Mount Helen vs Buninyong

Mount Helen is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 45 in Buninyong. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mount Helen, most households are couple families. In Buninyong, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Buninyong: a median of $750,000, against $680,000 in Mount Helen, though rent is higher in Mount Helen. On these figures, Buninyong tends to suit people living alone.

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

  • Mount Helen has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • Buninyong has more parks and reserves (16 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Mount Helen

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 23%)
  • has cheaper land ($335,000 vs $400,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($680,000 vs $750,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Buninyong

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($305/wk vs $345/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Buninyong

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (40/100 vs 28/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Buninyong

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (21% vs 14%)
  • is more walkable (40/100 vs 28/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Mount Helen Buninyong
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.

Mount Helen Buninyong
Walkability 28 / 40
Mount Helen — Walkability: 28/100 Buninyong — Walkability: 40/100
Safety 55 / 55
Mount Helen — Safety: 55/100 Buninyong — Safety: 55/100
Low fire risk 100 / 20
Mount Helen — Low fire risk: 100/100 Buninyong — Low fire risk: 20/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Mount Helen — Low flood risk: 100/100 Buninyong — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Buninyong has more residents (3,797 vs 3,011); Buninyong skews older (45 vs 36).

Mount Helen Buninyong
Population 3,011 3,797
+26% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.2% +2.2%
Median age 36 45
Median household income $107,952/yr
+16% vs other
 $90,740/yr
Median weekly rent $345/wk
+12% vs other
 $305/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Mount Helen Buninyong
0-4 5.6% / 4.5%
Mount Helen — 0-4: 5.6% Buninyong — 0-4: 4.5%
5-14 14.8% / 17.0%
Mount Helen — 5-14: 14.8% Buninyong — 5-14: 17.0%
15-19 8.7% / 6.2%
Mount Helen — 15-19: 8.7% Buninyong — 15-19: 6.2%
20-24 8.4% / 3.2%
Mount Helen — 20-24: 8.4% Buninyong — 20-24: 3.2%
25-34 10.2% / 6.0%
Mount Helen — 25-34: 10.2% Buninyong — 25-34: 6.0%
35-44 12.6% / 12.1%
Mount Helen — 35-44: 12.6% Buninyong — 35-44: 12.1%
45-54 12.8% / 15.3%
Mount Helen — 45-54: 12.8% Buninyong — 45-54: 15.3%
55-64 12.6% / 14.0%
Mount Helen — 55-64: 12.6% Buninyong — 55-64: 14.0%
65-74 9.6% / 14.1%
Mount Helen — 65-74: 9.6% Buninyong — 65-74: 14.1%
75-84 3.7% / 5.5%
Mount Helen — 75-84: 3.7% Buninyong — 75-84: 5.5%
85+ 0.6% / 1.5%
Mount Helen — 85+: 0.6% Buninyong — 85+: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Mount Helen 55.2% couple families
Mount Helen — Couple Families: 55.2% Mount Helen — Lone Person: 23.9% Mount Helen — One Parent Families: 15.6% Mount Helen — Group Household: 4.4% Mount Helen — Other Families: 0.9%
Buninyong 51.0% couple families
Buninyong — Couple Families: 51.0% Buninyong — Lone Person: 32.2% Buninyong — One Parent Families: 13.6% Buninyong — Group Household: 2.4% Buninyong — Other Families: 0.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Mount Helen 17.8% renting
Mount Helen — Owned Outright: 38.5% Mount Helen — Mortgage: 43.7% Mount Helen — Renting: 17.8%
Buninyong 13.4% renting
Buninyong — Owned Outright: 47.8% Buninyong — Mortgage: 38.8% Buninyong — Renting: 13.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Mount Helen Buninyong
Bachelor Degree 14.9% / 16.1%
Mount Helen — Bachelor Degree: 14.9% Buninyong — Bachelor Degree: 16.1%
Certificate III & IV 12.5% / 13.0%
Mount Helen — Certificate III & IV: 12.5% Buninyong — Certificate III & IV: 13.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.6% / 8.7%
Mount Helen — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6% Buninyong — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7%
Postgraduate Degree 5.3% / 5.3%
Mount Helen — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3% Buninyong — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.8% / 4.4%
Mount Helen — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8% Buninyong — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.1%).

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.

