Dunnstown vs Lal Lal
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Dunnstown, about half of households are couple families. In Lal Lal, most households are couple families.
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
Dunnstown
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 69/100)
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
Dunnstown
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (14% vs 2%)
- has cheaper rent ($175/wk vs $290/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Dunnstown
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (20/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (80 min vs 87 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (109.9 km vs 116 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Dunnstown
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (20/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (20% vs 13%)
- carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 69/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Lal Lal
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (30.5% vs 6.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dunnstown and Lal Lal 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
Lal Lal has more residents (621 vs 259); Lal Lal rents higher ($290/wk vs $175/wk).
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 259 | 621 +140% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.1% | +30.5% |
| Median age | 44 | 42 |
| Median household income | $79,092/yr | $93,808/yr +19% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $175/wk | $290/wk +66% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).
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 (3.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $749,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 83 days from 5 sales |
Zoning mix
Dunnstown has more rural and farming land (87% vs 66%).
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 87% | 66% |
| Parks and recreation | 3% | 22% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 3% | 10% |
| Other and special use | 6% | 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
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 338 across Moorabool same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +4% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 46% of VIC | Higher than 63% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 79% of VIC | Higher than 37% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 38% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 68% of VIC | Higher than 43% of VIC |
Liveability
Dunnstown is more walkable (20 vs 0).
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 33/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Lal Lal carries more crime risk (69 vs 51).
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 57/100 | Moderate 65/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 51/100 | Moderate 69/100 |
| 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 | 2 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Dunnstown
- Damascus College - St Brendan's Catholic · Secondary
- St Brendan's Primary School Catholic · Primary
Schools in Lal Lal
- Lal Lal Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 same for both | |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 0 | 2 |
Mobility
Lal Lal sits further from the CBD (116 km vs 109.9 km).
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 20/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 109.9 km | 116 km +6% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 80 min | 87 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 (74.8%).
Setting
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 516 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 469 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 115 premises | 0% 265 premises |
Climate
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 605 mm | 578 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.7°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.5°C | — |
Council rates
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,979/yr same for both | |
| Council | Moorabool same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dunnstown | Lal Lal | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Dunnstown
Other comparisons with Lal Lal
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.