Sebastian vs Woodvale

Sebastian is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 44 in Woodvale. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Sebastian tends to suit people living alone.

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

Woodvale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (69% 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

Sebastian

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 24%)
  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $350/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

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

  • Sebastian is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
  • Woodvale sits closer to the CBD (166.8 km vs 172.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Sebastian is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
  • Woodvale has more residents already 65 and over (19% vs 13%)

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

Investors

Woodvale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (23.8% vs 15.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Sebastian Woodvale
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.

Sebastian Woodvale
Walkability 14 / 0
Sebastian — Walkability: 14/100 Woodvale — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 42 / 45
Sebastian — Safety: 42/100 Woodvale — Safety: 45/100
Low fire risk 72 / 88
Sebastian — Low fire risk: 72/100 Woodvale — Low fire risk: 88/100
Low flood risk 50 / 55
Sebastian — Low flood risk: 50/100 Woodvale — Low flood risk: 55/100

Demographics

Woodvale has more residents (556 vs 251); Woodvale rents higher ($350/wk vs $250/wk).

Sebastian Woodvale
Population 251 556
+122% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +15.7% +23.8%
Median age 40 44
Median household income $75,504/yr
+2% vs other
 $74,256/yr
Median weekly rent $250/wk $350/wk
+40% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Sebastian Woodvale
0-4 6.8% / 6.3%
Sebastian — 0-4: 6.8% Woodvale — 0-4: 6.3%
5-14 10.8% / 11.7%
Sebastian — 5-14: 10.8% Woodvale — 5-14: 11.7%
15-19 8.0% / 6.3%
Sebastian — 15-19: 8.0% Woodvale — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 4.0% / 5.2%
Sebastian — 20-24: 4.0% Woodvale — 20-24: 5.2%
25-34 13.1% / 9.9%
Sebastian — 25-34: 13.1% Woodvale — 25-34: 9.9%
35-44 11.6% / 12.6%
Sebastian — 35-44: 11.6% Woodvale — 35-44: 12.6%
45-54 13.5% / 13.1%
Sebastian — 45-54: 13.5% Woodvale — 45-54: 13.1%
55-64 19.9% / 17.8%
Sebastian — 55-64: 19.9% Woodvale — 55-64: 17.8%
65-74 8.8% / 14.4%
Sebastian — 65-74: 8.8% Woodvale — 65-74: 14.4%
75-84 4.4% / 3.6%
Sebastian — 75-84: 4.4% Woodvale — 75-84: 3.6%
85+ — / 1.4%
Sebastian — 85+: not among its largest Woodvale — 85+: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Sebastian 46.8% couple families
Sebastian — Couple Families: 46.8% Sebastian — Lone Person: 33.9% Sebastian — One Parent Families: 9.7% Sebastian — Group Household: 9.7% Sebastian — Other Families: 0.0%
Woodvale 54.7% couple families
Woodvale — Couple Families: 54.7% Woodvale — Lone Person: 25.0% Woodvale — One Parent Families: 14.1% Woodvale — Group Household: 3.1% Woodvale — Other Families: 3.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Sebastian 9.0% renting
Sebastian — Owned Outright: 32.6% Sebastian — Mortgage: 58.4% Sebastian — Renting: 9.0%
Woodvale 6.9% renting
Woodvale — Owned Outright: 49.7% Woodvale — Mortgage: 43.4% Woodvale — Renting: 6.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Sebastian Woodvale
England 3.2% / 1.3%
Sebastian — England: 3.2% Woodvale — England: 1.3%
New Zealand 1.6% / —
Sebastian — New Zealand: 1.6% Woodvale — New Zealand: not among its largest
Scotland 1.2% / —
Sebastian — Scotland: 1.2% Woodvale — Scotland: not among its largest
Germany 1.2% / —
Sebastian — Germany: 1.2% Woodvale — Germany: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.2%).

Qualifications

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

Sebastian Woodvale
Certificate III & IV 15.9% / 19.1%
Sebastian — Certificate III & IV: 15.9% Woodvale — Certificate III & IV: 19.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.2% / 6.3%
Sebastian — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.2% Woodvale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.3%
Bachelor Degree 7.2% / 5.6%
Sebastian — Bachelor Degree: 7.2% Woodvale — Bachelor Degree: 5.6%
Postgraduate Degree 2.0% / 1.8%
Sebastian — Postgraduate Degree: 2.0% Woodvale — Postgraduate Degree: 1.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 1.6%
Sebastian — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Woodvale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Sebastian 100.0% houses
Sebastian — Houses: 100.0%
Woodvale 100.0% houses
Woodvale — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Property market

Sebastian Woodvale
Median house price — $790,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Sebastian Woodvale
Rural and farming 75% 76%
Parks and recreation 11% 15%
Environmental 14% 7%
Infrastructure and transport 1%
same for both
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 Woodvale
New dwellings approved 885
across Greater Bendigo
same for both
Approvals change year on year +28%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Sebastian Woodvale
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 42% of VIC Higher than 40% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 77% of VIC Higher than 37% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 17% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 61% of VIC Higher than 73% of VIC

Liveability

Sebastian is more walkable (14 vs 0).

Sebastian Woodvale
Grade — C
Score — 34/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Sebastian carries more bushfire risk (28 vs 12).

Sebastian Woodvale
Bushfire Low
28/100
 Low
12/100
Crime Moderate
58/100
 Moderate
55/100
Flood Moderate
50/100
 Moderate
45/100
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 Woodvale
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

Sebastian Woodvale
Parks & reserves 2 3
Waterways 2 3

Mobility

Sebastian sits further from the CBD (172.4 km vs 166.8 km).

Sebastian Woodvale
Walkability score 14/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 172.4 km
+3% vs other
 166.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 127 min 124 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 3556
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 44
postcode 3556
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.

Sebastian Woodvale
Car (driver) 77.0% / 79.4%
Sebastian — Car (driver): 77.0% Woodvale — Car (driver): 79.4%
Worked from Home 16.0% / 11.6%
Sebastian — Worked from Home: 16.0% Woodvale — Worked from Home: 11.6%
Car (passenger) 7.0% / 6.5%
Sebastian — Car (passenger): 7.0% Woodvale — Car (passenger): 6.5%
Walked Only — / 2.5%
Sebastian — Walked Only: not among its largest Woodvale — Walked Only: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.4%).

Setting

Sebastian Woodvale
Elevation 149 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 155 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Sebastian Woodvale
Connectivity score 30/100 36/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
101 premises
 10%
223 premises

Council rates

Sebastian Woodvale
Average residential rate $1,949/yr
same for both
Council Greater Bendigo
same for both

Federal electorate

Sebastian Woodvale
Division Bendigo
same for both
Member Lisa Chesters
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Sebastian Woodvale
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Sebastian

Rural

Woodvale

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Sebastian

Sebastian vs Neilborough Sebastian vs Raywood Sebastian vs Campbells Forest

Other comparisons with Woodvale

Woodvale vs Sailors Gully Woodvale vs Myers Flat Woodvale vs Neilborough Woodvale vs Leichardt Woodvale vs Campbells Forest
Full data on Sebastian Full data on Woodvale
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or