Elaine vs Mount Doran
Elaine is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 53 in Mount Doran. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mount Doran, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Mount Doran tends to suit people living alone.
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
- Elaine is already more of a family suburb (53% vs 41%)
- Mount Doran carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 65/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Mount Doran
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $166/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Mount Doran
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (112.8 km vs 121.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Mount Doran
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 65/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Elaine
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (1.8% vs -9.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Elaine and Mount Doran 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
Elaine rents higher ($166/wk vs $0/wk); Elaine has more residents (232 vs 118).
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 232 +49% vs other | 118 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.8% | -9.2% |
| Median age | 44 | 53 |
| Median household income | $91,780/yr +14% vs other | $79,040/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $166/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 (29.7%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.0%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $571,500 | $605,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 97% | 96% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 4% |
| 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
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 338 across Moorabool same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +4% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 61% of VIC | Higher than 46% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 19% of VIC | Higher than 23% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 46% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 34% of VIC | Higher than 23% of VIC |
Liveability
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Elaine carries more crime risk (65 vs 15); Mount Doran carries more bushfire risk (85 vs 66).
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 66/100 | High 85/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 65/100 | Low 15/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 2 | 0 |
Mobility
Elaine sits further from the CBD (121.6 km vs 112.8 km).
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 121.6 km +7% vs other | 112.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 92 min same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 3334 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 36 postcode 3334 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 (74.7%).
Setting
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 409 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 430 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 48.0 km | 49.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 24/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 99 premises | 0% 34 premises |
Climate
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 578 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,979/yr same for both | |
| Council | Moorabool same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Elaine | Mount Doran | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Elaine
Other comparisons with Mount Doran
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.