North Blackwood vs Trentham East
Trentham East is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 59 in North Blackwood. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In North Blackwood, most households are people living alone. On these figures, North Blackwood tends to suit people living alone and older residents.
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
Trentham East
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 27%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 85%)
- But North Blackwood carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 68/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Trentham East
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 47%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
North Blackwood
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $257/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Trentham East
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (86.3 km vs 89.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
North Blackwood
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 68/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (44% vs 19%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Trentham East
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.3% vs -2.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
North Blackwood and Trentham East 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
Trentham East rents higher ($257/wk vs $0/wk); Trentham East has more residents (181 vs 50).
| North Blackwood | Trentham East | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 50 | 181 +262% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -2.0% | +18.3% |
| Median age | 59 | 50 |
| Median household income | $71,500/yr | $114,608/yr +60% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | — | $257/wk (not reported on the other side) |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (16.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
North Blackwood has more rural and farming land (73% vs 25%); Trentham East has more land zoned for conservation (37% vs 8%).
| North Blackwood | Trentham East | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 73% | 25% |
| Parks and recreation | 19% | 38% |
| Environmental | 8% | 37% |
| 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 Blackwood | Trentham East | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 104 across Hepburn | 331 across Macedon Ranges |
| Approvals change year on year | -6% | +80% |
Ranking within VIC
| North Blackwood | Trentham East | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 37% of VIC | Higher than 86% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 56% of VIC | Higher than 28% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 89% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 22% of VIC | Higher than 24% of VIC |
Liveability
| North Blackwood | Trentham East | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Trentham East carries more crime risk (68 vs 28).
| North Blackwood | Trentham East | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 89/100 | High 83/100 |
| Crime | Low 28/100 | Moderate 68/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| North Blackwood | Trentham East | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| North Blackwood | Trentham East | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 2 | 0 |
Mobility
North Blackwood sits further from the CBD (89.7 km vs 86.3 km).
| North Blackwood | Trentham East | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 89.7 km +4% vs other | 86.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 77 min | 73 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.6% postcode 3458 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 50 postcode 3458 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 (54.4%).
Setting
| North Blackwood | Trentham East | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 726 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 716 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| North Blackwood | Trentham East | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 22/100 | 24/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 27 premises | 0% 91 premises |
Climate
| North Blackwood | Trentham East | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 778 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| North Blackwood | Trentham East | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,748/yr | $2,065/yr |
| Council | Hepburn | Macedon Ranges |
Federal electorate
| North Blackwood | Trentham East | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Ballarat | Mcewen |
| Member | Catherine King | Rob Mitchell |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| North Blackwood | Trentham East | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
North Blackwood
Trentham East
More comparisons
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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.