Invermay vs Mount Rowan

Invermay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 50 in Mount Rowan. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Invermay, most households are couple families. In Mount Rowan, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Invermay: a median of $1.25 million, against $988,000 in Mount Rowan, though rent is higher in Mount Rowan. On these figures, Invermay tends to suit couples, while Mount Rowan suits people living alone and 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

Invermay

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (84% vs 66%)
  • carries lower crime risk (54/100 vs 64/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Invermay leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 30%)
  • Mount Rowan has cheaper houses ($987,500 vs $1,245,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Invermay

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 26%)
  • has cheaper rent ($325/wk vs $400/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Mount Rowan

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (23/100 vs 0/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (119.7 km vs 121.7 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Mount Rowan

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (23/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (29% vs 22%)
  • But Invermay carries lower crime risk (54/100 vs 64/100)

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

Investors

Invermay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (7.8% vs 0.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Invermay Mount Rowan
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.

Invermay Mount Rowan
Walkability 0 / 23
Invermay — Walkability: 0/100 Mount Rowan — Walkability: 23/100
Safety 46 / 36
Invermay — Safety: 46/100 Mount Rowan — Safety: 36/100
Low fire risk 25 / 69
Invermay — Low fire risk: 25/100 Mount Rowan — Low fire risk: 69/100
Low flood risk 30 / 27
Invermay — Low flood risk: 30/100 Mount Rowan — Low flood risk: 27/100

Demographics

Invermay has more residents (900 vs 295); Invermay has higher household incomes ($121,940 vs $79,456).

Invermay Mount Rowan
Population 900
+67% vs other
 295
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.8% +0.3%
Median age 45 50
Median household income $121,940/yr
+35% vs other
 $79,456/yr
Median weekly rent $325/wk $400/wk
+23% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Invermay Mount Rowan
0-4 3.6% / 3.7%
Invermay — 0-4: 3.6% Mount Rowan — 0-4: 3.7%
5-14 17.6% / 13.9%
Invermay — 5-14: 17.6% Mount Rowan — 5-14: 13.9%
15-19 8.7% / 5.4%
Invermay — 15-19: 8.7% Mount Rowan — 15-19: 5.4%
20-24 3.3% / 4.1%
Invermay — 20-24: 3.3% Mount Rowan — 20-24: 4.1%
25-34 5.6% / 2.7%
Invermay — 25-34: 5.6% Mount Rowan — 25-34: 2.7%
35-44 10.1% / 11.9%
Invermay — 35-44: 10.1% Mount Rowan — 35-44: 11.9%
45-54 15.4% / 15.9%
Invermay — 45-54: 15.4% Mount Rowan — 45-54: 15.9%
55-64 14.2% / 12.2%
Invermay — 55-64: 14.2% Mount Rowan — 55-64: 12.2%
65-74 16.8% / 14.6%
Invermay — 65-74: 16.8% Mount Rowan — 65-74: 14.6%
75-84 4.4% / 10.2%
Invermay — 75-84: 4.4% Mount Rowan — 75-84: 10.2%
85+ 0.7% / 4.4%
Invermay — 85+: 0.7% Mount Rowan — 85+: 4.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Invermay 72.5% couple families
Invermay — Couple Families: 72.5% Invermay — Lone Person: 16.3% Invermay — One Parent Families: 11.2%
Mount Rowan 48.6% couple families
Mount Rowan — Couple Families: 48.6% Mount Rowan — Lone Person: 34.3% Mount Rowan — One Parent Families: 17.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Invermay 6.1% renting
Invermay — Owned Outright: 54.9% Invermay — Mortgage: 39.0% Invermay — Renting: 6.1%
Mount Rowan 9.3% renting
Mount Rowan — Owned Outright: 65.7% Mount Rowan — Mortgage: 25.0% Mount Rowan — Renting: 9.3%
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.

Invermay Mount Rowan
England 2.1% / 1.7%
Invermay — England: 2.1% Mount Rowan — England: 1.7%
Netherlands 0.8% / 1.0%
Invermay — Netherlands: 0.8% Mount Rowan — Netherlands: 1.0%
New Zealand 1.3% / —
Invermay — New Zealand: 1.3% Mount Rowan — New Zealand: not among its largest
Germany 0.6% / —
Invermay — Germany: 0.6% Mount Rowan — Germany: not among its largest
Sri Lanka 0.3% / —
Invermay — Sri Lanka: 0.3% Mount Rowan — Sri Lanka: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.1%).

