Casterton vs Strathdownie
Strathdownie is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 58 in Casterton. 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 Strathdownie, most households are couple families. On these figures, Casterton tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Strathdownie 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
Strathdownie
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (71% vs 32%)
- has more parks and reserves (17 vs 12)
- carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 51/100)
- But Casterton has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Strathdownie
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (4% vs 18%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Strathdownie
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (2% vs 18%)
- has cheaper rent ($50/wk vs $160/wk)
- But Casterton has a bigger rental market to choose from (16% vs 5%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Casterton
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (382.2 km vs 407.2 km)
- has a shorter drive in (272 min vs 285 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Casterton
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more GPs (2 vs 0)
- has more residents already 65 and over (38% vs 22%)
- But Strathdownie carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 51/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Casterton and Strathdownie 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 176); Casterton rents higher ($160/wk vs $50/wk).
| Casterton | Strathdownie | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,673 +89% vs other | 176 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.3% | -3.8% |
| Median age | 58 | 43 |
| Median household income | $45,812/yr | $112,632/yr +146% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $160/wk +69% vs other | $50/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).
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 (15.7%).
Property market
| Casterton | Strathdownie | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
Strathdownie has more rural and farming land (92% vs 62%).
| Casterton | Strathdownie | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 62% | 92% |
| Parks and recreation | 34% | 7% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 0% |
| 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 | Strathdownie | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 60 across Glenelg same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -65% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Casterton | Strathdownie | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 2% of VIC | — |
| Income | Higher than 5% of VIC | Higher than 85% of VIC |
| Schools | Higher than 31% of VIC | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 61% of VIC | Higher than 44% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 97% of VIC | — |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 82% of VIC | Higher than 8% of VIC |
Liveability
| Casterton | Strathdownie | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 11/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Casterton carries more crime risk (51 vs 37).
| Casterton | Strathdownie | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 79/100 | High 72/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 51/100 | Low 37/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 53/100 | Moderate 46/100 |
| 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 | Strathdownie | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Strathdownie
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Casterton | Strathdownie | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 12 | 17 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| GPs | 2 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 | 2 |
Mobility
Strathdownie sits further from the CBD (407.2 km vs 382.2 km).
| Casterton | Strathdownie | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 382.2 km | 407.2 km +7% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 272 min | 285 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 (74.6%).
Setting
| Casterton | Strathdownie | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 143 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 70 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Casterton | Strathdownie | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 73/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 52% 1,150 premises | 0% 27 premises |
Council rates
| Casterton | Strathdownie | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,852/yr same for both | |
| Council | Glenelg same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Casterton | Strathdownie | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Casterton | Strathdownie | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Casterton
Strathdownie
More comparisons
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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.