Clarkes Hill vs Pootilla
Clarkes Hill is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 45 in Pootilla. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Clarkes Hill 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
Clarkes Hill
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 87/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Clarkes Hill
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 31%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Clarkes Hill
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($185/wk vs $300/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 18%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Clarkes Hill is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- Pootilla sits closer to the CBD (107.2 km vs 109.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Clarkes Hill
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 87/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Clarkes Hill
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (11.9% vs 5.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Clarkes Hill and Pootilla 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
Pootilla rents higher ($300/wk vs $185/wk); Pootilla has higher household incomes ($84,448 vs $74,724).
| Clarkes Hill | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 75 | 79 +5% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +11.9% | +5.3% |
| Median age | 42 | 45 |
| Median household income | $74,724/yr | $84,448/yr +13% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $185/wk | $300/wk +62% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.3%).
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 (17.3%).
Zoning mix
Clarkes Hill has more rural and farming land (99% vs 78%).
| Clarkes Hill | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 78% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 22% |
| 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
| Clarkes Hill | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 338 across Moorabool same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +4% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Clarkes Hill | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 41% of VIC | Higher than 52% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 75% of VIC | Higher than 32% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 38% of VIC | Higher than 37% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 64% of VIC | Higher than 59% of VIC |
Liveability
Clarkes Hill is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Clarkes Hill | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Pootilla carries more crime risk (87 vs 20); Pootilla carries more bushfire risk (61 vs 39).
| Clarkes Hill | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 39/100 | Moderate 61/100 |
| Crime | Low 20/100 | High 87/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Clarkes Hill | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Clarkes Hill
- St Mary's School Catholic · Primary
Schools in Pootilla
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Mobility
Clarkes Hill sits further from the CBD (109.3 km vs 107.2 km).
| Clarkes Hill | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 13/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 109.3 km +2% vs other | 107.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 79 min | 78 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 3352 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 51 postcode 3352 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 (63.2%).
Setting
| Clarkes Hill | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 657 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 567 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Clarkes Hill | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 29 premises | 0% 31 premises |
Climate
| Clarkes Hill | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 714 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Clarkes Hill | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,979/yr same for both | |
| Council | Moorabool same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Clarkes Hill | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Clarkes Hill | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Clarkes Hill
Other comparisons with Pootilla
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.