Franklinford vs Mount Franklin
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Franklinford, about half of households are people living alone. In Mount Franklin, most households are couple families. On these figures, Franklinford tends to suit people living alone, while Mount Franklin suits 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
Mount Franklin
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 32/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (72% vs 54%)
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
Mount Franklin
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (7% vs 31%)
- has cheaper rent ($190/wk vs $500/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Mount Franklin
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (126.5 km vs 129.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Franklinford has more residents already 65 and over (20% vs 9%)
- Mount Franklin carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 32/100)
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
Franklinford and Mount Franklin 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
Franklinford rents higher ($500/wk vs $190/wk); Mount Franklin has higher household incomes ($134,316 vs $84,500).
| Franklinford | Mount Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 71 | 99 +39% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +7.6% | +11.2% |
| Median age | 50 | 49 |
| Median household income | $84,500/yr | $134,316/yr +59% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $500/wk +62% vs other | $190/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.3%).
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 (4.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Mount Franklin has more rural and farming land (90% vs 67%).
| Franklinford | Mount Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 67% | 90% |
| Parks and recreation | 30% | 9% |
| Environmental | 1% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 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
| Franklinford | Mount Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 104 across Hepburn same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -6% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Franklinford | Mount Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 54% of VIC | Higher than 95% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 31% of VIC | Higher than 45% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 87% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 6% of VIC | Higher than 16% of VIC |
Liveability
| Franklinford | Mount Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Franklinford carries more crime risk (32 vs 18); Franklinford carries more bushfire risk (82 vs 69).
| Franklinford | Mount Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 82/100 | Moderate 69/100 |
| Crime | Low 32/100 | Low 18/100 |
| 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
| Franklinford | Mount Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Franklinford | Mount Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 3 |
| Waterways | 12 | 6 |
Mobility
Franklinford sits further from the CBD (129.7 km vs 126.5 km).
| Franklinford | Mount Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 129.7 km +2% vs other | 126.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 102 min | 100 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.4% postcode 3461 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 48 postcode 3461 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 (57.9%).
Setting
| Franklinford | Mount Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 304 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 492 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Franklinford | Mount Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 19/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 8 premises | 0% 17 premises |
Climate
| Franklinford | Mount Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 531 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Franklinford | Mount Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,748/yr same for both | |
| Council | Hepburn same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Franklinford | Mount Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Franklinford | Mount Franklin | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Franklinford
Other comparisons with Mount Franklin
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.