Hillcrest vs Smythesdale

Smythesdale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 47 in Hillcrest. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Hillcrest, most households are couple families. In Smythesdale, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Hillcrest tends to suit share households, while Smythesdale suits families with children.

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

Smythesdale

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (13 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (55/100 vs 82/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 55%)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Hillcrest

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $300/wk)

Weighs rent.

Commuting to the city

Smythesdale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (47/100 vs 0/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (134.2 km vs 139.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Smythesdale

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (47/100 vs 0/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (55/100 vs 82/100)

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

Investors

Smythesdale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (15.2% vs 4.2%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Hillcrest Smythesdale
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.

Hillcrest Smythesdale
Walkability 0 / 47
Hillcrest — Walkability: 0/100 Smythesdale — Walkability: 47/100
Safety 18 / 45
Hillcrest — Safety: 18/100 Smythesdale — Safety: 45/100
Low fire risk 26 / 25
Hillcrest — Low fire risk: 26/100 Smythesdale — Low fire risk: 25/100
Low flood risk 100 / 57
Hillcrest — Low flood risk: 100/100 Smythesdale — Low flood risk: 57/100

Demographics

Smythesdale rents higher ($300/wk vs $0/wk); Smythesdale has more residents (1,189 vs 99).

Hillcrest Smythesdale
Population 99 1,189
+1101% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.2% +15.2%
Median age 47 39
Median household income $81,224/yr $86,112/yr
+6% vs other
Median weekly rent — $300/wk
(not reported on the other side)

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Hillcrest Smythesdale
0-4 4.0% / 6.2%
Hillcrest — 0-4: 4.0% Smythesdale — 0-4: 6.2%
5-14 10.1% / 14.8%
Hillcrest — 5-14: 10.1% Smythesdale — 5-14: 14.8%
15-19 — / 6.1%
Hillcrest — 15-19: not among its largest Smythesdale — 15-19: 6.1%
20-24 4.0% / 6.8%
Hillcrest — 20-24: 4.0% Smythesdale — 20-24: 6.8%
25-34 12.1% / 9.8%
Hillcrest — 25-34: 12.1% Smythesdale — 25-34: 9.8%
35-44 20.2% / 12.5%
Hillcrest — 35-44: 20.2% Smythesdale — 35-44: 12.5%
45-54 15.2% / 14.7%
Hillcrest — 45-54: 15.2% Smythesdale — 45-54: 14.7%
55-64 26.3% / 13.1%
Hillcrest — 55-64: 26.3% Smythesdale — 55-64: 13.1%
65-74 10.1% / 11.2%
Hillcrest — 65-74: 10.1% Smythesdale — 65-74: 11.2%
75-84 8.1% / 4.0%
Hillcrest — 75-84: 8.1% Smythesdale — 75-84: 4.0%
85+ — / 0.5%
Hillcrest — 85+: not among its largest Smythesdale — 85+: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Hillcrest 55.0% couple families
Hillcrest — Couple Families: 55.0% Hillcrest — Lone Person: 30.0% Hillcrest — Group Household: 15.0% Hillcrest — One Parent Families: 0.0% Hillcrest — Other Families: 0.0%
Smythesdale 53.8% couple families
Smythesdale — Couple Families: 53.8% Smythesdale — Lone Person: 28.3% Smythesdale — Group Household: 2.2% Smythesdale — One Parent Families: 14.3% Smythesdale — Other Families: 1.4%
Couple Families Lone Person Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Hillcrest 0.0% renting
Hillcrest — Owned Outright: 55.6% Hillcrest — Mortgage: 44.4% Hillcrest — Renting: 0.0%
Smythesdale 4.6% renting
Smythesdale — Owned Outright: 42.2% Smythesdale — Mortgage: 53.2% Smythesdale — Renting: 4.6%
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.

Hillcrest Smythesdale
England 3.0% / 2.8%
Hillcrest — England: 3.0% Smythesdale — England: 2.8%
Netherlands — / 0.7%
Hillcrest — Netherlands: not among its largest Smythesdale — Netherlands: 0.7%
China — / 0.6%
Hillcrest — China: not among its largest Smythesdale — China: 0.6%
Scotland — / 0.6%
Hillcrest — Scotland: not among its largest Smythesdale — Scotland: 0.6%
New Zealand — / 0.4%
Hillcrest — New Zealand: not among its largest Smythesdale — New Zealand: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.0%).

