Inverleigh vs Shelford
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 Inverleigh: a median of $1.18 million, against $928,000 in Shelford. On these figures, Inverleigh tends to suit couples, while Shelford suits buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Inverleigh
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 31/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Shelford
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper land ($320,000 vs $530,000)
- has cheaper houses ($927,500 vs $1,180,000)
Weighs house prices, land 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
Inverleigh
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (80 min vs 90 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (105.6 km vs 111.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Inverleigh
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 31/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Inverleigh
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.5% vs 4.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Inverleigh and Shelford 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
Inverleigh has more residents (1,746 vs 263); Inverleigh has higher household incomes ($112,320 vs $92,456).
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,746 +85% vs other | 263 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +18.5% | +4.0% |
| Median age | 38 | 39 |
| Median household income | $112,320/yr +18% vs other | $92,456/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).
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 (3.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,180,000 | $927,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $530,000 | $320,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 80 days from 17 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 91% | 99% |
| Parks and recreation | 5% | 0% |
| Residential | 3% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% 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
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 186 across Golden Plains same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +10% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 85% of VIC | Higher than 61% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 30% of VIC | Higher than 34% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 42% of VIC | Higher than 73% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 73% of VIC | Higher than 19% of VIC |
Liveability
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 50/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Shelford carries more bushfire risk (65 vs 29); Shelford carries more crime risk (31 vs 20).
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 29/100 | Moderate 65/100 |
| Crime | Low 20/100 | Low 31/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 68/100 | Moderate 56/100 |
| 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
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Inverleigh
- Inverleigh Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Shelford
- Shelford Primary School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 same for both | |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 9 | 12 |
Mobility
Shelford sits further from the CBD (111.6 km vs 105.6 km).
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 105.6 km | 111.6 km +6% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 80 min | 90 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 3321 | 0.9% postcode 3329 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 64 postcode 3321 | 37 postcode 3329 |
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 (75.6%).
Setting
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 91 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 187 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 31.1 km | 40.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 42/100 | 21/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 18% 768 premises | 0% 102 premises |
Climate
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 502 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.3°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,052/yr same for both | |
| Council | Golden Plains same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon | Ballarat |
| Member | Dan Tehan | Catherine King |
| Party | Liberal | Australian Labor Party |
First Home Owner Grant
| Inverleigh | Shelford | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Inverleigh
Other comparisons with Shelford
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.