Costerfield vs Puckapunyal

Puckapunyal is the younger of the two, with a median age of 24 against 59 in Costerfield. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Costerfield, the large majority of households own their home and most households are people living alone. In Puckapunyal, the large majority of households rent and the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, Costerfield tends to suit people living alone, while Puckapunyal suits young adults, 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

Puckapunyal

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (91% vs 26%)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 40/100)
  • But Costerfield has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Puckapunyal

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 28%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Costerfield

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($50/wk vs $265/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Costerfield

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a shorter drive in (107 min vs 119 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Puckapunyal

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 40/100)

Weighs GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Puckapunyal

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (2.8% vs -6.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Costerfield Puckapunyal
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.

Costerfield Puckapunyal
Walkability 0 / 0
Costerfield — Walkability: 0/100 Puckapunyal — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 60 / 78
Costerfield — Safety: 60/100 Puckapunyal — Safety: 78/100
Low fire risk 42 / 52
Costerfield — Low fire risk: 42/100 Puckapunyal — Low fire risk: 52/100
Low flood risk 100 / 87
Costerfield — Low flood risk: 100/100 Puckapunyal — Low flood risk: 87/100

Demographics

Puckapunyal has more residents (1,108 vs 70); Puckapunyal rents higher ($265/wk vs $50/wk).

Costerfield Puckapunyal
Population 70 1,108
+1483% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -6.7% +2.8%
Median age 59 24
Median household income $44,148/yr $130,520/yr
+196% vs other
Median weekly rent $50/wk $265/wk
+430% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Costerfield Puckapunyal
0-4 5.7% / 9.9%
Costerfield — 0-4: 5.7% Puckapunyal — 0-4: 9.9%
5-14 8.6% / 14.5%
Costerfield — 5-14: 8.6% Puckapunyal — 5-14: 14.5%
15-19 — / 10.5%
Costerfield — 15-19: not among its largest Puckapunyal — 15-19: 10.5%
20-24 — / 15.3%
Costerfield — 20-24: not among its largest Puckapunyal — 20-24: 15.3%
25-34 5.7% / 24.1%
Costerfield — 25-34: 5.7% Puckapunyal — 25-34: 24.1%
35-44 12.9% / 16.9%
Costerfield — 35-44: 12.9% Puckapunyal — 35-44: 16.9%
45-54 14.3% / 6.8%
Costerfield — 45-54: 14.3% Puckapunyal — 45-54: 6.8%
55-64 25.7% / 1.4%
Costerfield — 55-64: 25.7% Puckapunyal — 55-64: 1.4%
65-74 25.7% / —
Costerfield — 65-74: 25.7% Puckapunyal — 65-74: not among its largest
75-84 7.1% / —
Costerfield — 75-84: 7.1% Puckapunyal — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ — / —
Costerfield — 85+: not among its largest Puckapunyal — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Costerfield 25.9% couple families
Costerfield — Couple Families: 25.9% Costerfield — Lone Person: 63.0% Costerfield — Group Household: 11.1% Costerfield — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Puckapunyal 87.5% couple families
Puckapunyal — Couple Families: 87.5% Puckapunyal — Lone Person: 9.4% Puckapunyal — Group Household: 0.0% Puckapunyal — One Parent Families: 3.1%
Couple Families Lone Person Group Household One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Costerfield 0.0% renting
Costerfield — Owned Outright: 75.8% Costerfield — Mortgage: 24.2% Costerfield — Renting: 0.0%
Puckapunyal 97.9% renting
Puckapunyal — Owned Outright: 0.0% Puckapunyal — Mortgage: 2.1% Puckapunyal — Renting: 97.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Costerfield Puckapunyal
Certificate III & IV 10.0% / 15.3%
Costerfield — Certificate III & IV: 10.0% Puckapunyal — Certificate III & IV: 15.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 14.3% / 6.9%
Costerfield — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 14.3% Puckapunyal — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9%
Postgraduate Degree 5.7% / 1.9%
Costerfield — Postgraduate Degree: 5.7% Puckapunyal — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9%
Bachelor Degree — / 7.6%
Costerfield — Bachelor Degree: not among its largest Puckapunyal — Bachelor Degree: 7.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 5.7% / 1.0%
Costerfield — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.7% Puckapunyal — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.3%).

