Cambrian Hill vs Napoleons

Cambrian Hill is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 47 in Napoleons. 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 Napoleons 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

Napoleons

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 52/100)
  • But Cambrian Hill is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 70%)

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

Napoleons

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $260/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Cambrian Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (124.5 km vs 128.8 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Napoleons

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 13%)
  • carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 52/100)

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 0.4%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
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.

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
Walkability 0 / 0
Cambrian Hill — Walkability: 0/100 Napoleons — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 48 / 62
Cambrian Hill — Safety: 48/100 Napoleons — Safety: 62/100
Low fire risk 37 / 20
Cambrian Hill — Low fire risk: 37/100 Napoleons — Low fire risk: 20/100
Low flood risk 57 / 39
Cambrian Hill — Low flood risk: 57/100 Napoleons — Low flood risk: 39/100

Demographics

Napoleons has more residents (555 vs 292); Cambrian Hill rents higher ($260/wk vs $200/wk).

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
Population 292 555
+90% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +16.3% +0.4%
Median age 39 47
Median household income $106,184/yr
+16% vs other
 $89,336/yr
Median weekly rent $260/wk
+23% vs other
 $200/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
0-4 3.8% / 2.0%
Cambrian Hill — 0-4: 3.8% Napoleons — 0-4: 2.0%
5-14 19.2% / 13.7%
Cambrian Hill — 5-14: 19.2% Napoleons — 5-14: 13.7%
15-19 5.8% / 6.8%
Cambrian Hill — 15-19: 5.8% Napoleons — 15-19: 6.8%
20-24 4.5% / 6.3%
Cambrian Hill — 20-24: 4.5% Napoleons — 20-24: 6.3%
25-34 9.6% / 6.5%
Cambrian Hill — 25-34: 9.6% Napoleons — 25-34: 6.5%
35-44 11.3% / 9.9%
Cambrian Hill — 35-44: 11.3% Napoleons — 35-44: 9.9%
45-54 19.9% / 15.7%
Cambrian Hill — 45-54: 19.9% Napoleons — 45-54: 15.7%
55-64 8.9% / 15.5%
Cambrian Hill — 55-64: 8.9% Napoleons — 55-64: 15.5%
65-74 8.2% / 15.1%
Cambrian Hill — 65-74: 8.2% Napoleons — 65-74: 15.1%
75-84 5.1% / 5.4%
Cambrian Hill — 75-84: 5.1% Napoleons — 75-84: 5.4%
85+ — / 1.4%
Cambrian Hill — 85+: not among its largest Napoleons — 85+: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Cambrian Hill 69.6% couple families
Cambrian Hill — Couple Families: 69.6% Cambrian Hill — Lone Person: 20.3% Cambrian Hill — One Parent Families: 10.1% Cambrian Hill — Group Household: 0.0%
Napoleons 61.5% couple families
Napoleons — Couple Families: 61.5% Napoleons — Lone Person: 23.8% Napoleons — One Parent Families: 8.5% Napoleons — Group Household: 6.2%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Cambrian Hill 3.5% renting
Cambrian Hill — Owned Outright: 34.1% Cambrian Hill — Mortgage: 62.4% Cambrian Hill — Renting: 3.5%
Napoleons 1.6% renting
Napoleons — Owned Outright: 54.6% Napoleons — Mortgage: 43.8% Napoleons — Renting: 1.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Cambrian Hill 100.0% houses
Cambrian Hill — Houses: 100.0% Cambrian Hill — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Napoleons 98.4% houses
Napoleons — Houses: 98.4% Napoleons — Flats / Apartments: 1.6%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
Certificate III & IV 16.8% / 17.5%
Cambrian Hill — Certificate III & IV: 16.8% Napoleons — Certificate III & IV: 17.5%
Bachelor Degree 8.6% / 8.5%
Cambrian Hill — Bachelor Degree: 8.6% Napoleons — Bachelor Degree: 8.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.2% / 8.5%
Cambrian Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2% Napoleons — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5%
Postgraduate Degree 2.4% / 3.4%
Cambrian Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 2.4% Napoleons — Postgraduate Degree: 3.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.7% / 3.8%
Cambrian Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7% Napoleons — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).

Property market

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
Median house price — $690,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) — 44 days
from 4 sales

Zoning mix

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
Rural and farming 88% 96%
Residential 9% 2%
Parks and recreation 2% 1%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 0%
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 Napoleons
New dwellings approved 186
across Golden Plains
same for both
Approvals change year on year +10%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 78% of VIC Higher than 59% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 62% of VIC Higher than 33% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 39% of VIC Higher than 37% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 71% of VIC Higher than 59% of VIC

Liveability

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
Grade — D
Score — 28/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Napoleons carries more flood risk (61 vs 43); Cambrian Hill carries more crime risk (52 vs 38).

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
Bushfire Moderate
63/100
 High
80/100
Crime Moderate
52/100
 Low
38/100
Flood Moderate
43/100
 Moderate
61/100
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

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
Federation University Ballarat, 9.1 km
 None

Schools in Cambrian Hill

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Napoleons

  • Napoleons Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
Parks & reserves 0 2
Childcare 0 2
Waterways 2 9

Mobility

Napoleons sits further from the CBD (128.8 km vs 124.5 km).

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 124.5 km 128.8 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 97 min 100 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.

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
Car (driver) 71.5% / 73.8%
Cambrian Hill — Car (driver): 71.5% Napoleons — Car (driver): 73.8%
Worked from Home 23.1% / 17.8%
Cambrian Hill — Worked from Home: 23.1% Napoleons — Worked from Home: 17.8%
Car (passenger) 5.4% / 5.3%
Cambrian Hill — Car (passenger): 5.4% Napoleons — Car (passenger): 5.3%
Walked Only — / 3.1%
Cambrian Hill — Walked Only: not among its largest Napoleons — Walked Only: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (73.8%).

Setting

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
Elevation 396 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 384 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
99 premises
 0%
210 premises

Climate

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
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 Napoleons
Average residential rate $2,052/yr
same for both
Council Golden Plains
same for both

Federal electorate

Cambrian Hill Napoleons
Division Ballarat
same for both
Member Catherine King
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Cambrian Hill

Family Rural

Napoleons

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Cambrian Hill

Cambrian Hill vs Sebastopol Cambrian Hill vs Ross Creek Cambrian Hill vs Bonshaw Cambrian Hill vs Magpie Cambrian Hill vs Scotchmans Lead

Other comparisons with Napoleons

Napoleons vs Ross Creek Napoleons vs Scarsdale Napoleons vs Enfield Napoleons vs Durham Lead Napoleons vs Garibaldi Napoleons vs Scotchmans Lead
Full data on Cambrian Hill Full data on Napoleons
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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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