Mount Macedon vs Hesket
Mount Macedon is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 53 in Hesket. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mount Macedon, most households are couple families. In Hesket, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Mount Macedon tends to suit couples, while Hesket suits share households.
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 Macedon has more parks and reserves (6 vs 0)
- Hesket is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 68%)
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
Hesket
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (6% vs 12%)
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $330/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Mount Macedon
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (64.5 km vs 77.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
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
Mount Macedon and Hesket 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 Macedon has more residents (1,450 vs 178); Mount Macedon rents higher ($330/wk vs $200/wk).
| Mount Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,450 +88% vs other | 178 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +8.6% | +6.0% |
| Median age | 48 | 53 |
| Median household income | $137,644/yr | $160,316/yr +16% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $330/wk +39% vs other | $200/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.8%).
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 (23.0%).
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 (6.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Mount Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,420,500 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $1,800,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 56 days from 14 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Hesket has more land zoned for conservation (93% vs 48%).
| Mount Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 48% | 93% |
| Parks and recreation | 49% | 6% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 3% | 1% |
| 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 Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 331 across Macedon Ranges same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +80% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Mount Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.8% $1,900/wk on $2.05M | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Mount Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 96% of VIC | Higher than 99% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 78% of VIC | Higher than 75% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 96% of VIC | Higher than 90% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 79% of VIC | Higher than 56% of VIC |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 96% of VIC | — |
Liveability
| Mount Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 66/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Mount Macedon carries more flood risk (12 vs 0).
| Mount Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 85/100 | High 77/100 |
| Crime | Low 21/100 | Low 18/100 |
| Flood | Low 12/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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 Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 1 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Mount Macedon
- Braemar College Independent · Combined above peers
- Mount Macedon Primary School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Hesket
- Hesket Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Mount Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 6 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 same for both | |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 13 | 0 |
Mobility
Hesket sits further from the CBD (77.7 km vs 64.5 km).
| Mount Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 17/100 | 13/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 64.5 km | 77.7 km +20% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 56 min | 60 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 2.2% postcode 3441 | 1.6% postcode 3442 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 32 postcode 3441 | 58 postcode 3442 |
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 (49.0%).
Setting
| Mount Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 690 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 675 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Mount Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 69/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 51% 655 premises | 0% 85 premises |
Climate
| Mount Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 778 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Mount Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,065/yr same for both | |
| Council | Macedon Ranges same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Mount Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mcewen same for both | |
| Member | Rob Mitchell same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Mount Macedon | Hesket | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Hesket
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Mount Macedon
Other comparisons with Hesket
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.