Newtown vs Happy Valley
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Newtown, about half of households are couple families. In Happy Valley, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Newtown 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
- Newtown has more schools inside the suburb (10 vs 0)
- Happy Valley carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 94/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Happy Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 29%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Newtown
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($103/wk vs $150/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Newtown
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (111 min vs 133 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (141.4 km vs 158.2 km)
- But Happy Valley is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Happy Valley
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 94/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Newtown
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (54.9% vs 2.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Newtown and Happy Valley 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
Newtown has more residents (189 vs 87); Happy Valley rents higher ($150/wk vs $103/wk).
| Newtown | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 189 +54% vs other | 87 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +54.9% | +2.4% |
| Median age | 45 | 47 |
| Median household income | $53,300/yr | $61,724/yr +16% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $103/wk | $150/wk +46% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.5%).
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 (10.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Newtown has more rural and farming land (88% vs 69%).
| Newtown | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 88% | 69% |
| Parks and recreation | 5% | 31% |
| Residential | 3% | 0% |
| Environmental | 2% | 0% |
| 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
| Newtown | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 186 across Golden Plains same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +10% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Newtown | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 12% of VIC | Higher than 23% of VIC |
| Schools | Higher than 50% of VIC | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 41% of VIC | Higher than 72% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 40% of VIC | Higher than 42% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 28% of VIC | Higher than 24% of VIC |
Liveability
Happy Valley is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Newtown | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Newtown carries more bushfire risk (84 vs 28); Newtown carries more crime risk (94 vs 35).
| Newtown | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 84/100 | Low 28/100 |
| Crime | High 94/100 | Low 35/100 |
| Flood | High 79/100 | Low 30/100 |
| 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
| Newtown | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 10 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 3 | 0 |
Schools in Newtown
- Woady Yaloak Primary School-Scarsdale Campus Government · Primary
Schools in Happy Valley
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Newtown | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 3 |
| Waterways | 9 | 4 |
Mobility
Happy Valley sits further from the CBD (158.2 km vs 141.4 km).
| Newtown | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 141.4 km | 158.2 km +12% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 111 min | 133 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 3351 | 0.5% postcode 3360 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 52 postcode 3351 | 42 postcode 3360 |
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 (80.0%).
Setting
| Newtown | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 343 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 322 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Newtown | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 26/100 | 24/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 66 premises | 0% 38 premises |
Climate
| Newtown | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Newtown | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,052/yr same for both | |
| Council | Golden Plains same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Newtown | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat same for both | |
| Member | Catherine King same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Newtown | Happy Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Happy Valley
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Newtown
Other comparisons with Happy Valley
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.