Lancaster vs St Germains
St Germains is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 47 in Lancaster. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lancaster, about half of households are couple families. In St Germains, most households are couple families.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Lancaster carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 83/100)
- St Germains is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 68%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Lancaster
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 32%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Lancaster has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $225/wk)
- St Germains has a bigger rental market to choose from (30% vs 4%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Lancaster
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (19/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (141 min vs 151 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (201.9 km vs 209.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Lancaster
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (19/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 83/100)
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
Lancaster and St Germains 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
Lancaster has more residents (398 vs 75); St Germains rents higher ($225/wk vs $200/wk).
| Lancaster | St Germains | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 398 +81% vs other | 75 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.3% | +0.0% |
| Median age | 47 | 44 |
| Median household income | $75,608/yr +10% vs other | $68,224/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $225/wk +12% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
Zoning mix
| Lancaster | St Germains | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 98% | 92% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 7% |
| Residential | 1% | 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
| Lancaster | St Germains | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 264 across Campaspe | 649 across Greater Shepparton |
| Approvals change year on year | +63% | -23% |
Ranking within VIC
| Lancaster | St Germains | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 42% of VIC | Higher than 30% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 79% of VIC | Higher than 57% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 8% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 56% of VIC | Higher than 46% of VIC |
Liveability
Lancaster is more walkable (19 vs 0).
| Lancaster | St Germains | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
St Germains carries more crime risk (83 vs 37); St Germains carries more flood risk (99 vs 67).
| Lancaster | St Germains | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 23/100 | Low 18/100 |
| Crime | Low 37/100 | High 83/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 67/100 | High 99/100 |
| 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
| Lancaster | St Germains | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Lancaster
- Lancaster Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in St Germains
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Lancaster | St Germains | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 0 | 2 |
Mobility
St Germains sits further from the CBD (209.8 km vs 201.9 km).
| Lancaster | St Germains | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 19/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 201.9 km | 209.8 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 141 min | 151 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 3620 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 55 postcode 3620 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (62.7%).
Setting
| Lancaster | St Germains | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 106 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 104 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Lancaster | St Germains | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 162 premises | 0% 25 premises |
Climate
| Lancaster | St Germains | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 436 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.8°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Lancaster | St Germains | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,035/yr | $2,449/yr |
| Council | Campaspe | Greater Shepparton |
Federal electorate
| Lancaster | St Germains | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Nicholls same for both | |
| Member | Sam Birrell same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Lancaster | St Germains | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Lancaster
Other comparisons with St Germains
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.