Bunkers Hill vs Cardigan

Cardigan is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 46 in Bunkers Hill. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bunkers Hill, about half of households are couple families. In Cardigan, the large majority of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Cardigan: a median of $1.14 million, against $810,000 in Bunkers Hill. On these figures, Bunkers Hill tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Cardigan suits families with children and 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

Cardigan

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (87% vs 71%)

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

First-home buyers

Bunkers Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($810,000 vs $1,142,500)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Bunkers Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more residents already 65 and over (18% vs 8%)

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

Investors

Cardigan

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (41.1% vs 3.4%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
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.

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Walkability 0 / 0
Bunkers Hill — Walkability: 0/100 Cardigan — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 15 / 18
Bunkers Hill — Safety: 15/100 Cardigan — Safety: 18/100
Low fire risk 38 / 77
Bunkers Hill — Low fire risk: 38/100 Cardigan — Low fire risk: 77/100
Low flood risk 100 / 64
Bunkers Hill — Low flood risk: 100/100 Cardigan — Low flood risk: 64/100

Demographics

Cardigan has more residents (1,064 vs 270); Cardigan has higher household incomes ($141,076 vs $107,016).

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Population 270 1,064
+294% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.4% +41.1%
Median age 46 36
Median household income $107,016/yr $141,076/yr
+32% vs other
Median weekly rent $335/wk $350/wk
+4% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
0-4 4.8% / 5.5%
Bunkers Hill — 0-4: 4.8% Cardigan — 0-4: 5.5%
5-14 14.1% / 18.3%
Bunkers Hill — 5-14: 14.1% Cardigan — 5-14: 18.3%
15-19 6.3% / 11.7%
Bunkers Hill — 15-19: 6.3% Cardigan — 15-19: 11.7%
20-24 6.3% / 5.1%
Bunkers Hill — 20-24: 6.3% Cardigan — 20-24: 5.1%
25-34 10.0% / 8.2%
Bunkers Hill — 25-34: 10.0% Cardigan — 25-34: 8.2%
35-44 10.4% / 14.3%
Bunkers Hill — 35-44: 10.4% Cardigan — 35-44: 14.3%
45-54 12.2% / 17.9%
Bunkers Hill — 45-54: 12.2% Cardigan — 45-54: 17.9%
55-64 20.4% / 12.1%
Bunkers Hill — 55-64: 20.4% Cardigan — 55-64: 12.1%
65-74 14.8% / 6.0%
Bunkers Hill — 65-74: 14.8% Cardigan — 65-74: 6.0%
75-84 3.7% / 2.1%
Bunkers Hill — 75-84: 3.7% Cardigan — 75-84: 2.1%
85+ — / 0.3%
Bunkers Hill — 85+: not among its largest Cardigan — 85+: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bunkers Hill 51.6% couple families
Bunkers Hill — Couple Families: 51.6% Bunkers Hill — Lone Person: 24.2% Bunkers Hill — One Parent Families: 19.4% Bunkers Hill — Group Household: 4.8%
Cardigan 81.2% couple families
Cardigan — Couple Families: 81.2% Cardigan — Lone Person: 10.5% Cardigan — One Parent Families: 6.1% Cardigan — Group Household: 2.2%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bunkers Hill 11.4% renting
Bunkers Hill — Owned Outright: 44.3% Bunkers Hill — Mortgage: 44.3% Bunkers Hill — Renting: 11.4%
Cardigan 7.4% renting
Cardigan — Owned Outright: 37.5% Cardigan — Mortgage: 55.2% Cardigan — Renting: 7.4%
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.

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
England — / 2.6%
Bunkers Hill — England: not among its largest Cardigan — England: 2.6%
New Zealand 1.5% / 0.7%
Bunkers Hill — New Zealand: 1.5% Cardigan — New Zealand: 0.7%
India — / 1.1%
Bunkers Hill — India: not among its largest Cardigan — India: 1.1%
Germany — / 0.8%
Bunkers Hill — Germany: not among its largest Cardigan — Germany: 0.8%
Netherlands — / 0.6%
Bunkers Hill — Netherlands: not among its largest Cardigan — Netherlands: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.6%).

Qualifications

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

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Certificate III & IV 24.1% / 17.1%
Bunkers Hill — Certificate III & IV: 24.1% Cardigan — Certificate III & IV: 17.1%
Bachelor Degree 8.9% / 9.7%
Bunkers Hill — Bachelor Degree: 8.9% Cardigan — Bachelor Degree: 9.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.1% / 6.9%
Bunkers Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1% Cardigan — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9%
Postgraduate Degree 1.9% / 3.2%
Bunkers Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9% Cardigan — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.5% / 2.3%
Bunkers Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5% Cardigan — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bunkers Hill 100.0% houses
Bunkers Hill — Houses: 100.0% Bunkers Hill — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Cardigan 98.7% houses
Cardigan — Houses: 98.7% Cardigan — Flats / Apartments: 1.3%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Median house price $810,000 $1,142,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $547,500
Typical days to sell (houses) — 30 days
from 19 sales

Zoning mix

Bunkers Hill has more rural and farming land (98% vs 67%).

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Rural and farming 98% 67%
Other and special use 0% 20%
Residential 0% 9%
Parks and recreation 1% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 2%
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

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
New dwellings approved 1,451
across Ballarat
same for both
Approvals change year on year +42%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Houses — 2.8%
$700/wk on $1.3M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 79% of VIC Higher than 96% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 29% of VIC Higher than 60% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 37% of VIC Higher than 39% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 58% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 8% of VIC

Liveability

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Grade — C
Score — 44/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Cardigan carries more flood risk (36 vs 0); Bunkers Hill carries more bushfire risk (62 vs 23).

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Bushfire Moderate
62/100
 Low
23/100
Crime High
85/100
 High
82/100
Flood None
0/100
 Low
36/100
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

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
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
Universities within 10 km 1
Federation University Ballarat, 9.3 km
 None

Amenities in the suburb

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Parks & reserves 0 2
Childcare 0 1
Waterways 0 3

Mobility

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 132.7 km 132.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 97 min 98 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.

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Car (driver) 81.0% / 77.5%
Bunkers Hill — Car (driver): 81.0% Cardigan — Car (driver): 77.5%
Worked from Home 13.2% / 15.5%
Bunkers Hill — Worked from Home: 13.2% Cardigan — Worked from Home: 15.5%
Walked Only 5.8% / 1.0%
Bunkers Hill — Walked Only: 5.8% Cardigan — Walked Only: 1.0%
Car (passenger) — / 6.0%
Bunkers Hill — Car (passenger): not among its largest Cardigan — Car (passenger): 6.0%

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

Setting

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Elevation 440 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 418 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Connectivity score 30/100 78/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
97 premises
 68%
973 premises

Climate

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Annual rainfall 605 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 3.5°C
same for both

Council rates

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Average residential rate $2,086/yr
same for both
Council Ballarat
same for both

Federal electorate

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Division Ballarat
same for both
Member Catherine King
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bunkers Hill Cardigan
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bunkers Hill

Rural

Cardigan

Acreage Family Luxury

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bunkers Hill

Bunkers Hill vs Alfredton Bunkers Hill vs Winter Valley Bunkers Hill vs Lucas Bunkers Hill vs Smythes Creek Bunkers Hill vs Haddon

Other comparisons with Cardigan

Cardigan vs Alfredton Cardigan vs Wendouree Cardigan vs Lucas Cardigan vs Haddon Cardigan vs Cardigan Village Cardigan vs Mitchell Park
Full data on Bunkers Hill Full data on Cardigan
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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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