Qualifications

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

Invermay Mount Rowan
Certificate III & IV 13.7% / 17.3%
Invermay — Certificate III & IV: 13.7% Mount Rowan — Certificate III & IV: 17.3%
Bachelor Degree 14.9% / 9.5%
Invermay — Bachelor Degree: 14.9% Mount Rowan — Bachelor Degree: 9.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 7.1%
Invermay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Mount Rowan — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1%
Postgraduate Degree 5.6% / 4.7%
Invermay — Postgraduate Degree: 5.6% Mount Rowan — Postgraduate Degree: 4.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.1% / 1.4%
Invermay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1% Mount Rowan — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Invermay 98.2% houses
Invermay — Houses: 98.2% Invermay — Flats / Apartments: 1.8%
Mount Rowan 100.0% houses
Mount Rowan — Houses: 100.0% Mount Rowan — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Invermay Mount Rowan
Median house price $1,245,000 $987,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Invermay has more rural and farming land (90% vs 55%).

Invermay Mount Rowan
Rural and farming 90% 55%
Residential 0% 34%
Parks and recreation 9% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 7%
Industrial 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

Invermay Mount Rowan
New dwellings approved 1,451
across Ballarat
same for both
Approvals change year on year +42%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Invermay Mount Rowan
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 92% of VIC Higher than 46% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 62% of VIC Higher than 81% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 39% of VIC Higher than 37% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 71% of VIC Higher than 53% of VIC

Liveability

Mount Rowan is more walkable (23 vs 0).

Invermay Mount Rowan
Grade C —
Score 36/100 —
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Invermay carries more bushfire risk (75 vs 31); Mount Rowan carries more crime risk (64 vs 54).

Invermay Mount Rowan
Bushfire High
75/100
 Low
31/100
Crime Moderate
54/100
 Moderate
64/100
Flood High
70/100
 High
73/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 3
within 5 km
 10
within 5 km

Schools

Invermay Mount Rowan
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
Federation University Ballarat, 7.0 km
 1
Federation University Ballarat, 6.9 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.0% 0.0%

Schools in Invermay

  • Invermay Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Mount Rowan

  • Ballarat Grammar - Mount Rowan Campus Independent · Combined

Amenities in the suburb

Invermay Mount Rowan
Childcare 1 0
Waterways 14 7

Mobility

Invermay sits further from the CBD (121.7 km vs 119.7 km).

Invermay Mount Rowan
Walkability score 0/100 23/100
Distance to Melbourne 121.7 km
+2% vs other
 119.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 89 min 85 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 3352
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 51
postcode 3352
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.

Invermay Mount Rowan
Car (driver) 71.4% / 74.6%
Invermay — Car (driver): 71.4% Mount Rowan — Car (driver): 74.6%
Worked from Home 21.4% / 15.8%
Invermay — Worked from Home: 21.4% Mount Rowan — Worked from Home: 15.8%
Car (passenger) 5.2% / 6.1%
Invermay — Car (passenger): 5.2% Mount Rowan — Car (passenger): 6.1%
Walked Only 1.2% / 3.5%
Invermay — Walked Only: 1.2% Mount Rowan — Walked Only: 3.5%
Bus 0.7% / —
Invermay — Bus: 0.7% Mount Rowan — Bus: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.6%).

Setting

Invermay Mount Rowan
Elevation 477 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 511 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Invermay Mount Rowan
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
322 premises
 0%
128 premises

Climate

Invermay Mount Rowan
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

Invermay Mount Rowan
Average residential rate $2,086/yr
same for both
Council Ballarat
same for both

Federal electorate

Invermay Mount Rowan
Division Ballarat
same for both
Member Catherine King
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Invermay Mount Rowan
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Invermay

Acreage Professionals

Mount Rowan

Acreage Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Invermay

Invermay vs Wendouree Invermay vs Ballarat North Invermay vs Invermay Park Invermay vs Nerrina Invermay vs Sulky Invermay vs Glen Park

Other comparisons with Mount Rowan

Mount Rowan vs Wendouree Mount Rowan vs Miners Rest Mount Rowan vs Invermay Park Mount Rowan vs Sulky
Full data on Invermay Full data on Mount Rowan
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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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