Lockwood vs Big Hill
Big Hill is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 46 in Lockwood. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Big Hill tends to suit families with children.
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
- Lockwood carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 77/100)
- Big Hill has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Lockwood has a shorter drive in (102 min vs 109 min)
- Big Hill sits closer to the CBD (144 km vs 146.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Lockwood
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 77/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (20% vs 14%)
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
Lockwood and Big Hill 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
Lockwood has more residents (806 vs 281); Lockwood skews older (46 vs 37).
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 806 +65% vs other | 281 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.9% | +7.7% |
| Median age | 46 | 37 |
| Median household income | $93,600/yr +2% vs other | $92,092/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $275/wk | $280/wk +2% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).
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 (18.9%).
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 (1.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $786,500 | $772,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Lockwood has more rural and farming land (71% vs 6%).
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks and recreation | 27% | 74% |
| Rural and farming | 71% | 6% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 11% |
| Environmental | 0% | 6% |
| Residential | 0% | 2% |
| Industrial | 0% | 2% |
| 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
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 885 across Greater Bendigo same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +28% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 63% of VIC | Higher than 61% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 74% of VIC | Higher than 76% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 55% of VIC | Higher than 36% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 53% of VIC | Higher than 93% of VIC |
Liveability
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 56/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Big Hill carries more flood risk (35 vs 0); Big Hill carries more bushfire risk (17 vs 0).
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 17/100 |
| Crime | Low 35/100 | High 77/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 | Low 35/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Low 37/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 6 within 5 km | 4 within 5 km |
Schools
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
| Universities within 10 km | None | 1 Bendigo Campus, 8.4 km |
Schools in Lockwood
- Lockwood Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Big Hill
- Big Hill Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Childcare | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 0 | 18 |
Mobility
Lockwood sits further from the CBD (146.6 km vs 144 km).
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 13/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 146.6 km +2% vs other | 144 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 102 min | 109 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 3551 | 0.4% postcode 3555 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 64 postcode 3551 | 38 postcode 3555 |
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 (82.4%).
Setting
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 230 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 313 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 84/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 308 premises | 75% 115 premises |
Climate
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 598 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,949/yr same for both | |
| Council | Greater Bendigo same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bendigo same for both | |
| Member | Lisa Chesters same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Lockwood | Big Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Lockwood
Other comparisons with Big Hill
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.