Halls Gap vs Pomonal

Halls Gap is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 51 in Pomonal. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Halls Gap, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Pomonal: a median of $615,000, against $550,000 in Halls Gap. On these figures, Halls Gap 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

Pomonal

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (54/100 vs 84/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 38%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Halls Gap

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($222,500 vs $322,500)
  • has cheaper houses ($550,000 vs $615,000)
  • But Pomonal leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 25%)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Halls Gap has a bigger rental market to choose from (35% vs 7%)
  • Pomonal leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 21%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Pomonal

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (169 min vs 180 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (239.6 km vs 252.5 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Pomonal

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (54/100 vs 84/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, 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

Halls Gap and Pomonal drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Halls Gap Pomonal
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.

Halls Gap Pomonal
Walkability 5 / 0
Halls Gap — Walkability: 5/100 Pomonal — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 16 / 46
Halls Gap — Safety: 16/100 Pomonal — Safety: 46/100
Low fire risk 11 / 18
Halls Gap — Low fire risk: 11/100 Pomonal — Low fire risk: 18/100
Low flood risk 42 / 89
Halls Gap — Low flood risk: 42/100 Pomonal — Low flood risk: 89/100

Demographics

Halls Gap has more residents (495 vs 356); Pomonal has higher household incomes ($84,500 vs $62,192).

Halls Gap Pomonal
Population 495
+28% vs other
 356
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +15.1% +10.6%
Median age 44 51
Median household income $62,192/yr $84,500/yr
+36% vs other
Median weekly rent $250/wk
same for both

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Halls Gap Pomonal
0-4 4.4% / 4.2%
Halls Gap — 0-4: 4.4% Pomonal — 0-4: 4.2%
5-14 8.9% / 9.0%
Halls Gap — 5-14: 8.9% Pomonal — 5-14: 9.0%
15-19 2.4% / 6.5%
Halls Gap — 15-19: 2.4% Pomonal — 15-19: 6.5%
20-24 4.2% / 3.1%
Halls Gap — 20-24: 4.2% Pomonal — 20-24: 3.1%
25-34 19.0% / 8.4%
Halls Gap — 25-34: 19.0% Pomonal — 25-34: 8.4%
35-44 12.5% / 10.1%
Halls Gap — 35-44: 12.5% Pomonal — 35-44: 10.1%
45-54 10.1% / 18.3%
Halls Gap — 45-54: 10.1% Pomonal — 45-54: 18.3%
55-64 14.9% / 17.7%
Halls Gap — 55-64: 14.9% Pomonal — 55-64: 17.7%
65-74 15.8% / 17.1%
Halls Gap — 65-74: 15.8% Pomonal — 65-74: 17.1%
75-84 6.5% / 5.9%
Halls Gap — 75-84: 6.5% Pomonal — 75-84: 5.9%
85+ 2.0% / 0.8%
Halls Gap — 85+: 2.0% Pomonal — 85+: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Halls Gap 53.1% lone person
Halls Gap — Lone Person: 53.1% Halls Gap — Couple Families: 27.7% Halls Gap — One Parent Families: 10.8% Halls Gap — Group Household: 8.5%
Pomonal 41.9% lone person
Pomonal — Lone Person: 41.9% Pomonal — Couple Families: 41.9% Pomonal — One Parent Families: 16.2% Pomonal — Group Household: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Halls Gap 35.1% renting
Halls Gap — Owned Outright: 45.0% Halls Gap — Mortgage: 19.9% Halls Gap — Renting: 35.1%
Pomonal 7.2% renting
Pomonal — Owned Outright: 52.2% Pomonal — Mortgage: 40.6% Pomonal — Renting: 7.2%
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.

Halls Gap Pomonal
England 4.0% / 3.7%
Halls Gap — England: 4.0% Pomonal — England: 3.7%
Germany 2.2% / 2.2%
Halls Gap — Germany: 2.2% Pomonal — Germany: 2.2%
New Zealand 1.6% / 2.5%
Halls Gap — New Zealand: 1.6% Pomonal — New Zealand: 2.5%
Netherlands 1.8% / 0.8%
Halls Gap — Netherlands: 1.8% Pomonal — Netherlands: 0.8%
Sri Lanka 1.4% / —
Halls Gap — Sri Lanka: 1.4% Pomonal — Sri Lanka: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.0%).

