Cambrian Hill vs Magpie
Cambrian Hill is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 48 in Magpie. 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, Cambrian Hill tends to suit families with children, while Magpie suits 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
Cambrian Hill
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (52/100 vs 71/100)
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
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
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Cambrian Hill carries lower crime risk (52/100 vs 71/100)
- Magpie has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 13%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Cambrian Hill
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (16.3% vs -0.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Cambrian Hill and Magpie 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
Magpie has more residents (368 vs 292); Magpie skews older (48 vs 39).
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 292 | 368 +26% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +16.3% | -0.8% |
| Median age | 39 | 48 |
| Median household income | $106,184/yr | $109,044/yr +3% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $260/wk | $270/wk +4% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).
Property market
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $800,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 88% same for both | |
| Residential | 9% | 0% |
| Parks and recreation | 2% | 4% |
| Industrial | 0% | 4% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 4% |
| 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
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 186 across Golden Plains | 1,451 across Ballarat |
| Approvals change year on year | +10% | +42% |
Ranking within VIC
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 78% of VIC | Higher than 81% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 62% of VIC | Higher than 59% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 39% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 71% of VIC | Higher than 70% of VIC |
Liveability
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Cambrian Hill carries more flood risk (43 vs 10); Cambrian Hill carries more bushfire risk (63 vs 16).
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 63/100 | Low 16/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 52/100 | High 71/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 43/100 | Low 10/100 |
| 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
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 Federation University Ballarat, 9.1 km | 1 Federation University Ballarat, 7.7 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 1.0% | 1.1% |
Schools in Cambrian Hill
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Magpie
- Magpie Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 1 |
Mobility
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 124.5 km +1% vs other | 123.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 97 min same for both | |
| 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.2%).
Setting
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 396 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 410 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 99 premises | 0% 123 premises |
Climate
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,052/yr | $2,086/yr |
| Council | Golden Plains | Ballarat |
Federal electorate
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cambrian Hill | Magpie | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Cambrian Hill
Other comparisons with Magpie
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.