Mount Franklin vs Porcupine Ridge
Mount Franklin is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 54 in Porcupine Ridge. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mount Franklin, most households are couple families. In Porcupine Ridge, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Mount Franklin tends to suit couples, while Porcupine Ridge suits people living alone and older residents.
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
Mount Franklin
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (72% vs 35%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Mount Franklin
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (15% vs 30%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Mount Franklin
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (7% vs 22%)
- has cheaper rent ($190/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Porcupine Ridge
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (107.8 km vs 126.5 km)
- has a shorter drive in (91 min vs 100 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Porcupine Ridge
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 9%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Porcupine Ridge
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (22.1% vs 11.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Mount Franklin and Porcupine Ridge 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
Mount Franklin has higher household incomes ($134,316 vs $72,280); Porcupine Ridge rents higher ($300/wk vs $190/wk).
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 99 | 149 +51% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +11.2% | +22.1% |
| Median age | 49 | 54 |
| Median household income | $134,316/yr +46% vs other | $72,280/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $190/wk | $300/wk +58% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.3%).
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 (5.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $710,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 90% | 89% |
| Parks and recreation | 9% | 11% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 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
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 104 across Hepburn same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -6% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 95% of VIC | Higher than 37% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 45% of VIC | Higher than 2% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 87% of VIC | Higher than 86% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 16% of VIC | Higher than 27% of VIC |
Liveability
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 69/100 | High 73/100 |
| Crime | Low 18/100 | Low 24/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 same for both | |
| Waterways | 6 | 0 |
Mobility
Mount Franklin sits further from the CBD (126.5 km vs 107.8 km).
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 126.5 km +15% vs other | 107.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 100 min | 91 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.4% postcode 3461 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 48 postcode 3461 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 (61.7%).
Setting
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 492 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 546 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 19/100 | 26/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 17 premises | 0% 84 premises |
Climate
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 531 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,748/yr same for both | |
| Council | Hepburn same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Mount Franklin | Porcupine Ridge | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Mount Franklin
Other comparisons with Porcupine Ridge
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.