Castlemaine vs Moonlight Flat
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Castlemaine, about half of households are people living alone. In Moonlight Flat, most households are couple families. On these figures, Castlemaine tends to suit people living alone, while Moonlight Flat 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
Castlemaine
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (19 vs 0)
- has more childcare (8 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 0)
- But Moonlight Flat carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 76/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Moonlight Flat
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 28%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Castlemaine
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $650/wk)
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (24% vs 11%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (27% vs 40%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Castlemaine is more walkable (90/100 vs 4/100)
- Moonlight Flat sits closer to the CBD (120.8 km vs 127.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Castlemaine
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (90/100 vs 4/100)
- has more GPs (6 vs 0)
- has more residents already 65 and over (32% vs 26%)
- But Moonlight Flat carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 76/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Castlemaine
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (11.1% vs -1.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Castlemaine and Moonlight Flat 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
Castlemaine has more residents (7,506 vs 81); Moonlight Flat rents higher ($650/wk vs $300/wk).
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 7,506 +99% vs other | 81 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +11.1% | -1.2% |
| Median age | 52 | 51 |
| Median household income | $57,512/yr | $84,500/yr +47% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk | $650/wk +117% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.5%).
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 (6.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $735,000 | — |
| Median unit price | $540,000 | — |
| Median land price | $347,500 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 52 days from 126 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Castlemaine has more rural and farming land (31% vs 1%); Moonlight Flat has more land zoned for conservation (30% vs 4%).
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks and recreation | 22% | 67% |
| Rural and farming | 31% | 1% |
| Environmental | 4% | 30% |
| Residential | 27% | 2% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 10% | 0% |
| Industrial | 4% | 0% |
| Commercial | 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
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 102 across Mount Alexander same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -7% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.5% $548/wk on $806K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 47% of VIC | — |
| Income | Higher than 16% of VIC | Higher than 54% of VIC |
| Schools | Higher than 5% of VIC | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 96% of VIC | Higher than 66% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 19% of VIC | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 87% of VIC | Higher than 88% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 79% of VIC | Higher than 75% of VIC |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 38% of VIC | — |
Liveability
Castlemaine is more walkable (90 vs 4).
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 33/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Castlemaine carries more crime risk (76 vs 19); Moonlight Flat carries more bushfire risk (90 vs 48).
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 48/100 | High 90/100 |
| Crime | High 76/100 | Low 19/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 58/100 same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 5 within 5 km | 4 within 5 km |
Schools
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 6 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 3 | 0 |
Schools in Castlemaine
- Castlemaine Secondary College Government · Secondary at peers
- Winters Flat Primary School Government · Primary at peers
- Castlemaine North Primary School Government · Primary below peers
- Castlemaine Primary School Government · Primary below peers
- St Mary's School Catholic · Primary below peers
- Castlemaine Secondary College-Junior Campus Government · Secondary
Schools in Moonlight Flat
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 3 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 34 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 19 | 0 |
| Childcare | 8 | 0 |
| GPs | 6 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 3 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 4 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 3 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 16 | 3 |
Mobility
Castlemaine sits further from the CBD (127.9 km vs 120.8 km).
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 90/100 | 4/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 127.9 km +6% vs other | 120.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 90 min | 93 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.4% postcode 3450 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 53 postcode 3450 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 (51.4%).
Setting
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 300 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 332 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 69/100 | 62/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 43% 4,557 premises | 54% 24 premises |
Climate
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 598 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,885/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mount Alexander same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bendigo same for both | |
| Member | Lisa Chesters same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Castlemaine | Moonlight Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Castlemaine
Moonlight Flat
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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.