Durham Lead vs Scotchmans Lead
Durham Lead is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 50 in Scotchmans Lead. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Durham Lead, most households are couple families. In Scotchmans Lead, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Durham Lead tends to suit 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
Durham Lead
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 80%)
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
Scotchmans Lead
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $412/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Durham Lead is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- Scotchmans Lead sits closer to the CBD (123.2 km vs 125.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Durham Lead
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
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 Scotchmans Lead 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 $0/wk); Durham Lead has more residents (408 vs 105).
| Durham Lead | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 408 +74% vs other | 105 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.1% | +8.2% |
| Median age | 44 | 50 |
| Median household income | $99,632/yr | $106,600/yr +7% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $412/wk (not reported on the other side) | — |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.9%).
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 | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $880,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Scotchmans Lead has more rural and farming land (99% vs 71%); Durham Lead has more land zoned for conservation (17% vs 0%).
| Durham Lead | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 71% | 99% |
| Environmental | 17% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 11% | 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
| Durham Lead | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,451 across Ballarat same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +42% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Durham Lead | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 72% of VIC | Higher than 78% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 71% of VIC | Higher than 1% 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 48% of VIC |
Liveability
Durham Lead is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Durham Lead | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Durham Lead carries more flood risk (34 vs 11); Scotchmans Lead carries more bushfire risk (91 vs 80).
| Durham Lead | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 80/100 | High 91/100 |
| Crime | Low 25/100 | Low 27/100 |
| Flood | Low 34/100 | Low 11/100 |
| 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 | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Durham Lead | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Durham Lead sits further from the CBD (125.2 km vs 123.2 km).
| Durham Lead | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 125.2 km +2% vs other | 123.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 99 min | 95 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 (93.3%).
Setting
| Durham Lead | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 410 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 388 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Durham Lead | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 161 premises | 0% 36 premises |
Climate
| Durham Lead | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,086/yr same for both | |
| Council | Ballarat same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Durham Lead | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Durham Lead | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Scotchmans Lead
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.