Bullarook vs Pootilla

Pootilla is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 55 in Bullarook. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bullarook, most households are people living alone. In Pootilla, most households are couple families. On these figures, Bullarook tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Pootilla 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Bullarook carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 87/100)
  • Pootilla is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 41%)

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

First-home buyers

Pootilla

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (31% vs 39%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Bullarook

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($245/wk vs $300/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Bullarook

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (104.6 km vs 107.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Bullarook

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 87/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (43% vs 25%)

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

Investors

Pootilla

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (5.3% vs -22.2%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Bullarook Pootilla
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.

Bullarook Pootilla
Walkability 0 / 0
Bullarook — Walkability: 0/100 Pootilla — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 80 / 13
Bullarook — Safety: 80/100 Pootilla — Safety: 13/100
Low fire risk 100 / 39
Bullarook — Low fire risk: 100/100 Pootilla — Low fire risk: 39/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Bullarook — Low flood risk: 100/100 Pootilla — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Pootilla has higher household incomes ($84,448 vs $67,132); Pootilla rents higher ($300/wk vs $245/wk).

Bullarook Pootilla
Population 77 79
+3% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -22.2% +5.3%
Median age 55 45
Median household income $67,132/yr $84,448/yr
+26% vs other
Median weekly rent $245/wk $300/wk
+22% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bullarook Pootilla
0-4 7.8% / —
Bullarook — 0-4: 7.8% Pootilla — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 7.8% / 12.7%
Bullarook — 5-14: 7.8% Pootilla — 5-14: 12.7%
15-19 3.9% / 8.9%
Bullarook — 15-19: 3.9% Pootilla — 15-19: 8.9%
20-24 6.5% / —
Bullarook — 20-24: 6.5% Pootilla — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 3.9% / 8.9%
Bullarook — 25-34: 3.9% Pootilla — 25-34: 8.9%
35-44 7.8% / 16.5%
Bullarook — 35-44: 7.8% Pootilla — 35-44: 16.5%
45-54 13.0% / 17.7%
Bullarook — 45-54: 13.0% Pootilla — 45-54: 17.7%
55-64 11.7% / 8.9%
Bullarook — 55-64: 11.7% Pootilla — 55-64: 8.9%
65-74 18.2% / 13.9%
Bullarook — 65-74: 18.2% Pootilla — 65-74: 13.9%
75-84 18.2% / 6.3%
Bullarook — 75-84: 18.2% Pootilla — 75-84: 6.3%
85+ 6.5% / 5.1%
Bullarook — 85+: 6.5% Pootilla — 85+: 5.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bullarook 40.9% couple families
Bullarook — Couple Families: 40.9% Bullarook — Lone Person: 59.1% Bullarook — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Pootilla 60.0% couple families
Pootilla — Couple Families: 60.0% Pootilla — Lone Person: 20.0% Pootilla — One Parent Families: 20.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bullarook 11.5% renting
Bullarook — Owned Outright: 76.9% Bullarook — Mortgage: 11.5% Bullarook — Renting: 11.5%
Pootilla 0.0% renting
Pootilla — Owned Outright: 62.5% Pootilla — Mortgage: 37.5% Pootilla — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bullarook 100.0% houses
Bullarook — Houses: 100.0%
Pootilla 100.0% houses
Pootilla — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Bullarook Pootilla
Certificate III & IV 15.6% / 12.7%
Bullarook — Certificate III & IV: 15.6% Pootilla — Certificate III & IV: 12.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.5% / 12.7%
Bullarook — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.5% Pootilla — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 12.7%
Bachelor Degree 9.1% / 3.8%
Bullarook — Bachelor Degree: 9.1% Pootilla — Bachelor Degree: 3.8%
Postgraduate Degree — / 7.6%
Bullarook — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Pootilla — Postgraduate Degree: 7.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.6%).

Zoning mix

Pootilla has more rural and farming land (78% vs 62%).

Bullarook Pootilla
Rural and farming 62% 78%
Infrastructure and transport 38% 22%
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

Bullarook Pootilla
New dwellings approved 338
across Moorabool
same for both
Approvals change year on year +4%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Bullarook Pootilla
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 28% of VIC Higher than 52% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 59% of VIC Higher than 32% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 39% of VIC Higher than 37% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 70% of VIC Higher than 59% of VIC

Liveability

Bullarook Pootilla
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Pootilla carries more bushfire risk (61 vs 0); Pootilla carries more crime risk (87 vs 20).

Bullarook Pootilla
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
61/100
Crime Low
20/100
 High
87/100
Flood None
0/100
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Bullarook Pootilla
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

Bullarook Pootilla
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Pootilla sits further from the CBD (107.2 km vs 104.6 km).

Bullarook Pootilla
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 104.6 km 107.2 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 75 min 78 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 3352
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 51
postcode 3352
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.

Bullarook Pootilla
Car (driver) 81.0% / 63.2%
Bullarook — Car (driver): 81.0% Pootilla — Car (driver): 63.2%
Worked from Home 19.0% / 23.7%
Bullarook — Worked from Home: 19.0% Pootilla — Worked from Home: 23.7%
Walked Only — / 13.2%
Bullarook — Walked Only: not among its largest Pootilla — Walked Only: 13.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (81.0%).

Setting

Bullarook Pootilla
Elevation 624 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 567 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Bullarook Pootilla
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
42 premises
 0%
31 premises

Climate

Bullarook Pootilla
Annual rainfall 714 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Bullarook Pootilla
Average residential rate $1,979/yr
same for both
Council Moorabool
same for both

Federal electorate

Bullarook Pootilla
Division Ballarat
same for both
Member Catherine King
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bullarook Pootilla
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bullarook

Retirees Rural

Pootilla

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bullarook

Bullarook vs Bungaree Bullarook vs Dean Bullarook vs Mollongghip Bullarook vs Clarkes Hill

Other comparisons with Pootilla

Pootilla vs Bungaree Pootilla vs Glen Park Pootilla vs Wattle Flat Pootilla vs Clarkes Hill Pootilla vs Leigh Creek
Full data on Bullarook Full data on Pootilla
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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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