Lucas vs Cardigan

Lucas is the younger of the two, with a median age of 32 against 36 in Cardigan. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lucas, about half of households are couple families. In Cardigan, the large majority of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Cardigan: a median of $1.14 million, against $644,000 in Lucas, though rent is higher in Lucas. On these figures, Lucas tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Cardigan 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

Lucas

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (5 vs 1)
  • carries lower crime risk (70/100 vs 82/100)
  • But Cardigan is already more of a family suburb (87% vs 67%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Lucas

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($644,000 vs $1,142,500)
  • has cheaper land ($335,000 vs $547,500)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Cardigan

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 19%)
  • has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $380/wk)
  • But Lucas has a bigger rental market to choose from (35% vs 7%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Lucas

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (22/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (93 min vs 98 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (128.3 km vs 132.1 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Lucas

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (22/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (70/100 vs 82/100)

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

Investors

Lucas

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.4% vs 2.8%)

Weighs house yield.

Where they sit

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

Lucas Cardigan
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.

Lucas Cardigan
Walkability 22 / 0
Lucas — Walkability: 22/100 Cardigan — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 30 / 18
Lucas — Safety: 30/100 Cardigan — Safety: 18/100
Low fire risk 100 / 77
Lucas — Low fire risk: 100/100 Cardigan — Low fire risk: 77/100
Low flood risk 64 / 64
Lucas — Low flood risk: 64/100 Cardigan — Low flood risk: 64/100

Demographics

Lucas has more residents (2,994 vs 1,064); Cardigan has higher household incomes ($141,076 vs $101,712).

Lucas Cardigan
Population 2,994
+64% vs other
 1,064
Population trend (2016 → 2021) — +41.1%
Median age 32 36
Median household income $101,712/yr $141,076/yr
+39% vs other
Median weekly rent $380/wk
+8% vs other
 $350/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Lucas Cardigan
0-4 9.9% / 5.5%
Lucas — 0-4: 9.9% Cardigan — 0-4: 5.5%
5-14 15.7% / 18.3%
Lucas — 5-14: 15.7% Cardigan — 5-14: 18.3%
15-19 5.9% / 11.7%
Lucas — 15-19: 5.9% Cardigan — 15-19: 11.7%
20-24 7.1% / 5.1%
Lucas — 20-24: 7.1% Cardigan — 20-24: 5.1%
25-34 16.6% / 8.2%
Lucas — 25-34: 16.6% Cardigan — 25-34: 8.2%
35-44 16.3% / 14.3%
Lucas — 35-44: 16.3% Cardigan — 35-44: 14.3%
45-54 10.3% / 17.9%
Lucas — 45-54: 10.3% Cardigan — 45-54: 17.9%
55-64 6.5% / 12.1%
Lucas — 55-64: 6.5% Cardigan — 55-64: 12.1%
65-74 6.8% / 6.0%
Lucas — 65-74: 6.8% Cardigan — 65-74: 6.0%
75-84 4.0% / 2.1%
Lucas — 75-84: 4.0% Cardigan — 75-84: 2.1%
85+ 0.7% / 0.3%
Lucas — 85+: 0.7% Cardigan — 85+: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Lucas 50.5% couple families
Lucas — Couple Families: 50.5% Lucas — Lone Person: 26.8% Lucas — One Parent Families: 16.4% Lucas — Group Household: 5.1% Lucas — Other Families: 1.1%
Cardigan 81.2% couple families
Cardigan — Couple Families: 81.2% Cardigan — Lone Person: 10.5% Cardigan — One Parent Families: 6.1% Cardigan — Group Household: 2.2% Cardigan — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Lucas 34.8% renting
Lucas — Owned Outright: 21.7% Lucas — Mortgage: 43.5% Lucas — Renting: 34.8%
Cardigan 7.4% renting
Cardigan — Owned Outright: 37.5% Cardigan — Mortgage: 55.2% Cardigan — Renting: 7.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Lucas Cardigan
Certificate III & IV 14.0% / 17.1%
Lucas — Certificate III & IV: 14.0% Cardigan — Certificate III & IV: 17.1%
Bachelor Degree 14.3% / 9.7%
Lucas — Bachelor Degree: 14.3% Cardigan — Bachelor Degree: 9.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 6.9%
Lucas — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Cardigan — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9%
Postgraduate Degree 5.8% / 3.2%
Lucas — Postgraduate Degree: 5.8% Cardigan — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.5% / 2.3%
Lucas — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5% Cardigan — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.1%).

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.

