Heathcote Junction vs Wandong

In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Wandong: a median of $950,000, against $870,000 in Heathcote Junction, though rent is higher in Heathcote Junction.

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

  • Heathcote Junction carries lower crime risk (33/100 vs 73/100)
  • Wandong has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house 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

Wandong

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (59/100 vs 0/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (70.1 km vs 72.5 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Wandong

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (59/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • But Heathcote Junction carries lower crime risk (33/100 vs 73/100)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Wandong

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (10.2% vs -3.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Heathcote Junction Wandong
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.

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Walkability 0 / 59
Heathcote Junction — Walkability: 0/100 Wandong — Walkability: 59/100
Safety 67 / 27
Heathcote Junction — Safety: 67/100 Wandong — Safety: 27/100
Low fire risk 8 / 15
Heathcote Junction — Low fire risk: 8/100 Wandong — Low fire risk: 15/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Heathcote Junction — Low flood risk: 100/100 Wandong — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Wandong has more residents (1,477 vs 811).

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Population 811 1,477
+82% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.3% +10.2%
Median age 41 40
Median household income $109,252/yr $108,316/yr
Median weekly rent $325/wk
+6% vs other
 $305/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Heathcote Junction Wandong
0-4 6.8% / 5.3%
Heathcote Junction — 0-4: 6.8% Wandong — 0-4: 5.3%
5-14 15.4% / 15.2%
Heathcote Junction — 5-14: 15.4% Wandong — 5-14: 15.2%
15-19 4.2% / 6.8%
Heathcote Junction — 15-19: 4.2% Wandong — 15-19: 6.8%
20-24 3.1% / 6.2%
Heathcote Junction — 20-24: 3.1% Wandong — 20-24: 6.2%
25-34 12.3% / 9.5%
Heathcote Junction — 25-34: 12.3% Wandong — 25-34: 9.5%
35-44 14.2% / 12.4%
Heathcote Junction — 35-44: 14.2% Wandong — 35-44: 12.4%
45-54 13.9% / 15.9%
Heathcote Junction — 45-54: 13.9% Wandong — 45-54: 15.9%
55-64 12.9% / 15.2%
Heathcote Junction — 55-64: 12.9% Wandong — 55-64: 15.2%
65-74 13.6% / 9.0%
Heathcote Junction — 65-74: 13.6% Wandong — 65-74: 9.0%
75-84 2.6% / 3.2%
Heathcote Junction — 75-84: 2.6% Wandong — 75-84: 3.2%
85+ 0.5% / 0.9%
Heathcote Junction — 85+: 0.5% Wandong — 85+: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Heathcote Junction 67.0% couple families
Heathcote Junction — Couple Families: 67.0% Heathcote Junction — Lone Person: 18.6% Heathcote Junction — One Parent Families: 9.6% Heathcote Junction — Group Household: 2.1% Heathcote Junction — Other Families: 2.7%
Wandong 62.6% couple families
Wandong — Couple Families: 62.6% Wandong — Lone Person: 19.5% Wandong — One Parent Families: 12.6% Wandong — Group Household: 3.5% Wandong — Other Families: 1.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Heathcote Junction 4.2% renting
Heathcote Junction — Owned Outright: 34.1% Heathcote Junction — Mortgage: 61.7% Heathcote Junction — Renting: 4.2%
Wandong 8.0% renting
Wandong — Owned Outright: 34.4% Wandong — Mortgage: 57.5% Wandong — Renting: 8.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Certificate III & IV 22.1% / 22.0%
Heathcote Junction — Certificate III & IV: 22.1% Wandong — Certificate III & IV: 22.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.4% / 7.7%
Heathcote Junction — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4% Wandong — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7%
Bachelor Degree 8.8% / 4.8%
Heathcote Junction — Bachelor Degree: 8.8% Wandong — Bachelor Degree: 4.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.3% / 1.8%
Heathcote Junction — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3% Wandong — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%
Postgraduate Degree 1.1% / 2.2%
Heathcote Junction — Postgraduate Degree: 1.1% Wandong — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).

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.

