Golden Square vs Kangaroo Flat
Golden Square is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 44 in Kangaroo Flat. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Kangaroo Flat, about half of households are 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
Kangaroo Flat
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 2)
- has more childcare (9 vs 6)
- has more parks and reserves (14 vs 10)
- But Golden Square carries lower crime risk (69/100 vs 79/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Kangaroo Flat
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper units ($427,500 vs $472,125)
Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Kangaroo Flat
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (75/100 vs 67/100)
- has a shorter drive in (100 min vs 106 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (144.3 km vs 148.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Kangaroo Flat
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more GPs (3 vs 1)
- has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 21%)
- is more walkable (75/100 vs 67/100)
- But Golden Square carries lower crime risk (69/100 vs 79/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house yield and population growth.
Where they sit
Golden Square and Kangaroo 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
Golden Square has higher household incomes ($69,888 vs $59,488); Kangaroo Flat skews older (44 vs 39).
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 9,220 | 11,328 +23% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.5% | +9.0% |
| Median age | 39 | 44 |
| Median household income | $69,888/yr +15% vs other | $59,488/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $295/wk +3% vs other | $285/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.2%).
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 (1.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $609,000 | $595,000 |
| Median unit price | $472,125 | $427,500 |
| Median land price | $305,000 | $333,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 25 days from 102 sales | 26 days from 104 sales |
House price by bedroom count
Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.
33 vs 33 sales
148 vs 221 sales
64 vs 81 sales
10 vs 6 sales
Zoning mix
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 64% | 41% |
| Parks and recreation | 7% | 38% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 11% | 12% |
| Commercial | 8% | 2% |
| Industrial | 7% | 3% |
| Rural and farming | 0% | 5% |
| Other and special use | 4% | 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
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 885 across Greater Bendigo same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +28% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.1% $530/wk on $674K | 4.2% $550/wk on $680K |
| Units | 5.2% $450/wk on $446K | — |
Ranking within VIC
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 20% of VIC | Higher than 21% of VIC |
| Income | Higher than 32% of VIC | Higher than 20% of VIC |
| Schools | — | Higher than 13% of VIC |
| Walkability | Higher than 89% of VIC | Higher than 91% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 68% of VIC | Higher than 47% of VIC |
| EV adoption | Higher than 36% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 78% of VIC | Higher than 82% of VIC |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 74% of VIC | Higher than 80% of VIC |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 73% of VIC | — |
Liveability
Golden Square scores higher overall (40 vs 32); Kangaroo Flat is more walkable (75 vs 67).
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C same for both | |
| Score | 40/100 | 32/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Golden Square carries more bushfire risk (20 vs 0); Kangaroo Flat carries more crime risk (79 vs 69).
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 20/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 69/100 | High 79/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 44/100 | Moderate 52/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 5 within 5 km | 4 within 5 km |
Schools
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 6 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 2 |
| Rated below peers | 2 | 1 |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 Bendigo Campus, 3.9 km | 1 Bendigo Campus, 5.6 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 1.1% | 0.7% |
Schools in Golden Square
- Golden Square Primary School Government · Primary below peers
- Specimen Hill Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Kangaroo Flat
- Kangaroo Flat Primary School Government · Primary at peers
- St Monica's School Catholic · Primary at peers
- Crusoe 7-10 Secondary College Government · Secondary below peers
- OneSchool Global Vic - Bendigo Centre Independent · Combined
- Weeroona College Bendigo - Bendigo FLO Government · Secondary
- Bendigo Special Developmental School Government · Combined · Special school
Amenities in the suburb
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 5 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 10 | 14 |
| Childcare | 6 | 9 |
| GPs | 1 | 3 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 4 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 2 | 3 |
| Fuel stations | 5 | 3 |
| Waterways | 3 | 16 |
Mobility
Golden Square sits further from the CBD (148.5 km vs 144.3 km).
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 67/100 | 75/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 148.5 km +3% vs other | 144.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 106 min | 100 min |
| Public transport score | 75/100 | 77/100 Rail |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 106.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 134.5 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 3555 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 38 postcode 3555 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 (77.5%).
Setting
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 233 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 258 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 68/100 | 73/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 42% 4,934 premises | 51% 5,883 premises |
Climate
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 598 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,949/yr same for both | |
| Council | Greater Bendigo same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bendigo same for both | |
| Member | Lisa Chesters same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Golden Square | Kangaroo Flat | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Golden Square
Kangaroo Flat
More comparisons
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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.