Fern Hill vs Trentham East

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Fern Hill, most households are couple families. On these figures, Fern Hill tends to suit couples, while Trentham East suits 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

Fern Hill

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 68/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 58%)

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

Fern Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($231/wk vs $257/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Fern Hill

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (68 min vs 73 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (82.4 km vs 86.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Fern Hill

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 68/100)

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

Fern Hill and Trentham East drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Fern Hill Trentham East
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Fern Hill Trentham East
Walkability 0 / 0
Fern Hill — Walkability: 0/100 Trentham East — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 85 / 32
Fern Hill — Safety: 85/100 Trentham East — Safety: 32/100
Low fire risk 13 / 17
Fern Hill — Low fire risk: 13/100 Trentham East — Low fire risk: 17/100
Low flood risk 78 / 100
Fern Hill — Low flood risk: 78/100 Trentham East — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Trentham East has more residents (181 vs 125); Trentham East rents higher ($257/wk vs $231/wk).

Fern Hill Trentham East
Population 125 181
+45% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +20.2% +18.3%
Median age 49 50
Median household income $107,224/yr $114,608/yr
+7% vs other
Median weekly rent $231/wk $257/wk
+11% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Fern Hill Trentham East
0-4 — / 4.4%
Fern Hill — 0-4: not among its largest Trentham East — 0-4: 4.4%
5-14 14.4% / 9.4%
Fern Hill — 5-14: 14.4% Trentham East — 5-14: 9.4%
15-19 5.6% / 4.4%
Fern Hill — 15-19: 5.6% Trentham East — 15-19: 4.4%
20-24 6.4% / 3.9%
Fern Hill — 20-24: 6.4% Trentham East — 20-24: 3.9%
25-34 4.0% / 8.3%
Fern Hill — 25-34: 4.0% Trentham East — 25-34: 8.3%
35-44 12.8% / 11.6%
Fern Hill — 35-44: 12.8% Trentham East — 35-44: 11.6%
45-54 12.8% / 14.4%
Fern Hill — 45-54: 12.8% Trentham East — 45-54: 14.4%
55-64 22.4% / 20.4%
Fern Hill — 55-64: 22.4% Trentham East — 55-64: 20.4%
65-74 11.2% / 14.4%
Fern Hill — 65-74: 11.2% Trentham East — 65-74: 14.4%
75-84 12.8% / 3.3%
Fern Hill — 75-84: 12.8% Trentham East — 75-84: 3.3%
85+ — / 1.7%
Fern Hill — 85+: not among its largest Trentham East — 85+: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Fern Hill 68.4% couple families
Fern Hill — Couple Families: 68.4% Fern Hill — Lone Person: 31.6% Fern Hill — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Trentham East 44.7% couple families
Trentham East — Couple Families: 44.7% Trentham East — Lone Person: 42.1% Trentham East — One Parent Families: 13.2%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Fern Hill 0.0% renting
Fern Hill — Owned Outright: 53.8% Fern Hill — Mortgage: 46.2% Fern Hill — Renting: 0.0%
Trentham East 7.6% renting
Trentham East — Owned Outright: 43.9% Trentham East — Mortgage: 48.5% Trentham East — Renting: 7.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Fern Hill Trentham East
England 4.8% / 2.8%
Fern Hill — England: 4.8% Trentham East — England: 2.8%
New Zealand — / 2.2%
Fern Hill — New Zealand: not among its largest Trentham East — New Zealand: 2.2%
Italy — / 2.2%
Fern Hill — Italy: not among its largest Trentham East — Italy: 2.2%
Scotland — / 1.7%
Fern Hill — Scotland: not among its largest Trentham East — Scotland: 1.7%
Germany — / 1.7%
Fern Hill — Germany: not among its largest Trentham East — Germany: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.8%).

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Fern Hill Trentham East
Bachelor Degree 14.4% / 17.1%
Fern Hill — Bachelor Degree: 14.4% Trentham East — Bachelor Degree: 17.1%
Certificate III & IV 4.0% / 17.7%
Fern Hill — Certificate III & IV: 4.0% Trentham East — Certificate III & IV: 17.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.0% / 6.1%
Fern Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0% Trentham East — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.1%
Postgraduate Degree 6.4% / 2.8%
Fern Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 6.4% Trentham East — Postgraduate Degree: 2.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.4% / 3.9%
Fern Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4% Trentham East — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Fern Hill 100.0% houses
Fern Hill — Houses: 100.0%
Trentham East 100.0% houses
Trentham East — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Zoning mix

Fern Hill has more rural and farming land (51% vs 25%); Fern Hill has more land zoned for conservation (48% vs 37%).

Fern Hill Trentham East
Rural and farming 51% 25%
Environmental 48% 37%
Parks and recreation 0% 38%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 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

Fern Hill Trentham East
New dwellings approved 104
across Hepburn
 331
across Macedon Ranges
Approvals change year on year -6% +80%

Ranking within VIC

Fern Hill Trentham East
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 79% of VIC Higher than 86% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 41% of VIC Higher than 28% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 89% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 36% of VIC Higher than 24% of VIC

Liveability

Fern Hill Trentham East
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Fern Hill carries more flood risk (22 vs 0); Trentham East carries more crime risk (68 vs 15).

Fern Hill Trentham East
Bushfire High
87/100
 High
83/100
Crime Low
15/100
 Moderate
68/100
Flood Low
22/100
 None
0/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Fern Hill Trentham East
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

Fern Hill Trentham East
Waterways 3 0

Mobility

Trentham East sits further from the CBD (86.3 km vs 82.4 km).

Fern Hill Trentham East
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 82.4 km 86.3 km
+5% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 68 min 73 min
Electric vehicle share 1.6%
postcode 3458
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 50
postcode 3458
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.

Fern Hill Trentham East
Car (driver) 58.0% / 54.4%
Fern Hill — Car (driver): 58.0% Trentham East — Car (driver): 54.4%
Worked from Home 24.0% / 34.2%
Fern Hill — Worked from Home: 24.0% Trentham East — Worked from Home: 34.2%
Walked Only 12.0% / 11.4%
Fern Hill — Walked Only: 12.0% Trentham East — Walked Only: 11.4%
Car (passenger) 6.0% / —
Fern Hill — Car (passenger): 6.0% Trentham East — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (58.0%).

Setting

Fern Hill Trentham East
Elevation 650 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 716 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Fern Hill Trentham East
Connectivity score 28/100 24/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
53 premises
 0%
91 premises

Climate

Fern Hill Trentham East
Annual rainfall 778 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Fern Hill Trentham East
Average residential rate $1,748/yr $2,065/yr
Council Hepburn Macedon Ranges

Federal electorate

Fern Hill Trentham East
Division Ballarat Mcewen
Member Catherine King Rob Mitchell
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Fern Hill Trentham East
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Fern Hill

Professionals Rural

Trentham East

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Fern Hill

Fern Hill vs Trentham Fern Hill vs Tylden Fern Hill vs Ashbourne

Other comparisons with Trentham East

Trentham East vs Trentham Trentham East vs Ashbourne Trentham East vs North Blackwood
Full data on Fern Hill Full data on Trentham East
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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.

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