Cashmore vs Portland West
Portland West is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 52 in Cashmore. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families.
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
- Cashmore carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 36/100)
- Portland West has more parks and reserves (6 vs 2)
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
Cashmore
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Cashmore
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a shorter drive in (268 min vs 275 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Cashmore
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 36/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 20%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Portland West
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (8.8% vs -13.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Cashmore and Portland West 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
Portland West has more residents (619 vs 197); Portland West rents higher ($300/wk vs $200/wk).
| Cashmore | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 197 | 619 +214% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -13.6% | +8.8% |
| Median age | 52 | 49 |
| Median household income | $94,224/yr | $100,412/yr +7% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $300/wk +50% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Cashmore has more rural and farming land (93% vs 40%); Portland West has more land zoned for conservation (33% vs 3%).
| Cashmore | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 93% | 40% |
| Environmental | 3% | 33% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 26% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 4% | 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
| Cashmore | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 60 across Glenelg same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -65% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Cashmore | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 64% of VIC | Higher than 73% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 18% of VIC | Higher than 25% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 6% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 34% of VIC | Higher than 41% of VIC |
Liveability
| Cashmore | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 30/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Portland West carries more flood risk (19 vs 0); Portland West carries more crime risk (36 vs 12).
| Cashmore | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 93/100 | High 90/100 |
| Crime | Low 12/100 | Low 36/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 | Low 19/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Moderate 59/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Cashmore | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Cashmore | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 6 |
| Waterways | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
| Cashmore | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 360.6 km same for both | |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 268 min | 275 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 3305 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 33 postcode 3305 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 (80.9%).
Setting
| Cashmore | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 75 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 61 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 6.9 km | 2.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Cashmore | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 98 premises | 0% 263 premises |
Climate
| Cashmore | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 860 mm | 661 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 22.2°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.6°C | — |
Council rates
| Cashmore | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,852/yr same for both | |
| Council | Glenelg same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Cashmore | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cashmore | Portland West | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Cashmore
Other comparisons with Portland West
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.