Lucas Cardigan
India 6.4% / 1.1%
Lucas — India: 6.4% Cardigan — India: 1.1%
England 2.6% / 2.6%
Lucas — England: 2.6% Cardigan — England: 2.6%
New Zealand 1.2% / 0.7%
Lucas — New Zealand: 1.2% Cardigan — New Zealand: 0.7%
Philippines 1.3% / 0.4%
Lucas — Philippines: 1.3% Cardigan — Philippines: 0.4%
China 1.6% / —
Lucas — China: 1.6% Cardigan — China: not among its largest
Germany — / 0.8%
Lucas — Germany: not among its largest Cardigan — Germany: 0.8%
Netherlands — / 0.6%
Lucas — Netherlands: not among its largest Cardigan — Netherlands: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Lucas 97.1% houses
Lucas — Houses: 97.1% Lucas — Townhouses: 2.3% Lucas — Flats / Apartments: 0.7%
Cardigan 98.7% houses
Cardigan — Houses: 98.7% Cardigan — Townhouses: 0.0% Cardigan — Flats / Apartments: 1.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Lucas Cardigan
Median house price $644,000 $1,142,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $335,000 $547,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 45 days
from 124 sales
 30 days
from 19 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Lucas Cardigan
4 bed $652K / $1.08M
Lucas — 4 bed: $652K (272 sales) Cardigan — 4 bed: $1.08M (18 sales)

272 vs 18 sales

5 bed $770K / $1.18M
Lucas — 5 bed: $770K (17 sales) Cardigan — 5 bed: $1.18M (8 sales)

17 vs 8 sales

Zoning mix

Cardigan has more rural and farming land (67% vs 0%).

Lucas Cardigan
Residential 99% 9%
Rural and farming 0% 67%
Other and special use 0% 20%
Parks and recreation 0% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 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

Lucas Cardigan
New dwellings approved 1,451
across Ballarat
same for both
Approvals change year on year +42%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Lucas Cardigan
Houses 3.4%
$500/wk on $762K
 2.8%
$700/wk on $1.3M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Lucas Cardigan
House price Higher than 29% of VIC —
Income Higher than 74% of VIC Higher than 96% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 80% of VIC Higher than 60% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 92% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 73% of VIC Higher than 39% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 100% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 32% of VIC Higher than 8% of VIC

Liveability

Lucas is more walkable (22 vs 0); Lucas scores higher overall (55 vs 44).

Lucas Cardigan
Grade B C
Score 55/100 44/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Cardigan carries more bushfire risk (23 vs 0); Cardigan carries more crime risk (82 vs 70).

Lucas Cardigan
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
23/100
Crime High
70/100
 High
82/100
Flood Low
36/100
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 5
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Lucas Cardigan
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, 7.2 km
 None

Schools in Lucas

  • Lucas Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Siena Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Cardigan

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

Amenities in the suburb

Lucas Cardigan
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 1 2
Childcare 5 1
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 0 3

Mobility

Cardigan sits further from the CBD (132.1 km vs 128.3 km).

Lucas Cardigan
Walkability score 22/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 128.3 km 132.1 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 93 min 98 min
Public transport score 42/100 24/100
Peak arrivals per hour 8.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 2.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 2 min
scheduled, not actual
 36 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 3350
 0.4%
postcode 3352
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 30
postcode 3350
 51
postcode 3352

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.

Lucas Cardigan
Car (driver) 75.9% / 77.5%
Lucas — Car (driver): 75.9% Cardigan — Car (driver): 77.5%
Worked from Home 17.5% / 15.5%
Lucas — Worked from Home: 17.5% Cardigan — Worked from Home: 15.5%
Car (passenger) 4.6% / 6.0%
Lucas — Car (passenger): 4.6% Cardigan — Car (passenger): 6.0%
Walked Only 0.8% / 1.0%
Lucas — Walked Only: 0.8% Cardigan — Walked Only: 1.0%
Train 1.0% / —
Lucas — Train: 1.0% Cardigan — Train: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.5%).

Setting

Lucas Cardigan
Elevation 432 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 418 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Lucas Cardigan
Connectivity score 100/100 78/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 99%
2,144 premises
 68%
973 premises

Climate

Lucas Cardigan
Annual rainfall 605 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 3.5°C
same for both

Council rates

Lucas Cardigan
Average residential rate $2,086/yr
same for both
Council Ballarat
same for both

Federal electorate

Lucas Cardigan
Division Ballarat
same for both
Member Catherine King
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Lucas Cardigan
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Lucas

Family Large Blocks Young Families

Cardigan

Acreage Family Luxury

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Lucas

Lucas vs Alfredton Lucas vs Winter Valley Lucas vs Bunkers Hill

Other comparisons with Cardigan

Cardigan vs Alfredton Cardigan vs Wendouree Cardigan vs Haddon Cardigan vs Cardigan Village Cardigan vs Mitchell Park Cardigan vs Bunkers Hill
Full data on Lucas Full data on Cardigan
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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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