Durham Lead vs Napoleons
Durham Lead is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 47 in Napoleons. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Durham Lead: a median of $880,000, against $690,000 in Napoleons, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Napoleons tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Durham Lead carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 38/100)
- Napoleons has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Napoleons
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($690,000 vs $880,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Napoleons
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $412/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 22%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Durham Lead
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (125.2 km vs 128.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Durham Lead
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 38/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Durham Lead and Napoleons 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
Durham Lead rents higher ($412/wk vs $200/wk); Napoleons has more residents (555 vs 408).
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 408 | 555 +36% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.1% | +0.4% |
| Median age | 44 | 47 |
| Median household income | $99,632/yr +10% vs other | $89,336/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $412/wk +51% vs other | $200/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).
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 (5.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $880,000 | $690,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 44 days from 4 sales |
Zoning mix
Napoleons has more rural and farming land (96% vs 71%); Durham Lead has more land zoned for conservation (17% vs 0%).
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 71% | 96% |
| Environmental | 17% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 11% | 0% |
| Residential | 0% | 2% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,451 across Ballarat | 186 across Golden Plains |
| Approvals change year on year | +42% | +10% |
Ranking within VIC
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 72% of VIC | Higher than 59% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 71% of VIC | Higher than 33% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 37% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 43% of VIC | Higher than 59% of VIC |
Liveability
Durham Lead is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 28/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Napoleons carries more flood risk (61 vs 34); Napoleons carries more crime risk (38 vs 25).
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 80/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 25/100 | Low 38/100 |
| Flood | Low 34/100 | Moderate 61/100 |
| 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
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Durham Lead
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Napoleons
- Napoleons Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Childcare | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 0 | 9 |
Mobility
Napoleons sits further from the CBD (128.8 km vs 125.2 km).
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 125.2 km | 128.8 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 99 min | 100 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 (73.8%).
Setting
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 410 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 384 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 161 premises | 0% 210 premises |
Climate
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 605 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.5°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,086/yr | $2,052/yr |
| Council | Ballarat | Golden Plains |
Federal electorate
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Durham Lead | Napoleons | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Durham Lead
Other comparisons with Napoleons
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.