Lake Bolac vs Westmere

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lake Bolac, about half of households are people living alone. In Westmere, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Westmere tends to suit 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

Lake Bolac

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 80/100)

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

Westmere

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (2% vs 12%)
  • has cheaper rent ($35/wk vs $150/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Westmere

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (154 min vs 162 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (220.8 km vs 232 km)
  • But Lake Bolac is more walkable (37/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Lake Bolac

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (37/100 vs 0/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 80/100)

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

Investors

Westmere

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (55.0% vs 11.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Lake Bolac Westmere
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.

Lake Bolac Westmere
Walkability 37 / 0
Lake Bolac — Walkability: 37/100 Westmere — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 75 / 20
Lake Bolac — Safety: 75/100 Westmere — Safety: 20/100
Low fire risk 100 / 30
Lake Bolac — Low fire risk: 100/100 Westmere — Low fire risk: 30/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Lake Bolac — Low flood risk: 100/100 Westmere — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Lake Bolac has more residents (368 vs 62); Lake Bolac rents higher ($150/wk vs $35/wk).

Lake Bolac Westmere
Population 368
+83% vs other
 62
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +11.5% +55.0%
Median age 48 46
Median household income $63,960/yr $84,500/yr
+32% vs other
Median weekly rent $150/wk
+77% vs other
 $35/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Lake Bolac Westmere
0-4 4.9% / 4.8%
Lake Bolac — 0-4: 4.9% Westmere — 0-4: 4.8%
5-14 13.6% / 12.9%
Lake Bolac — 5-14: 13.6% Westmere — 5-14: 12.9%
15-19 4.3% / —
Lake Bolac — 15-19: 4.3% Westmere — 15-19: not among its largest
20-24 0.8% / —
Lake Bolac — 20-24: 0.8% Westmere — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 7.3% / 16.1%
Lake Bolac — 25-34: 7.3% Westmere — 25-34: 16.1%
35-44 14.9% / 12.9%
Lake Bolac — 35-44: 14.9% Westmere — 35-44: 12.9%
45-54 12.5% / 16.1%
Lake Bolac — 45-54: 12.5% Westmere — 45-54: 16.1%
55-64 17.4% / 14.5%
Lake Bolac — 55-64: 17.4% Westmere — 55-64: 14.5%
65-74 12.8% / 17.7%
Lake Bolac — 65-74: 12.8% Westmere — 65-74: 17.7%
75-84 8.4% / —
Lake Bolac — 75-84: 8.4% Westmere — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ 2.7% / 8.1%
Lake Bolac — 85+: 2.7% Westmere — 85+: 8.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Lake Bolac 46.7% lone person
Lake Bolac — Lone Person: 46.7% Lake Bolac — Couple Families: 44.6% Lake Bolac — Other Families: 5.4% Lake Bolac — One Parent Families: 3.3%
Westmere 60.0% lone person
Westmere — Lone Person: 60.0% Westmere — Couple Families: 40.0% Westmere — Other Families: 0.0% Westmere — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families Other Families One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Lake Bolac 15.5% renting
Lake Bolac — Owned Outright: 58.1% Lake Bolac — Mortgage: 26.4% Lake Bolac — Renting: 15.5%
Westmere 0.0% renting
Westmere — Owned Outright: 77.8% Westmere — Mortgage: 22.2% Westmere — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Lake Bolac 97.2% houses
Lake Bolac — Houses: 97.2% Lake Bolac — Flats / Apartments: 2.8%
Westmere 100.0% houses
Westmere — Houses: 100.0% Westmere — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Lake Bolac Westmere
Certificate III & IV 13.6% / 14.5%
Lake Bolac — Certificate III & IV: 13.6% Westmere — Certificate III & IV: 14.5%
Bachelor Degree 10.3% / 6.5%
Lake Bolac — Bachelor Degree: 10.3% Westmere — Bachelor Degree: 6.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.2% / 6.5%
Lake Bolac — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2% Westmere — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.9% / 8.1%
Lake Bolac — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9% Westmere — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 8.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.5%).

Property market

Lake Bolac Westmere
Median house price $563,500 —
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Lake Bolac Westmere
Rural and farming 92% 98%
Parks and recreation 7% 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

Lake Bolac Westmere
New dwellings approved 56
across Ararat
same for both
Approvals change year on year +80%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Lake Bolac Westmere
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 25% of VIC Higher than 53% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 84% of VIC Higher than 1% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 39% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 58% of VIC Higher than 47% of VIC

Liveability

Lake Bolac is more walkable (37 vs 0).

Lake Bolac Westmere
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Westmere carries more bushfire risk (70 vs 0); Westmere carries more crime risk (80 vs 25).

Lake Bolac Westmere
Bushfire None
0/100
 High
70/100
Crime Low
25/100
 High
80/100
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 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Lake Bolac Westmere
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Lake Bolac

  • Lake Bolac College Government · Combined at peers

Schools in Westmere

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

Amenities in the suburb

Lake Bolac Westmere
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 1 0
Parks & reserves 5 0
Childcare 1 0
GPs 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 11 1

Mobility

Lake Bolac sits further from the CBD (232 km vs 220.8 km).

Lake Bolac Westmere
Walkability score 37/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 232 km
+5% vs other
 220.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 162 min 154 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.

Lake Bolac Westmere
Car (driver) 59.6% / 62.5%
Lake Bolac — Car (driver): 59.6% Westmere — Car (driver): 62.5%
Worked from Home 27.0% / 37.5%
Lake Bolac — Worked from Home: 27.0% Westmere — Worked from Home: 37.5%
Walked Only 7.8% / —
Lake Bolac — Walked Only: 7.8% Westmere — Walked Only: not among its largest
Car (passenger) 5.7% / —
Lake Bolac — Car (passenger): 5.7% Westmere — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (62.5%).

Setting

Lake Bolac Westmere
Elevation 217 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 237 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Lake Bolac Westmere
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
188 premises
 0%
33 premises

Climate

Lake Bolac Westmere
Annual rainfall 594 mm 554 mm
Summer max (Jan) 26.1°C 27.5°C
Winter min (Jul) 4.7°C 4.0°C

Council rates

Lake Bolac Westmere
Average residential rate $2,002/yr
same for both
Council Ararat
same for both

Federal electorate

Lake Bolac Westmere
Division Wannon
same for both
Member Dan Tehan
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Lake Bolac Westmere
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Lake Bolac

Quiet Rural

Westmere

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Lake Bolac

Lake Bolac vs Willaura Lake Bolac vs Woorndoo Lake Bolac vs Wickliffe Lake Bolac vs Mininera

Other comparisons with Westmere

Westmere vs Streatham Westmere vs Mininera
Full data on Lake Bolac Full data on Westmere
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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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