Happy Valley vs Linton
Comparing Happy Valley and Linton, VIC: Linton has more residents (635 vs 87); Linton is more walkable (22 vs 10); and Linton carries more bushfire risk (59 vs 28).
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
Happy Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 56/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Happy Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 24%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Happy Valley
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 26%)
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Linton
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (22/100 vs 10/100)
- has a shorter drive in (116 min vs 133 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (148 km vs 158.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Linton
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (22/100 vs 10/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 18%)
- But Happy Valley carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 56/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Linton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (9.5% vs 2.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Happy Valley and Linton 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
Linton has more residents (635 vs 87); Linton rents higher ($300/wk vs $150/wk).
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 87 | 635 +630% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.4% | +9.5% |
| Median age | 47 | 48 |
| Median household income | $61,724/yr +3% vs other | $59,696/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $150/wk | $300/wk +100% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.5%).
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 (10.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $510,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $277,500 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 60 days from 13 sales |
Zoning mix
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 69% | 77% |
| Parks and recreation | 31% | 19% |
| Residential | 0% | 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
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 186 across Golden Plains same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +10% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 23% of VIC | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 72% of VIC | Higher than 80% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 42% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 24% of VIC | Higher than 63% of VIC |
Liveability
Linton is more walkable (22 vs 10).
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 31/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Linton carries more bushfire risk (59 vs 28); Linton carries more crime risk (56 vs 35).
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 28/100 | Moderate 59/100 |
| Crime | Low 35/100 | Moderate 56/100 |
| Flood | Low 30/100 | Low 23/100 |
| 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
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Happy Valley
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Linton
- Linton Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 5 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 4 | 7 |
Mobility
Happy Valley sits further from the CBD (158.2 km vs 148 km).
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 22/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 158.2 km +6% vs other | 148 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 133 min | 116 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 3360 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 42 postcode 3360 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 (75.0%).
Setting
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 322 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 357 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 24/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 38 premises | 0% 347 premises |
Climate
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 605 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.5°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,052/yr same for both | |
| Council | Golden Plains same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Happy Valley | Linton | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Happy Valley
Linton
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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.