Lake Bolac vs Wickliffe
Lake Bolac is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 53 in Wickliffe. In both, the large majority of 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
Lake Bolac
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (5 vs 2)
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 54/100)
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
Wickliffe
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($125/wk vs $150/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Lake Bolac
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (37/100 vs 6/100)
- has a shorter drive in (162 min vs 175 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (232 km vs 243.7 km)
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 6/100)
- carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 54/100)
- But Wickliffe has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 24%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Lake Bolac and Wickliffe 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
Lake Bolac has more residents (368 vs 123); Lake Bolac rents higher ($150/wk vs $125/wk).
| Lake Bolac | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 368 +67% vs other | 123 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +11.5% | +8.8% |
| Median age | 48 | 53 |
| Median household income | $63,960/yr +5% vs other | $60,632/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $150/wk +17% vs other | $125/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.8%).
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 (4.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Lake Bolac | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $563,500 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Lake Bolac | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 92% | 99% |
| Parks and recreation | 7% | 0% |
| 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 | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 56 across Ararat same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +80% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Lake Bolac | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 25% of VIC | Higher than 21% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 84% of VIC | Higher than 68% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 39% of VIC | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 58% of VIC | Higher than 25% of VIC |
Liveability
Lake Bolac is more walkable (37 vs 6).
| Lake Bolac | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Wickliffe carries more flood risk (27 vs 0); Wickliffe carries more bushfire risk (18 vs 0).
| Lake Bolac | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 18/100 |
| Crime | Low 25/100 | Moderate 54/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 | Low 27/100 |
| 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
| Lake Bolac | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Wickliffe
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Lake Bolac | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 5 | 2 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 11 | 13 |
Mobility
Wickliffe sits further from the CBD (243.7 km vs 232 km).
| Lake Bolac | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 37/100 | 6/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 232 km | 243.7 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 162 min | 175 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 3351 | 0.0% postcode 3379 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 52 postcode 3351 | 33 postcode 3379 |
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 (59.6%).
Setting
| Lake Bolac | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 217 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 208 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Lake Bolac | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 24/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 188 premises | 0% 53 premises |
Climate
| Lake Bolac | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 594 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Lake Bolac | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,002/yr same for both | |
| Council | Ararat same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Lake Bolac | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Lake Bolac | Wickliffe | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Lake Bolac
Other comparisons with Wickliffe
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.