Mount Helen Buninyong
England 3.2% / 4.5%
Mount Helen — England: 3.2% Buninyong — England: 4.5%
New Zealand 0.9% / 0.8%
Mount Helen — New Zealand: 0.9% Buninyong — New Zealand: 0.8%
India 0.8% / 0.2%
Mount Helen — India: 0.8% Buninyong — India: 0.2%
Scotland 0.3% / 0.5%
Mount Helen — Scotland: 0.3% Buninyong — Scotland: 0.5%
Netherlands 0.4% / 0.3%
Mount Helen — Netherlands: 0.4% Buninyong — Netherlands: 0.3%
China 0.6% / —
Mount Helen — China: 0.6% Buninyong — China: not among its largest
South Africa 0.6% / —
Mount Helen — South Africa: 0.6% Buninyong — South Africa: not among its largest
Germany — / 0.4%
Mount Helen — Germany: not among its largest Buninyong — Germany: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Mount Helen 93.8% houses
Mount Helen — Houses: 93.8% Mount Helen — Townhouses: 3.4% Mount Helen — Flats / Apartments: 2.8%
Buninyong 96.6% houses
Buninyong — Houses: 96.6% Buninyong — Townhouses: 2.0% Buninyong — Flats / Apartments: 1.5%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Mount Helen Buninyong
Median house price $680,000 $750,000
Median unit price — $410,000
Median land price $335,000 $400,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 45 days
from 33 sales
 44 days
from 58 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.

Mount Helen Buninyong
3 bed $620K / $694K
Mount Helen — 3 bed: $620K (32 sales) Buninyong — 3 bed: $694K (42 sales)

32 vs 42 sales

4 bed $750K / $813K
Mount Helen — 4 bed: $750K (59 sales) Buninyong — 4 bed: $813K (41 sales)

59 vs 41 sales

5 bed $735K / $925K
Mount Helen — 5 bed: $735K (12 sales) Buninyong — 5 bed: $925K (9 sales)

12 vs 9 sales

Zoning mix

Mount Helen Buninyong
Rural and farming 72% 68%
Residential 12% 10%
Environmental 0% 10%
Infrastructure and transport 8% 2%
Parks and recreation 4% 8%
Commercial 4% 0%
Other and special use 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

Mount Helen Buninyong
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.

Mount Helen Buninyong
Houses 2.9%
$450/wk on $818K
 2.8%
$460/wk on $862K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Mount Helen Buninyong
House price Higher than 40% of VIC Higher than 38% of VIC
Income Higher than 80% of VIC Higher than 60% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 82% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 88% of VIC Higher than 76% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 72% of VIC Higher than 78% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 96% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 9% of VIC Higher than 7% of VIC

Liveability

Buninyong is more walkable (40 vs 28); Mount Helen scores higher overall (67 vs 55).

Mount Helen Buninyong
Grade B
same for both
Score 67/100 55/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Buninyong carries more bushfire risk (80 vs 0).

Mount Helen Buninyong
Bushfire None
0/100
 High
80/100
Crime Moderate
45/100
same for both
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 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Mount Helen Buninyong
Inside the suburb 2 1
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
Federation University Ballarat, 8.0 km
 None

Schools in Mount Helen

  • Ballarat Steiner School Independent · Primary above peers
  • Emmaus Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Buninyong

  • Buninyong Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Mount Helen Buninyong
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 1 16
Childcare 3
same for both
GPs 0 2
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Waterways 20 27

Mobility

Mount Helen Buninyong
Walkability score 28/100 40/100
Distance to Melbourne 118.1 km
+1% vs other
 116.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 89 min 88 min
Public transport score 76/100
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 49.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 34.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 3350
 1.0%
postcode 3357
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 30
postcode 3350
 48
postcode 3357

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.

Mount Helen Buninyong
Car (driver) 65.7% / 69.0%
Mount Helen — Car (driver): 65.7% Buninyong — Car (driver): 69.0%
Worked from Home 26.5% / 24.1%
Mount Helen — Worked from Home: 26.5% Buninyong — Worked from Home: 24.1%
Car (passenger) 5.9% / 4.2%
Mount Helen — Car (passenger): 5.9% Buninyong — Car (passenger): 4.2%
Walked Only 0.6% / 1.3%
Mount Helen — Walked Only: 0.6% Buninyong — Walked Only: 1.3%
Bus 0.9% / 0.9%
Mount Helen — Bus: 0.9% Buninyong — Bus: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (69.0%).

Setting

Mount Helen Buninyong
Elevation 495 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 489 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Mount Helen Buninyong
Connectivity score 86/100 90/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 68%
1,664 premises
 85%
1,658 premises

Climate

Mount Helen Buninyong
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

Mount Helen Buninyong
Average residential rate $2,086/yr
same for both
Council Ballarat
same for both

Federal electorate

Mount Helen Buninyong
Division Ballarat
same for both
Member Catherine King
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Mount Helen Buninyong
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Mount Helen

Acreage Quiet River

Buninyong

Acreage Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Mount Helen

Mount Helen vs Mount Clear Mount Helen vs Magpie Mount Helen vs Navigators

Other comparisons with Buninyong

Buninyong vs Durham Lead Buninyong vs Magpie Buninyong vs Yendon Buninyong vs Navigators Buninyong vs Scotsburn Buninyong vs Scotchmans Lead
Full data on Mount Helen Full data on Buninyong
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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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