Franklinford vs Shepherds Flat
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 Shepherds Flat, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Shepherds Flat 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
- Franklinford is already more of a family suburb (54% vs 39%)
- Shepherds Flat carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 32/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Franklinford
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 25%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Shepherds Flat
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($145/wk vs $500/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 31%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Shepherds Flat
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (122.6 km vs 129.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Shepherds Flat
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (14/100 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 Shepherds Flat 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 $145/wk); Franklinford has higher household incomes ($84,500 vs $63,336).
| Franklinford | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 71 same for both | |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +7.6% same for both | |
| Median age | 50 | 52 |
| Median household income | $84,500/yr +25% vs other | $63,336/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $500/wk +71% vs other | $145/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.8%).
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 (16.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Franklinford | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,200,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Franklinford has more rural and farming land (67% vs 36%).
| Franklinford | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 67% | 36% |
| Parks and recreation | 30% | 49% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 12% |
| Environmental | 1% | 3% |
| 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 | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 104 across Hepburn same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -6% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Franklinford | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 54% of VIC | Higher than 24% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 31% of VIC | Higher than 57% 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 13% of VIC |
Liveability
| Franklinford | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 14); Franklinford carries more bushfire risk (82 vs 65).
| Franklinford | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 82/100 | Moderate 65/100 |
| Crime | Low 32/100 | Low 14/100 |
| 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 | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Waterways | 12 | 45 |
Mobility
Franklinford sits further from the CBD (129.7 km vs 122.6 km).
| Franklinford | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 129.7 km +5% vs other | 122.6 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 (72.4%).
Setting
| Franklinford | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 304 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 379 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Franklinford | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 16/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 8 premises | 0% 15 premises |
Climate
| Franklinford | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 531 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Franklinford | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,748/yr same for both | |
| Council | Hepburn same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Franklinford | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Franklinford | Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Shepherds Flat
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.