Magpie vs Scotchmans Lead
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Magpie, most households are couple families. In Scotchmans Lead, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Magpie tends to suit 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Magpie has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 80%)
- Scotchmans Lead carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 71/100)
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
Scotchmans Lead
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $270/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Magpie has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 17%)
- Scotchmans Lead carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 71/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Scotchmans Lead
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (8.2% vs -0.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Magpie and Scotchmans Lead 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
Magpie rents higher ($270/wk vs $0/wk); Magpie has more residents (368 vs 105).
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 368 +71% vs other | 105 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -0.8% | +8.2% |
| Median age | 48 | 50 |
| Median household income | $109,044/yr +2% vs other | $106,600/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $270/wk (not reported on the other side) | — |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (3.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $800,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Scotchmans Lead has more rural and farming land (99% vs 88%).
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 88% | 99% |
| Parks and recreation | 4% | 1% |
| Industrial | 4% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 4% | 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
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,451 across Ballarat same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +42% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 81% of VIC | Higher than 78% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 59% of VIC | Higher than 1% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 39% of VIC | Higher than 37% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 70% of VIC | Higher than 48% of VIC |
Liveability
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Scotchmans Lead carries more bushfire risk (91 vs 16); Magpie carries more crime risk (71 vs 27).
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 16/100 | High 91/100 |
| Crime | High 71/100 | Low 27/100 |
| Flood | Low 10/100 | Low 11/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 Federation University Ballarat, 7.7 km | None |
Schools in Magpie
- Magpie Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Scotchmans Lead
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 same for both | |
Mobility
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 123.1 km | 123.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 97 min | 95 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 (93.3%).
Setting
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 410 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 388 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 123 premises | 0% 36 premises |
Climate
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,086/yr same for both | |
| Council | Ballarat same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Magpie | Scotchmans Lead | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Magpie
Other comparisons with Scotchmans Lead
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.