Qualifications

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

Hillcrest Smythesdale
Certificate III & IV 23.2% / 22.9%
Hillcrest — Certificate III & IV: 23.2% Smythesdale — Certificate III & IV: 22.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.1% / 8.1%
Hillcrest — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1% Smythesdale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1%
Bachelor Degree 7.1% / 5.8%
Hillcrest — Bachelor Degree: 7.1% Smythesdale — Bachelor Degree: 5.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 2.3%
Hillcrest — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Smythesdale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%
Postgraduate Degree — / 1.0%
Hillcrest — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Smythesdale — Postgraduate Degree: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Hillcrest 100.0% houses
Hillcrest — Houses: 100.0% Hillcrest — Townhouses: 0.0%
Smythesdale 98.3% houses
Smythesdale — Houses: 98.3% Smythesdale — Townhouses: 1.7%
Houses Townhouses

Property market

Hillcrest Smythesdale
Median house price — $622,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $722,500
Typical days to sell (houses) — 29 days
from 9 sales

Zoning mix

Hillcrest has more rural and farming land (99% vs 48%).

Hillcrest Smythesdale
Rural and farming 99% 48%
Parks and recreation 1% 41%
Residential 0% 4%
Other and special use 0% 4%
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

Hillcrest Smythesdale
New dwellings approved 45
across Pyrenees
 186
across Golden Plains
Approvals change year on year +100% +10%

Ranking within VIC

Hillcrest Smythesdale
House price — Higher than 50% of VIC
Income Higher than 49% of VIC Higher than 56% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 41% of VIC Higher than 85% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 55% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 40% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 31% of VIC Higher than 66% of VIC

Liveability

Smythesdale is more walkable (47 vs 0).

Hillcrest Smythesdale
Grade — D
Score — 30/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
same for both

Risk profile

Smythesdale carries more flood risk (43 vs 0); Hillcrest carries more crime risk (82 vs 55).

Hillcrest Smythesdale
Bushfire High
74/100
 High
75/100
Crime High
82/100
 Moderate
55/100
Flood None
0/100
 Moderate
43/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Hillcrest Smythesdale
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 Hillcrest

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

Schools in Smythesdale

  • Woady Yaloak Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Hillcrest Smythesdale
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 0 2
Parks & reserves 0 13
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 0 14

Mobility

Hillcrest sits further from the CBD (139.4 km vs 134.2 km).

Hillcrest Smythesdale
Walkability score 0/100 47/100
Distance to Melbourne 139.4 km
+4% vs other
 134.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 109 min 106 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 3351
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 52
postcode 3351
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.

Hillcrest Smythesdale
Car (driver) 92.1% / 77.2%
Hillcrest — Car (driver): 92.1% Smythesdale — Car (driver): 77.2%
Worked from Home 7.9% / 15.6%
Hillcrest — Worked from Home: 7.9% Smythesdale — Worked from Home: 15.6%
Car (passenger) — / 5.3%
Hillcrest — Car (passenger): not among its largest Smythesdale — Car (passenger): 5.3%
Walked Only — / 1.2%
Hillcrest — Walked Only: not among its largest Smythesdale — Walked Only: 1.2%
Tram / Light Rail — / 0.6%
Hillcrest — Tram / Light Rail: not among its largest Smythesdale — Tram / Light Rail: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (92.1%).

Setting

Hillcrest Smythesdale
Elevation 416 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 363 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Hillcrest Smythesdale
Connectivity score 27/100 30/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
35 premises
 0%
424 premises

Climate

Hillcrest Smythesdale
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

Hillcrest Smythesdale
Average residential rate $1,584/yr $2,052/yr
Council Pyrenees Golden Plains

Federal electorate

Hillcrest Smythesdale
Division Wannon Ballarat
Member Dan Tehan Catherine King
Party Liberal Australian Labor Party

First Home Owner Grant

Hillcrest Smythesdale
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Hillcrest

Rural

Smythesdale

Acreage Affordable Parks Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Hillcrest

Hillcrest vs Haddon Hillcrest vs Snake Valley

Other comparisons with Smythesdale

Smythesdale vs Smythes Creek Smythesdale vs Haddon Smythesdale vs Ross Creek Smythesdale vs Scarsdale Smythesdale vs Snake Valley Smythesdale vs Nintingbool
Full data on Hillcrest Full data on Smythesdale
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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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