Cherokee vs Hesket
Cherokee is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 53 in Hesket. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Cherokee, the large majority of households are couple families. In Hesket, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Cherokee tends to suit 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
Hesket
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 77/100)
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- But Cherokee is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 76%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Cherokee
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 22%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Hesket
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Cherokee sits closer to the CBD (65.9 km vs 77.7 km)
- Hesket is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Hesket
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 77/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Cherokee
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (21.4% vs 6.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Cherokee and Hesket 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
Hesket has more residents (178 vs 68); Cherokee rents higher ($300/wk vs $200/wk).
| Cherokee | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 68 | 178 +162% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +21.4% | +6.0% |
| Median age | 49 | 53 |
| Median household income | $188,448/yr +15% vs other | $160,316/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk +33% vs other | $200/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.8%).
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 (4.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Hesket has more land zoned for conservation (93% vs 77%).
| Cherokee | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 77% | 93% |
| Parks and recreation | 23% | 6% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 1% |
| 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
| Cherokee | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 331 across Macedon Ranges same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +80% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Cherokee | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 99% of VIC same for both | |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 5% of VIC | Higher than 75% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 65% of VIC | Higher than 90% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 16% of VIC | Higher than 56% of VIC |
Liveability
Hesket is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Cherokee | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
Cherokee carries more crime risk (77 vs 18).
| Cherokee | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 83/100 | High 77/100 |
| Crime | High 77/100 | Low 18/100 |
| 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
| Cherokee | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Cherokee
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Hesket
- Hesket Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Cherokee | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 4 | 0 |
Mobility
Hesket sits further from the CBD (77.7 km vs 65.9 km).
| Cherokee | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 13/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 65.9 km | 77.7 km +18% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 63 min | 60 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 3434 | 1.6% postcode 3442 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 3434 | 58 postcode 3442 |
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 (62.5%).
Setting
| Cherokee | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 682 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 675 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Cherokee | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 19/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 32 premises | 0% 85 premises |
Climate
| Cherokee | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 778 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Cherokee | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,065/yr same for both | |
| Council | Macedon Ranges same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Cherokee | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mcewen same for both | |
| Member | Rob Mitchell same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cherokee | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Hesket
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Cherokee
Other comparisons with Hesket
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.