Qualifications

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

Halls Gap Pomonal
Certificate III & IV 15.8% / 20.2%
Halls Gap — Certificate III & IV: 15.8% Pomonal — Certificate III & IV: 20.2%
Bachelor Degree 15.2% / 14.3%
Halls Gap — Bachelor Degree: 15.2% Pomonal — Bachelor Degree: 14.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.7% / 11.0%
Halls Gap — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.7% Pomonal — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 11.0%
Postgraduate Degree 3.0% / 3.7%
Halls Gap — Postgraduate Degree: 3.0% Pomonal — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.6% / 1.7%
Halls Gap — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6% Pomonal — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Halls Gap 95.7% houses
Halls Gap — Houses: 95.7% Halls Gap — Townhouses: 4.3% Halls Gap — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Pomonal 97.8% houses
Pomonal — Houses: 97.8% Pomonal — Townhouses: 0.0% Pomonal — Flats / Apartments: 2.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Halls Gap Pomonal
Median house price $550,000 $615,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $222,500 $322,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 44 days
from 10 sales
 343 days
from 3 sales

Zoning mix

Pomonal has more rural and farming land (45% vs 19%).

Halls Gap Pomonal
Parks and recreation 74% 50%
Rural and farming 19% 45%
Environmental 4%
same for both
Residential 3% 0%
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

Halls Gap Pomonal
New dwellings approved 28
across Northern Grampians
 56
across Ararat
Approvals change year on year -62% +80%

Ranking within VIC

Halls Gap Pomonal
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 23% of VIC Higher than 53% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 67% of VIC Higher than 3% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 23% of VIC Higher than 22% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 44% of VIC Higher than 49% of VIC

Liveability

Halls Gap Pomonal
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
same for both

Risk profile

Halls Gap carries more flood risk (58 vs 11); Halls Gap carries more crime risk (84 vs 54).

Halls Gap Pomonal
Bushfire High
89/100
 High
82/100
Crime High
84/100
 Moderate
54/100
Flood Moderate
58/100
 Low
11/100
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

Halls Gap Pomonal
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Halls Gap

  • Halls Gap Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Pomonal

  • Pomonal Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Halls Gap Pomonal
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 11 0
Parks & reserves 4 5
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 5 23

Mobility

Halls Gap sits further from the CBD (252.5 km vs 239.6 km).

Halls Gap Pomonal
Walkability score 5/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 252.5 km
+5% vs other
 239.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 180 min 169 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 3381
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 44
postcode 3381
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.

Halls Gap Pomonal
Car (driver) 46.5% / 58.0%
Halls Gap — Car (driver): 46.5% Pomonal — Car (driver): 58.0%
Worked from Home 22.8% / 22.2%
Halls Gap — Worked from Home: 22.8% Pomonal — Worked from Home: 22.2%
Walked Only 21.3% / 11.7%
Halls Gap — Walked Only: 21.3% Pomonal — Walked Only: 11.7%
Car (passenger) 3.5% / 8.0%
Halls Gap — Car (passenger): 3.5% Pomonal — Car (passenger): 8.0%
Bicycle 5.9% / —
Halls Gap — Bicycle: 5.9% Pomonal — Bicycle: not among its largest

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

Setting

Halls Gap Pomonal
Elevation 223 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 303 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Halls Gap Pomonal
Connectivity score 29/100 30/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
503 premises
 0%
181 premises

Climate

Halls Gap Pomonal
Annual rainfall 554 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 4.0°C
same for both

Council rates

Halls Gap Pomonal
Average residential rate $1,730/yr $2,002/yr
Council Northern Grampians Ararat

Federal electorate

Halls Gap Pomonal
Division Mallee Wannon
Member Anne Webster Dan Tehan
Party The Nationals Liberal

First Home Owner Grant

Halls Gap Pomonal
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Halls Gap

Affordable Rural

Pomonal

Rural
Full data on Halls Gap Full data on Pomonal
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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