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.

Costerfield Puckapunyal
England 4.3% / 2.5%
Costerfield — England: 4.3% Puckapunyal — England: 2.5%
Italy 4.3% / —
Costerfield — Italy: 4.3% Puckapunyal — Italy: not among its largest
Malaysia — / 1.6%
Costerfield — Malaysia: not among its largest Puckapunyal — Malaysia: 1.6%
Germany — / 1.0%
Costerfield — Germany: not among its largest Puckapunyal — Germany: 1.0%
New Zealand — / 0.8%
Costerfield — New Zealand: not among its largest Puckapunyal — New Zealand: 0.8%
South Africa — / 0.8%
Costerfield — South Africa: not among its largest Puckapunyal — South Africa: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Costerfield 100.0% houses
Costerfield — Houses: 100.0% Costerfield — Townhouses: 0.0%
Puckapunyal 98.7% houses
Puckapunyal — Houses: 98.7% Puckapunyal — Townhouses: 2.6%
Houses Townhouses

Zoning mix

Costerfield has more rural and farming land (62% vs 0%).

Costerfield Puckapunyal
Other and special use 0% 100%
Rural and farming 62% 0%
Parks and recreation 37% 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

Costerfield Puckapunyal
New dwellings approved 885
across Greater Bendigo
 1,074
across Mitchell
Approvals change year on year +28% +70%

Ranking within VIC

Costerfield Puckapunyal
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 5% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 50% of VIC Higher than 51% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 64% of VIC Higher than 68% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 66% of VIC Higher than 95% of VIC

Liveability

Costerfield Puckapunyal
Grade — B
Score — 61/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Puckapunyal carries more flood risk (13 vs 0); Costerfield carries more crime risk (40 vs 22).

Costerfield Puckapunyal
Bushfire Moderate
58/100
 Moderate
48/100
Crime Moderate
40/100
 Low
22/100
Flood None
0/100
 Low
13/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Costerfield Puckapunyal
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 Costerfield

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Puckapunyal

  • Puckapunyal Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Costerfield Puckapunyal
Parks & reserves 4 0
Childcare 0 2
GPs 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 3
Waterways 5 7

Mobility

Costerfield Puckapunyal
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 131.3 km
+1% vs other
 129.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 107 min 119 min
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 3523
 0.8%
postcode 3662
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 3523
 3
postcode 3662

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.

Costerfield Puckapunyal
Car (driver) 69.6% / 57.1%
Costerfield — Car (driver): 69.6% Puckapunyal — Car (driver): 57.1%
Worked from Home 30.4% / 10.4%
Costerfield — Worked from Home: 30.4% Puckapunyal — Worked from Home: 10.4%
Walked Only — / 26.5%
Costerfield — Walked Only: not among its largest Puckapunyal — Walked Only: 26.5%
Bicycle — / 3.4%
Costerfield — Bicycle: not among its largest Puckapunyal — Bicycle: 3.4%
Car (passenger) — / 2.6%
Costerfield — Car (passenger): not among its largest Puckapunyal — Car (passenger): 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (69.6%).

Setting

Costerfield Puckapunyal
Elevation 204 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 199 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Costerfield Puckapunyal
Connectivity score 30/100 88/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
66 premises
 69%
393 premises

Climate

Costerfield Puckapunyal
Annual rainfall 553 mm 540 mm
Summer max (Jan) 29.6°C —
Winter min (Jul) 3.1°C —

Council rates

Costerfield Puckapunyal
Average residential rate $1,949/yr $1,947/yr
Council Greater Bendigo Mitchell

Federal electorate

Costerfield Puckapunyal
Division Bendigo Nicholls
Member Lisa Chesters Sam Birrell
Party Australian Labor Party The Nationals

First Home Owner Grant

Costerfield Puckapunyal
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Costerfield

Retirees Rural

Puckapunyal

Family Rural Students Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Costerfield

Costerfield vs Heathcote Costerfield vs Mount Camel

Other comparisons with Puckapunyal

Puckapunyal vs Heathcote Puckapunyal vs Hilldene Puckapunyal vs Tooborac Puckapunyal vs Glenaroua Puckapunyal vs Northwood Puckapunyal vs Tabilk
Full data on Costerfield Full data on Puckapunyal
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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