North Bendigo vs California Gully

In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In North Bendigo, about half of households rent and about half of households are people living alone. In California Gully, most households own their home. On these figures, North Bendigo tends to suit renters.

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

Too close to call

Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

First-home buyers

California Gully

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper units ($331,000 vs $427,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • North Bendigo has a bigger rental market to choose from (46% vs 35%)
  • California Gully has cheaper rent ($251/wk vs $285/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

North Bendigo

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)

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

Investors

California Gully

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (5.1% vs 4.3%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

North Bendigo and California Gully drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

North Bendigo California Gully
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.

North Bendigo California Gully
Walkability 67 / 61
North Bendigo — Walkability: 67/100 California Gully — Walkability: 61/100
Safety 23 / 20
North Bendigo — Safety: 23/100 California Gully — Safety: 20/100
Low fire risk 100 / 44
North Bendigo — Low fire risk: 100/100 California Gully — Low fire risk: 44/100
Low flood risk 56 / 64
North Bendigo — Low flood risk: 56/100 California Gully — Low flood risk: 64/100

Demographics

North Bendigo has higher household incomes ($66,612 vs $54,808); North Bendigo rents higher ($285/wk vs $251/wk).

North Bendigo California Gully
Population 4,277 4,476
+5% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.4% +2.6%
Median age 37 39
Median household income $66,612/yr
+18% vs other
 $54,808/yr
Median weekly rent $285/wk
+12% vs other
 $251/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

North Bendigo California Gully
0-4 5.4% / 5.2%
North Bendigo — 0-4: 5.4% California Gully — 0-4: 5.2%
5-14 10.2% / 13.5%
North Bendigo — 5-14: 10.2% California Gully — 5-14: 13.5%
15-19 5.5% / 6.7%
North Bendigo — 15-19: 5.5% California Gully — 15-19: 6.7%
20-24 7.9% / 6.6%
North Bendigo — 20-24: 7.9% California Gully — 20-24: 6.6%
25-34 17.2% / 13.0%
North Bendigo — 25-34: 17.2% California Gully — 25-34: 13.0%
35-44 11.4% / 11.4%
North Bendigo — 35-44: 11.4% California Gully — 35-44: 11.4%
45-54 11.4% / 11.4%
North Bendigo — 45-54: 11.4% California Gully — 45-54: 11.4%
55-64 11.0% / 12.6%
North Bendigo — 55-64: 11.0% California Gully — 55-64: 12.6%
65-74 9.2% / 10.9%
North Bendigo — 65-74: 9.2% California Gully — 65-74: 10.9%
75-84 6.0% / 6.0%
North Bendigo — 75-84: 6.0% California Gully — 75-84: 6.0%
85+ 4.7% / 2.9%
North Bendigo — 85+: 4.7% California Gully — 85+: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

North Bendigo 45.8% lone person
North Bendigo — Lone Person: 45.8% North Bendigo — Couple Families: 26.4% North Bendigo — One Parent Families: 18.9% North Bendigo — Group Household: 6.9% North Bendigo — Other Families: 2.0%
California Gully 43.9% lone person
California Gully — Lone Person: 43.9% California Gully — Couple Families: 25.1% California Gully — One Parent Families: 24.6% California Gully — Group Household: 3.6% California Gully — Other Families: 2.8%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

North Bendigo 46.5% renting
North Bendigo — Owned Outright: 27.4% North Bendigo — Mortgage: 26.2% North Bendigo — Renting: 46.5%
California Gully 35.0% renting
California Gully — Owned Outright: 31.6% California Gully — Mortgage: 33.4% California Gully — Renting: 35.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

North Bendigo California Gully
Certificate III & IV 15.5% / 17.3%
North Bendigo — Certificate III & IV: 15.5% California Gully — Certificate III & IV: 17.3%
Bachelor Degree 10.2% / 5.5%
North Bendigo — Bachelor Degree: 10.2% California Gully — Bachelor Degree: 5.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.1% / 5.2%
North Bendigo — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.1% California Gully — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.2%
Postgraduate Degree 3.5% / 1.3%
North Bendigo — Postgraduate Degree: 3.5% California Gully — Postgraduate Degree: 1.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.9% / 1.2%
North Bendigo — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9% California Gully — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).

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.

North Bendigo California Gully
Myanmar 1.2% / 1.9%
North Bendigo — Myanmar: 1.2% California Gully — Myanmar: 1.9%
Thailand 0.9% / 2.0%
North Bendigo — Thailand: 0.9% California Gully — Thailand: 2.0%
India 2.6% / 0.2%
North Bendigo — India: 2.6% California Gully — India: 0.2%
England 1.6% / 1.1%
North Bendigo — England: 1.6% California Gully — England: 1.1%
Philippines 1.1% / 0.5%
North Bendigo — Philippines: 1.1% California Gully — Philippines: 0.5%
New Zealand 0.8% / 0.8%
North Bendigo — New Zealand: 0.8% California Gully — New Zealand: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

North Bendigo 88.0% houses
North Bendigo — Houses: 88.0% North Bendigo — Townhouses: 9.6% North Bendigo — Flats / Apartments: 2.4%
California Gully 95.4% houses
California Gully — Houses: 95.4% California Gully — Townhouses: 3.6% California Gully — Flats / Apartments: 1.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

North Bendigo California Gully
Median house price $530,500 $549,000
Median unit price $427,500 $331,000
Median land price $280,000 $305,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 44 sales
 22 days
from 32 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.