Heathcote Junction Wandong
England 1.7% / 2.2%
Heathcote Junction — England: 1.7% Wandong — England: 2.2%
New Zealand 1.4% / 1.2%
Heathcote Junction — New Zealand: 1.4% Wandong — New Zealand: 1.2%
Italy 0.9% / 0.9%
Heathcote Junction — Italy: 0.9% Wandong — Italy: 0.9%
Germany 0.4% / 0.3%
Heathcote Junction — Germany: 0.4% Wandong — Germany: 0.3%
Sri Lanka 0.5% / —
Heathcote Junction — Sri Lanka: 0.5% Wandong — Sri Lanka: not among its largest
Netherlands 0.5% / —
Heathcote Junction — Netherlands: 0.5% Wandong — Netherlands: not among its largest
Thailand — / 0.3%
Heathcote Junction — Thailand: not among its largest Wandong — Thailand: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Heathcote Junction 101.5% houses
Heathcote Junction — Houses: 101.5% Heathcote Junction — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Wandong 97.8% houses
Wandong — Houses: 97.8% Wandong — Flats / Apartments: 2.2%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Median house price $870,000 $950,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $755,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 112 days
from 3 sales
 58 days
from 8 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.

Heathcote Junction Wandong
3 bed $890K / $900K
Heathcote Junction — 3 bed: $890K (9 sales) Wandong — 3 bed: $900K (11 sales)

9 vs 11 sales

4 bed $870K / $1.15M
Heathcote Junction — 4 bed: $870K (6 sales) Wandong — 4 bed: $1.15M (5 sales)

6 vs 5 sales

Zoning mix

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Rural and farming 82% 89%
Residential 13% 6%
Infrastructure and transport 4%
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

Heathcote Junction Wandong
New dwellings approved 1,074
across Mitchell
same for both
Approvals change year on year +70%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Heathcote Junction Wandong
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 82% of VIC Higher than 80% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 44% of VIC Higher than 87% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 50% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 91% of VIC Higher than 86% of VIC

Liveability

Wandong is more walkable (59 vs 0).

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Grade C
same for both
Score 46/100 45/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Wandong carries more crime risk (73 vs 33).

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Bushfire High
92/100
 High
85/100
Crime Low
33/100
 High
73/100
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 2
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Heathcote Junction

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Wandong

  • Wandong Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Supermarkets 0 1
Parks & reserves 0 2
Childcare 0 2
GPs 0 2
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 1

Mobility

Heathcote Junction sits further from the CBD (72.5 km vs 70.1 km).

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Walkability score 0/100 59/100
Distance to Melbourne 72.5 km
+3% vs other
 70.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 61 min 59 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 3758
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 62
postcode 3758
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.

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Car (driver) 72.7% / 72.5%
Heathcote Junction — Car (driver): 72.7% Wandong — Car (driver): 72.5%
Worked from Home 20.9% / 18.6%
Heathcote Junction — Worked from Home: 20.9% Wandong — Worked from Home: 18.6%
Car (passenger) 3.4% / 4.8%
Heathcote Junction — Car (passenger): 3.4% Wandong — Car (passenger): 4.8%
Train 3.1% / 3.0%
Heathcote Junction — Train: 3.1% Wandong — Train: 3.0%
Walked Only — / 1.2%
Heathcote Junction — Walked Only: not among its largest Wandong — Walked Only: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.7%).

Setting

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Elevation 365 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 347 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Connectivity score 81/100 76/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 66%
289 premises
 58%
581 premises

Climate

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Annual rainfall 518 mm 540 mm
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C —
Winter min (Jul) 6.0°C —

Council rates

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Average residential rate $1,947/yr
same for both
Council Mitchell
same for both

Federal electorate

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Division Mcewen
same for both
Member Rob Mitchell
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Heathcote Junction Wandong
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Heathcote Junction

Acreage Family Outer

Wandong

Acreage Quiet Trains

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Heathcote Junction

Heathcote Junction vs Wallan Heathcote Junction vs Upper Plenty Heathcote Junction vs Clonbinane

Other comparisons with Wandong

Wandong vs Wallan Wandong vs Kilmore Wandong vs Clonbinane Wandong vs Bylands
Full data on Heathcote Junction Full data on Wandong
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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.

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