Charleroi vs Sandy Creek
Charleroi is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 49 in Sandy Creek. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Charleroi, the large majority of households are couple families. In Sandy Creek, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Charleroi tends to suit 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
Charleroi
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 67%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Charleroi
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (13% vs 24%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Sandy Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($220/wk vs $245/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Sandy Creek
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (346.1 km vs 359.2 km)
- But Charleroi has a shorter drive in (234 min vs 239 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Sandy Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
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
Charleroi and Sandy Creek 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
Sandy Creek has more residents (200 vs 82); Charleroi has higher household incomes ($117,000 vs $77,428).
| Charleroi | Sandy Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 82 | 200 +144% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +12.3% | +11.7% |
| Median age | 45 | 49 |
| Median household income | $117,000/yr +34% vs other | $77,428/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $245/wk +10% vs other | $220/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).
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 (25.6%).
Zoning mix
| Charleroi | Sandy Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 66% | 71% |
| Parks and recreation | 33% | 29% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 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
| Charleroi | Sandy Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 120 across Indigo same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +15% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Charleroi | Sandy Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 89% of VIC | Higher than 45% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 26% of VIC | Higher than 75% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 50% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 13% of VIC | Higher than 16% of VIC |
Liveability
Sandy Creek is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Charleroi | Sandy Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Sandy Creek carries more bushfire risk (40 vs 0).
| Charleroi | Sandy Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 40/100 |
| Crime | Low 19/100 | Low 11/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 same for both | |
| 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
| Charleroi | Sandy Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Charleroi
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Sandy Creek
- Upper Sandy Creek Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Charleroi | Sandy Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 2 | 6 |
Mobility
Charleroi sits further from the CBD (359.2 km vs 346.1 km).
| Charleroi | Sandy Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 13/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 359.2 km +4% vs other | 346.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 234 min | 239 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 3695 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 76 postcode 3695 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 (72.9%).
Setting
| Charleroi | Sandy Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 334 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 357 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Charleroi | Sandy Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 16/100 | 19/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 18 premises | 0% 53 premises |
Climate
| Charleroi | Sandy Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 692 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.0°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Charleroi | Sandy Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,828/yr same for both | |
| Council | Indigo same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Charleroi | Sandy Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Charleroi | Sandy Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Charleroi
Other comparisons with Sandy Creek
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.