vs other
 162.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 127 min 114 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 3516
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 45
postcode 3516
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.

Bridgewater Leichardt
Car (driver) 59.7% / 81.2%
Bridgewater — Car (driver): 59.7% Leichardt — Car (driver): 81.2%
Worked from Home 30.6% / 8.2%
Bridgewater — Worked from Home: 30.6% Leichardt — Worked from Home: 8.2%
Walked Only 4.8% / 7.1%
Bridgewater — Walked Only: 4.8% Leichardt — Walked Only: 7.1%
Car (passenger) 4.8% / 3.5%
Bridgewater — Car (passenger): 4.8% Leichardt — Car (passenger): 3.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (81.2%).

Setting

Bridgewater Leichardt
Elevation 141 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 170 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Bridgewater Leichardt
Connectivity score 30/100 29/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
74 premises
 0%
53 premises

Council rates

Bridgewater Leichardt
Average residential rate $1,353/yr $1,949/yr
Council Loddon Greater Bendigo

Federal electorate

Bridgewater Leichardt
Division Mallee Bendigo
Member Anne Webster Lisa Chesters
Party The Nationals Australian Labor Party

First Home Owner Grant

Bridgewater Leichardt
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bridgewater

Retirees Rural

Leichardt

River Rural Students

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bridgewater

Bridgewater vs Inglewood Bridgewater vs Bridgewater On Loddon Bridgewater vs Newbridge Bridgewater vs Arnold Bridgewater vs Bridgewater North Bridgewater vs Campbells Forest

Other comparisons with Leichardt

Leichardt vs Marong Leichardt vs Woodvale Leichardt vs Myers Flat Leichardt vs Wilsons Hill Leichardt vs Campbells Forest
Full data on Bridgewater Full data on Leichardt
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or