Newstead vs Welshmans Reef
Newstead is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 57 in Welshmans Reef. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Newstead, about half of households are people living alone. In Welshmans Reef, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Welshmans Reef: a median of $635,000, against $550,000 in Newstead, and rent is higher there too.
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
Welshmans Reef
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 46/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Newstead
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($550,000 vs $635,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Newstead
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $327/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Newstead
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (40/100 vs 5/100)
- has a shorter drive in (105 min vs 114 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (138 km vs 142.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Newstead is more walkable (40/100 vs 5/100)
- Welshmans Reef carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 46/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Newstead
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (8.8% vs -9.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Newstead and Welshmans Reef 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
Newstead has more residents (820 vs 210); Welshmans Reef has higher household incomes ($65,468 vs $57,460).
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 820 +74% vs other | 210 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +8.8% | -9.9% |
| Median age | 51 | 57 |
| Median household income | $57,460/yr | $65,468/yr +14% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk | $327/wk +9% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.8%).
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 (18.6%).
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 (10.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $550,000 | $635,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $207,500 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 58 days from 4 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 64% | 69% |
| Parks and recreation | 25% | 18% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 5% | 13% |
| Residential | 6% | 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
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 102 across Mount Alexander same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -7% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 16% of VIC | Higher than 26% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 84% of VIC | Higher than 67% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 64% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 56% of VIC | Higher than 29% of VIC |
Liveability
Newstead is more walkable (40 vs 5).
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 56/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Welshmans Reef carries more bushfire risk (23 vs 0); Welshmans Reef carries more flood risk (13 vs 0).
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 23/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 46/100 | Low 17/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 | Low 13/100 |
| 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
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Newstead
- Newstead Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Welshmans Reef
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 5 | 4 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 4 same for both | |
Mobility
Welshmans Reef sits further from the CBD (142.8 km vs 138 km).
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 40/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 138 km | 142.8 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 105 min | 114 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 3462 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 3462 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 (73.4%).
Setting
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 213 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 251 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 26/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 429 premises | 0% 116 premises |
Climate
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 531 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,885/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mount Alexander same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bendigo same for both | |
| Member | Lisa Chesters same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Newstead | Welshmans Reef | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Newstead
Other comparisons with Welshmans Reef
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.