Leigh Creek vs Pootilla
In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Leigh Creek, about half of households are people living alone. In Pootilla, most households are couple families. On these figures, Leigh Creek tends to suit people living alone, while Pootilla suits couples.
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
Pootilla
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 50%)
- carries lower crime risk (87/100 vs 97/100)
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
Leigh Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($260/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Leigh Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (105.2 km vs 107.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Pootilla
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 20%)
- carries lower crime risk (87/100 vs 97/100)
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
Leigh Creek and Pootilla 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
Pootilla has higher household incomes ($84,448 vs $71,500); Pootilla rents higher ($300/wk vs $260/wk).
| Leigh Creek | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 65 | 79 +22% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +3.2% | +5.3% |
| Median age | 47 | 45 |
| Median household income | $71,500/yr | $84,448/yr +18% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $260/wk | $300/wk +15% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.5%).
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
| Leigh Creek | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 81% | 78% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 20% | 22% |
| 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
| Leigh Creek | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 338 across Moorabool same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +4% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Leigh Creek | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 36% of VIC | Higher than 52% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 34% of VIC | Higher than 32% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 37% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 59% of VIC same for both | |
Liveability
| Leigh Creek | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Leigh Creek carries more bushfire risk (72 vs 61); Leigh Creek carries more crime risk (97 vs 87).
| Leigh Creek | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 72/100 | Moderate 61/100 |
| Crime | High 97/100 | High 87/100 |
| 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 | 2 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Leigh Creek | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 Federation University Ballarat, 9.7 km | None |
Amenities in the suburb
| Leigh Creek | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 8 | 0 |
Mobility
Pootilla sits further from the CBD (107.2 km vs 105.2 km).
| Leigh Creek | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 105.2 km | 107.2 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 74 min | 78 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (63.2%).
Setting
| Leigh Creek | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 578 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 567 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Leigh Creek | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 29 premises | 0% 31 premises |
Climate
| Leigh Creek | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 605 mm | 714 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.7°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.5°C | — |
Council rates
| Leigh Creek | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,979/yr same for both | |
| Council | Moorabool same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Leigh Creek | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Leigh Creek | Pootilla | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Leigh Creek
Other comparisons with Pootilla
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.