North Bendigo California Gully
2 bed $465K / $382K
North Bendigo — 2 bed: $465K (15 sales) California Gully — 2 bed: $382K (17 sales)

15 vs 17 sales

3 bed $518K / $550K
North Bendigo — 3 bed: $518K (102 sales) California Gully — 3 bed: $550K (74 sales)

102 vs 74 sales

4 bed $644K / $606K
North Bendigo — 4 bed: $644K (24 sales) California Gully — 4 bed: $606K (17 sales)

24 vs 17 sales

Zoning mix

North Bendigo California Gully
Residential 55% 71%
Infrastructure and transport 16% 11%
Industrial 12% 7%
Parks and recreation 11%
same for both
Other and special use 5% 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

North Bendigo California Gully
New dwellings approved 885
across Greater Bendigo
same for both
Approvals change year on year +28%
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.

North Bendigo California Gully
Houses 4.3%
$505/wk on $615K
 5.1%
$540/wk on $550K
Units 4.7%
$450/wk on $500K
 —

Ranking within VIC

North Bendigo California Gully
House price Higher than 15% of VIC Higher than 16% of VIC
Income Higher than 27% of VIC Higher than 13% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 89% of VIC Higher than 88% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 73% of VIC Higher than 47% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 67% of VIC Higher than 17% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 76% of VIC Higher than 85% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 84% of VIC Higher than 98% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 44% of VIC —

Liveability

North Bendigo scores higher overall (40 vs 22).

North Bendigo California Gully
Grade C D
Score 40/100 22/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 high-need area
decile 1/10

Risk profile

California Gully carries more bushfire risk (56 vs 0).

North Bendigo California Gully
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
56/100
Crime High
77/100
 High
80/100
Flood Moderate
44/100
 Low
36/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 10
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

North Bendigo California Gully
Inside the suburb 2 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
Bendigo Campus, 5.0 km
 1
Bendigo Campus, 6.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.3% 0.5%

Schools in North Bendigo

  • Lightning Reef Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Kalianna School Government · Combined · Special school

Schools in California Gully

  • California Gully Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

North Bendigo California Gully
Parks & reserves 6 5
Childcare 5 3
GPs 3 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 8 13

Mobility

North Bendigo California Gully
Walkability score 67/100 61/100
Distance to Melbourne 154 km 154.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 114 min 115 min
Public transport score 75/100
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 45.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 44.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 3550
 0.2%
postcode 3556
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 34
postcode 3550
 44
postcode 3556

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.

North Bendigo California Gully
Car (driver) 72.3% / 80.6%
North Bendigo — Car (driver): 72.3% California Gully — Car (driver): 80.6%
Worked from Home 11.3% / 9.0%
North Bendigo — Worked from Home: 11.3% California Gully — Worked from Home: 9.0%
Car (passenger) 6.8% / 7.1%
North Bendigo — Car (passenger): 6.8% California Gully — Car (passenger): 7.1%
Walked Only 7.0% / 1.5%
North Bendigo — Walked Only: 7.0% California Gully — Walked Only: 1.5%
Bus 1.1% / 1.3%
North Bendigo — Bus: 1.1% California Gully — Bus: 1.3%
Bicycle 1.3% / 0.5%
North Bendigo — Bicycle: 1.3% California Gully — Bicycle: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.6%).

Setting

North Bendigo California Gully
Elevation 214 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 242 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

North Bendigo California Gully
Connectivity score 64/100 76/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 35%
2,414 premises
 45%
2,273 premises

Climate

North Bendigo California Gully
Annual rainfall 553 mm 598 mm
Summer max (Jan) 29.6°C 27.9°C
Winter min (Jul) 3.1°C 3.7°C

Council rates

North Bendigo California Gully
Average residential rate $1,949/yr
same for both
Council Greater Bendigo
same for both

Federal electorate

North Bendigo California Gully
Division Bendigo
same for both
Member Lisa Chesters
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

North Bendigo California Gully
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

North Bendigo

Affordable Large Blocks River

California Gully

Affordable Large Blocks Parks Quiet River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with North Bendigo

North Bendigo vs Bendigo North Bendigo vs White Hills North Bendigo vs Long Gully North Bendigo vs Jackass Flat

Other comparisons with California Gully

California Gully vs Eaglehawk California Gully vs Maiden Gully California Gully vs Long Gully California Gully vs Jackass Flat
Full data on North Bendigo Full data on California Gully
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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