Dunach vs Red Lion

Red Lion is the younger of the two, with a median age of 52 against 58 in Dunach. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Dunach, most households are people living alone. In Red Lion, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Dunach tends to suit people living alone and older residents.

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

Red Lion

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (52% vs 40%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 85%)
  • But Dunach carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 31/100)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Red Lion

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $200/wk)

Weighs rent.

Commuting to the city

Dunach

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (113 min vs 118 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (157 km vs 163.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Dunach

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 31/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 24%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Dunach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (43.1% vs -7.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Dunach Red Lion
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.

Dunach Red Lion
Walkability 0 / 0
Dunach — Walkability: 0/100 Red Lion — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 81 / 69
Dunach — Safety: 81/100 Red Lion — Safety: 69/100
Low fire risk 13 / 14
Dunach — Low fire risk: 13/100 Red Lion — Low fire risk: 14/100
Low flood risk 50 / 31
Dunach — Low flood risk: 50/100 Red Lion — Low flood risk: 31/100

Demographics

Dunach rents higher ($200/wk vs $0/wk); Red Lion has higher household incomes ($68,224 vs $41,132).

Dunach Red Lion
Population 83 111
+34% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +43.1% -7.5%
Median age 58 52
Median household income $41,132/yr $68,224/yr
+66% vs other
Median weekly rent $200/wk
(not reported on the other side)
 —

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Dunach Red Lion
0-4 — / —
Dunach — 0-4: not among its largest Red Lion — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 10.8% / 5.4%
Dunach — 5-14: 10.8% Red Lion — 5-14: 5.4%
15-19 3.6% / 2.7%
Dunach — 15-19: 3.6% Red Lion — 15-19: 2.7%
20-24 — / 3.6%
Dunach — 20-24: not among its largest Red Lion — 20-24: 3.6%
25-34 12.0% / 6.3%
Dunach — 25-34: 12.0% Red Lion — 25-34: 6.3%
35-44 — / 9.0%
Dunach — 35-44: not among its largest Red Lion — 35-44: 9.0%
45-54 12.0% / 24.3%
Dunach — 45-54: 12.0% Red Lion — 45-54: 24.3%
55-64 27.7% / 18.0%
Dunach — 55-64: 27.7% Red Lion — 55-64: 18.0%
65-74 24.1% / 18.9%
Dunach — 65-74: 24.1% Red Lion — 65-74: 18.9%
75-84 6.0% / 5.4%
Dunach — 75-84: 6.0% Red Lion — 75-84: 5.4%
85+ 4.8% / —
Dunach — 85+: 4.8% Red Lion — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.7%).

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.

Dunach Red Lion
England 7.2% / 6.3%
Dunach — England: 7.2% Red Lion — England: 6.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Dunach 60.0% lone person
Dunach — Lone Person: 60.0% Dunach — Couple Families: 40.0% Dunach — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Red Lion 48.6% lone person
Red Lion — Lone Person: 48.6% Red Lion — Couple Families: 42.9% Red Lion — One Parent Families: 8.6%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Dunach 85.3% houses
Dunach — Houses: 85.3% Dunach — Flats / Apartments: 14.7%
Red Lion 100.0% houses
Red Lion — Houses: 100.0% Red Lion — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Dunach Red Lion
Certificate III & IV 20.5% / 12.6%
Dunach — Certificate III & IV: 20.5% Red Lion — Certificate III & IV: 12.6%
Bachelor Degree 4.8% / 9.0%
Dunach — Bachelor Degree: 4.8% Red Lion — Bachelor Degree: 9.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.0% / 6.3%
Dunach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.0% Red Lion — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.6% / —
Dunach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.6% Red Lion — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Dunach 0.0% renting
Dunach — Owned Outright: 45.2% Dunach — Mortgage: 54.8% Dunach — Renting: 0.0%
Red Lion 0.0% renting
Red Lion — Owned Outright: 38.2% Red Lion — Mortgage: 61.8% Red Lion — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Zoning mix

Dunach has more land zoned for conservation (14% vs 3%).

Dunach Red Lion
Rural and farming 64% 65%
Parks and recreation 20% 31%
Environmental 14% 3%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 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

Dunach Red Lion
New dwellings approved 104
across Hepburn
 40
across Central Goldfields
Approvals change year on year -6% +129%

Ranking within VIC

Dunach Red Lion
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 4% of VIC Higher than 29% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 2% of VIC Higher than 12% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 35% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 1% of VIC Higher than 2% of VIC

Liveability

Dunach Red Lion
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
same for both

Risk profile

Red Lion carries more crime risk (31 vs 19); Red Lion carries more flood risk (69 vs 50).

Dunach Red Lion
Bushfire High
87/100
 High
86/100
Crime Low
19/100
 Low
31/100
Flood Moderate
50/100
 Moderate
69/100
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

Dunach Red Lion
Inside the suburb 0
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Amenities in the suburb

Dunach Red Lion
Parks & reserves 2 0
Waterways 13 0

Mobility

Red Lion sits further from the CBD (163.2 km vs 157 km).

Dunach Red Lion
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 157 km 163.2 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 113 min 118 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 3371
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 56
postcode 3371
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.

Dunach Red Lion
Car (driver) 84.6% / 84.4%
Dunach — Car (driver): 84.6% Red Lion — Car (driver): 84.4%
Worked from Home 15.4% / 15.6%
Dunach — Worked from Home: 15.4% Red Lion — Worked from Home: 15.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (84.6%).

Setting

Dunach Red Lion
Elevation 259 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 251 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Dunach Red Lion
Connectivity score 15/100
same for both
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
24 premises
 0%
28 premises

Climate

Dunach Red Lion
Annual rainfall 537 mm 510 mm
Summer max (Jan) — 29.0°C
Winter min (Jul) — 3.9°C

Council rates

Dunach Red Lion
Average residential rate $1,748/yr $1,555/yr
Council Hepburn Central Goldfields

Federal electorate

Dunach Red Lion
Division Ballarat Mallee
Member Catherine King Anne Webster
Party Australian Labor Party The Nationals

First Home Owner Grant

Dunach Red Lion
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Dunach

Retirees River Rural

Red Lion

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Dunach

Dunach vs Clunes Dunach vs Talbot Dunach vs Mount Glasgow

Other comparisons with Red Lion

Red Lion vs Talbot Red Lion vs Daisy Hill Red Lion vs Majorca Red Lion vs Mount Glasgow
Full data on Dunach Full data on Red Lion
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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