Casterton vs Sandford
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Casterton, most households are people living alone. In Sandford, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Casterton tends to suit people living alone, while Sandford suits share households.
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
Casterton
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (12 vs 2)
- has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
- But Sandford carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 51/100)
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
Casterton
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 25%)
- has cheaper rent ($160/wk vs $220/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Sandford
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (267 min vs 272 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (378.1 km vs 382.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Casterton has more GPs (2 vs 0)
- Sandford carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 51/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Casterton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (0.3% vs -9.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Casterton and Sandford 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
Casterton has more residents (1,673 vs 130); Sandford rents higher ($220/wk vs $160/wk).
| Casterton | Sandford | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,673 +92% vs other | 130 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.3% | -9.7% |
| Median age | 58 same for both | |
| Median household income | $45,812/yr | $45,500/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $160/wk | $220/wk +38% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.7%).
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 (5.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Casterton | Sandford | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $313,750 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $350,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 84 days from 29 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Sandford has more rural and farming land (94% vs 62%).
| Casterton | Sandford | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 62% | 94% |
| Parks and recreation | 34% | 5% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 1% |
| Residential | 2% | 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
| Casterton | Sandford | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 60 across Glenelg same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -65% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Casterton | Sandford | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 2% of VIC | — |
| Income | Higher than 5% of VIC same for both | |
| Schools | Higher than 31% of VIC | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 61% of VIC | Higher than 10% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 97% of VIC | — |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 82% of VIC | Higher than 51% of VIC |
Liveability
| Casterton | Sandford | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 11/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Casterton carries more crime risk (51 vs 22); Sandford carries more flood risk (90 vs 53).
| Casterton | Sandford | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 79/100 | High 90/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 51/100 | Low 22/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 53/100 | High 90/100 |
| 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
| Casterton | Sandford | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 3 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 2 | 0 |
Schools in Casterton
- Casterton Secondary College Government · Secondary at peers
- Casterton Primary School Government · Primary below peers
- Sacred Heart School Catholic · Primary below peers
Schools in Sandford
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Casterton | Sandford | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 12 | 2 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| GPs | 2 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 | 4 |
Mobility
Casterton sits further from the CBD (382.2 km vs 378.1 km).
| Casterton | Sandford | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 382.2 km +1% vs other | 378.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 272 min | 267 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3311 | 0.0% postcode 3312 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 33 postcode 3311 | 28 postcode 3312 |
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 (82.1%).
Setting
| Casterton | Sandford | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 143 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 56 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Casterton | Sandford | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 73/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 52% 1,150 premises | 0% 81 premises |
Council rates
| Casterton | Sandford | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,852/yr same for both | |
| Council | Glenelg same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Casterton | Sandford | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Casterton | Sandford | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Casterton
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Casterton
Other comparisons with Sandford
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.