Elaine vs Scotsburn
Elaine is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 47 in Scotsburn. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Scotsburn, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Scotsburn: a median of $910,000, against $572,000 in Elaine, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Elaine tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Scotsburn suits families with children and 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
Scotsburn
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 65/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (74% vs 53%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Elaine
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($571,500 vs $910,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Elaine
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (17% vs 4%)
- has cheaper rent ($166/wk vs $275/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Scotsburn
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 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 -5.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Elaine and Scotsburn 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
Scotsburn rents higher ($275/wk vs $166/wk); Scotsburn skews older (47 vs 44).
| Elaine | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 232 | 244 +5% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.8% | -5.4% |
| Median age | 44 | 47 |
| Median household income | $91,780/yr | $100,048/yr +9% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $166/wk | $275/wk +66% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).
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 (4.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Elaine | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $571,500 | $910,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Elaine | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 97% | 90% |
| Environmental | 0% | 9% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% 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
| Elaine | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 338 across Moorabool | 1,451 across Ballarat |
| Approvals change year on year | +4% | +42% |
Ranking within VIC
| Elaine | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 61% of VIC | Higher than 72% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 19% of VIC | Higher than 49% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 46% of VIC | Higher than 38% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 34% of VIC | Higher than 65% of VIC |
Liveability
| Elaine | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Elaine carries more crime risk (65 vs 12); Scotsburn carries more bushfire risk (82 vs 66).
| Elaine | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 66/100 | High 82/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 65/100 | Low 12/100 |
| 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 | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Elaine
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Scotsburn
- Buninyong Primary School-Scotsburn Primary School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Elaine | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 2 | 30 |
Mobility
| Elaine | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 121.6 km +2% vs other | 119.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 92 min | 93 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 3334 | 0.4% postcode 3352 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 36 postcode 3334 | 51 postcode 3352 |
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 | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 409 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 470 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Elaine | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 99 premises | 0% 101 premises |
Climate
| Elaine | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 578 mm | 605 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | — | 25.7°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | — | 3.5°C |
Council rates
| Elaine | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,979/yr | $2,086/yr |
| Council | Moorabool | Ballarat |
Federal electorate
| Elaine | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Elaine | Scotsburn | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Scotsburn
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.