Hedley vs Alberton
Alberton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 55 in Hedley. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and 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
Hedley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (64/100 vs 76/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Hedley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 29%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Hedley
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (28% vs 13%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 27%)
- has cheaper rent ($190/wk vs $255/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Alberton
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (36/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (166 min vs 172 min)
- But Hedley sits closer to the CBD (209.2 km vs 215.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Hedley carries lower crime risk (64/100 vs 76/100)
- Alberton is more walkable (36/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Alberton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (13.4% vs -13.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Hedley and Alberton 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
Alberton has more residents (297 vs 108); Alberton rents higher ($255/wk vs $190/wk).
| Hedley | Alberton | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 108 | 297 +175% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -13.6% | +13.4% |
| Median age | 55 | 51 |
| Median household income | $66,248/yr +25% vs other | $49,712/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $190/wk | $255/wk +34% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.1%).
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 (5.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Alberton has more rural and farming land (90% vs 66%).
| Hedley | Alberton | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 66% | 90% |
| Parks and recreation | 33% | 6% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 2% |
| Residential | 0% | 1% |
| 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
| Hedley | Alberton | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 209 across Wellington same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +17% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Hedley | Alberton | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 27% of VIC | Higher than 9% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 36% of VIC | Higher than 84% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 23% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 35% of VIC | Higher than 65% of VIC |
Liveability
Alberton is more walkable (36 vs 0).
| Hedley | Alberton | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Hedley carries more bushfire risk (38 vs 0); Alberton carries more flood risk (83 vs 56).
| Hedley | Alberton | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 38/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 64/100 | High 76/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 56/100 | High 83/100 |
| Coastal erosion | High 83/100 | Moderate 42/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Hedley | Alberton | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Hedley
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Alberton
- Alberton Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Hedley | Alberton | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 3 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 4 | 3 |
Mobility
Alberton sits further from the CBD (215.8 km vs 209.2 km).
| Hedley | Alberton | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 36/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 209.2 km | 215.8 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 172 min | 166 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3967 | 0.3% postcode 3971 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | — | 42 postcode 3971 |
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 (69.2%).
Setting
| Hedley | Alberton | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 3 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 2.1 km | 3.2 km |
NBN connectivity
| Hedley | Alberton | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 72 premises | 0% 157 premises |
Council rates
| Hedley | Alberton | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,960/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wellington same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Hedley | Alberton | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gippsland same for both | |
| Member | Darren Chester same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hedley | Alberton | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Hedley
Other comparisons with Alberton
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.