Sebastian vs Raywood
Sebastian is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 47 in Raywood. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Sebastian, about half of households are couple families. In Raywood, most households are couple families. On these figures, Raywood tends to suit couples 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Sebastian carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 79/100)
- Raywood is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 56%)
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
Raywood
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($220/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Sebastian
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (127 min vs 137 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (172.4 km vs 184.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Sebastian
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 79/100)
- But Raywood has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 13%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Sebastian
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (15.7% vs 3.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Sebastian and Raywood 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
Raywood has more residents (329 vs 251); Sebastian has higher household incomes ($75,504 vs $62,660).
| Sebastian | Raywood | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 251 | 329 +31% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +15.7% | +3.5% |
| Median age | 40 | 47 |
| Median household income | $75,504/yr +17% vs other | $62,660/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk +12% vs other | $220/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).
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 (3.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Raywood has more rural and farming land (98% vs 75%); Sebastian has more land zoned for conservation (14% vs 0%).
| Sebastian | Raywood | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 75% | 98% |
| Environmental | 14% | 0% |
| Parks and recreation | 11% | 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
| Sebastian | Raywood | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 885 across Greater Bendigo | 27 across Loddon |
| Approvals change year on year | +28% | +150% |
Ranking within VIC
| Sebastian | Raywood | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 42% of VIC | Higher than 23% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 77% of VIC | Higher than 58% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 17% of VIC | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 61% of VIC | Higher than 70% of VIC |
Liveability
Sebastian is more walkable (14 vs 0).
| Sebastian | Raywood | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Sebastian carries more bushfire risk (28 vs 0); Raywood carries more flood risk (71 vs 50).
| Sebastian | Raywood | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 28/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 58/100 | High 79/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 50/100 | High 71/100 |
| 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
| Sebastian | Raywood | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Sebastian
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Raywood
- Raywood Primary School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Sebastian | Raywood | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 4 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 7 |
Mobility
Raywood sits further from the CBD (184.8 km vs 172.4 km).
| Sebastian | Raywood | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 14/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 172.4 km | 184.8 km +7% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 127 min | 137 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 3556 | 0.0% postcode 3570 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 44 postcode 3556 | 67 postcode 3570 |
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 (77.0%).
Setting
| Sebastian | Raywood | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 149 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 123 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Sebastian | Raywood | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 101 premises | 0% 158 premises |
Council rates
| Sebastian | Raywood | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,949/yr | $1,353/yr |
| Council | Greater Bendigo | Loddon |
Federal electorate
| Sebastian | Raywood | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bendigo | Mallee |
| Member | Lisa Chesters | Anne Webster |
| Party | Australian Labor Party | The Nationals |
First Home Owner Grant
| Sebastian | Raywood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Sebastian
Other comparisons with Raywood
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.