Castle Donnington vs Pental Island

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Castle Donnington, about half of households are couple families. In Pental Island, most households are couple families. On these figures, Castle Donnington tends to suit families with children, while Pental Island suits 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

Too close to call

Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Pental Island

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (14% vs 23%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Castle Donnington

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $340/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Castle Donnington

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (231 min vs 237 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (331.8 km vs 334.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Pental Island

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (17.8% vs 6.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Castle Donnington and Pental Island drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Castle Donnington Pental Island
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.

Castle Donnington Pental Island
Walkability 0 / 0
Castle Donnington — Walkability: 0/100 Pental Island — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 87 / 86
Castle Donnington — Safety: 87/100 Pental Island — Safety: 86/100
Low fire risk 63 / 76
Castle Donnington — Low fire risk: 63/100 Pental Island — Low fire risk: 76/100
Low flood risk 30 / 3
Castle Donnington — Low flood risk: 30/100 Pental Island — Low flood risk: 3/100

Demographics

Pental Island rents higher ($340/wk vs $250/wk); Pental Island has higher household incomes ($106,860 vs $80,132).

Castle Donnington Pental Island
Population 139 159
+14% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.1% +17.8%
Median age 43 42
Median household income $80,132/yr $106,860/yr
+33% vs other
Median weekly rent $250/wk $340/wk
+36% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Castle Donnington Pental Island
0-4 6.5% / 4.4%
Castle Donnington — 0-4: 6.5% Pental Island — 0-4: 4.4%
5-14 18.0% / 13.2%
Castle Donnington — 5-14: 18.0% Pental Island — 5-14: 13.2%
15-19 — / 6.3%
Castle Donnington — 15-19: not among its largest Pental Island — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 5.0% / 3.8%
Castle Donnington — 20-24: 5.0% Pental Island — 20-24: 3.8%
25-34 13.7% / 3.8%
Castle Donnington — 25-34: 13.7% Pental Island — 25-34: 3.8%
35-44 8.6% / 15.1%
Castle Donnington — 35-44: 8.6% Pental Island — 35-44: 15.1%
45-54 11.5% / 11.9%
Castle Donnington — 45-54: 11.5% Pental Island — 45-54: 11.9%
55-64 17.3% / 14.5%
Castle Donnington — 55-64: 17.3% Pental Island — 55-64: 14.5%
65-74 13.7% / 13.8%
Castle Donnington — 65-74: 13.7% Pental Island — 65-74: 13.8%
75-84 10.1% / 6.9%
Castle Donnington — 75-84: 10.1% Pental Island — 75-84: 6.9%
85+ — / 1.9%
Castle Donnington — 85+: not among its largest Pental Island — 85+: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Castle Donnington 51.7% couple families
Castle Donnington — Couple Families: 51.7% Castle Donnington — Lone Person: 24.1% Castle Donnington — One Parent Families: 24.1%
Pental Island 64.7% couple families
Pental Island — Couple Families: 64.7% Pental Island — Lone Person: 26.5% Pental Island — One Parent Families: 8.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Castle Donnington 0.0% renting
Castle Donnington — Owned Outright: 63.4% Castle Donnington — Mortgage: 36.6% Castle Donnington — Renting: 0.0%
Pental Island 20.4% renting
Pental Island — Owned Outright: 46.9% Pental Island — Mortgage: 32.7% Pental Island — Renting: 20.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Castle Donnington 88.5% houses
Castle Donnington — Houses: 88.5% Castle Donnington — Flats / Apartments: 11.5%
Pental Island 94.6% houses
Pental Island — Houses: 94.6% Pental Island — Flats / Apartments: 5.4%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Castle Donnington Pental Island
Certificate III & IV 13.7% / 22.6%
Castle Donnington — Certificate III & IV: 13.7% Pental Island — Certificate III & IV: 22.6%
Bachelor Degree 9.4% / 6.9%
Castle Donnington — Bachelor Degree: 9.4% Pental Island — Bachelor Degree: 6.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 3.8%
Castle Donnington — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Pental Island — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.6% / 1.9%
Castle Donnington — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.6% Pental Island — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.6%).

Zoning mix

Castle Donnington has more rural and farming land (97% vs 77%).

Castle Donnington Pental Island
Rural and farming 97% 77%
Parks and recreation 2% 23%
Infrastructure and transport 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

Castle Donnington Pental Island
New dwellings approved 91
across Swan Hill
same for both
Approvals change year on year -86%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Castle Donnington Pental Island
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 47% of VIC Higher than 79% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 42% of VIC Higher than 6% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 2% of VIC —
NBN connectivity Higher than 44% of VIC Higher than 33% of VIC

Liveability

Castle Donnington Pental Island
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Castle Donnington carries more bushfire risk (37 vs 24); Pental Island carries more flood risk (97 vs 70).

Castle Donnington Pental Island
Bushfire Low
37/100
 Low
24/100
Crime Low
13/100
 Low
14/100
Flood High
70/100
 High
97/100
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

Castle Donnington Pental Island
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

Castle Donnington Pental Island
Waterways 1 3

Mobility

Pental Island sits further from the CBD (334.2 km vs 331.8 km).

Castle Donnington Pental Island
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 331.8 km 334.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 231 min 237 min
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 3585
 0.0%
postcode 3586
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 42
postcode 3585
 50
postcode 3586

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.

Castle Donnington Pental Island
Car (driver) 78.7% / 83.1%
Castle Donnington — Car (driver): 78.7% Pental Island — Car (driver): 83.1%
Worked from Home 11.5% / 16.9%
Castle Donnington — Worked from Home: 11.5% Pental Island — Worked from Home: 16.9%
Walked Only 9.8% / —
Castle Donnington — Walked Only: 9.8% Pental Island — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (83.1%).

Setting

Castle Donnington Pental Island
Elevation 76 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 71 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Castle Donnington Pental Island
Connectivity score 29/100 28/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
64 premises
 0%
60 premises

Climate

Castle Donnington Pental Island
Annual rainfall 364 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 32.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 4.5°C
same for both

Council rates

Castle Donnington Pental Island
Average residential rate $2,333/yr
same for both
Council Swan Hill
same for both

Federal electorate

Castle Donnington Pental Island
Division Mallee
same for both
Member Anne Webster
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Castle Donnington Pental Island
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Castle Donnington

Family Rural

Pental Island

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Castle Donnington

Castle Donnington vs Swan Hill Castle Donnington vs Lake Boga

Other comparisons with Pental Island

Pental Island vs Swan Hill Pental Island vs Lake Boga Pental Island vs Benjeroop
Full data on Castle Donnington Full data on Pental Island
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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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