Smythesdale vs Snake Valley

Smythesdale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 46 in Snake Valley. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Smythesdale, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Smythesdale: a median of $622,000, against $502,000 in Snake Valley, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Smythesdale tends to suit families with children and couples, while Snake Valley suits people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

  • Smythesdale has more parks and reserves (13 vs 2)
  • Snake Valley carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 55/100)

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

First-home buyers

Snake Valley

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($250,000 vs $722,500)
  • has cheaper houses ($502,500 vs $622,500)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Snake Valley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $300/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Smythesdale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (47/100 vs 28/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (134.2 km vs 154.5 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Smythesdale is more walkable (47/100 vs 28/100)
  • Snake Valley carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 55/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Smythesdale and Snake 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.

Smythesdale Snake Valley
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.

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Walkability 47 / 28
Smythesdale — Walkability: 47/100 Snake Valley — Walkability: 28/100
Safety 45 / 62
Smythesdale — Safety: 45/100 Snake Valley — Safety: 62/100
Low fire risk 25 / 41
Smythesdale — Low fire risk: 25/100 Snake Valley — Low fire risk: 41/100
Low flood risk 57 / 100
Smythesdale — Low flood risk: 57/100 Snake Valley — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Smythesdale has more residents (1,189 vs 820); Smythesdale has higher household incomes ($86,112 vs $63,752).

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Population 1,189
+31% vs other
 820
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +15.2% +10.4%
Median age 39 46
Median household income $86,112/yr
+26% vs other
 $63,752/yr
Median weekly rent $300/wk
+17% vs other
 $250/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Smythesdale Snake Valley
0-4 6.2% / 3.9%
Smythesdale — 0-4: 6.2% Snake Valley — 0-4: 3.9%
5-14 14.8% / 13.0%
Smythesdale — 5-14: 14.8% Snake Valley — 5-14: 13.0%
15-19 6.1% / 5.0%
Smythesdale — 15-19: 6.1% Snake Valley — 15-19: 5.0%
20-24 6.8% / 4.4%
Smythesdale — 20-24: 6.8% Snake Valley — 20-24: 4.4%
25-34 9.8% / 10.1%
Smythesdale — 25-34: 9.8% Snake Valley — 25-34: 10.1%
35-44 12.5% / 12.0%
Smythesdale — 35-44: 12.5% Snake Valley — 35-44: 12.0%
45-54 14.7% / 15.0%
Smythesdale — 45-54: 14.7% Snake Valley — 45-54: 15.0%
55-64 13.1% / 18.5%
Smythesdale — 55-64: 13.1% Snake Valley — 55-64: 18.5%
65-74 11.2% / 11.1%
Smythesdale — 65-74: 11.2% Snake Valley — 65-74: 11.1%
75-84 4.0% / 5.2%
Smythesdale — 75-84: 4.0% Snake Valley — 75-84: 5.2%
85+ 0.5% / 0.6%
Smythesdale — 85+: 0.5% Snake Valley — 85+: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Smythesdale 53.8% couple families
Smythesdale — Couple Families: 53.8% Smythesdale — Lone Person: 28.3% Smythesdale — One Parent Families: 14.3% Smythesdale — Group Household: 2.2% Smythesdale — Other Families: 1.4%
Snake Valley 41.6% couple families
Snake Valley — Couple Families: 41.6% Snake Valley — Lone Person: 37.3% Snake Valley — One Parent Families: 21.1% Snake Valley — Group Household: 0.0% Snake Valley — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Smythesdale 4.6% renting
Smythesdale — Owned Outright: 42.2% Smythesdale — Mortgage: 53.2% Smythesdale — Renting: 4.6%
Snake Valley 7.9% renting
Snake Valley — Owned Outright: 45.5% Snake Valley — Mortgage: 46.5% Snake Valley — Renting: 7.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Certificate III & IV 22.9% / 18.4%
Smythesdale — Certificate III & IV: 22.9% Snake Valley — Certificate III & IV: 18.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.1% / 7.7%
Smythesdale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1% Snake Valley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7%
Bachelor Degree 5.8% / 7.7%
Smythesdale — Bachelor Degree: 5.8% Snake Valley — Bachelor Degree: 7.7%
Postgraduate Degree 1.0% / 2.1%
Smythesdale — Postgraduate Degree: 1.0% Snake Valley — Postgraduate Degree: 2.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.3% / 0.7%
Smythesdale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3% Snake Valley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.9%).

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.

Smythesdale Snake Valley
England 2.8% / 4.4%
Smythesdale — England: 2.8% Snake Valley — England: 4.4%
Philippines 0.3% / 1.5%
Smythesdale — Philippines: 0.3% Snake Valley — Philippines: 1.5%
New Zealand 0.4% / 1.1%
Smythesdale — New Zealand: 0.4% Snake Valley — New Zealand: 1.1%
Netherlands 0.7% / 0.5%
Smythesdale — Netherlands: 0.7% Snake Valley — Netherlands: 0.5%
Scotland 0.6% / 0.6%
Smythesdale — Scotland: 0.6% Snake Valley — Scotland: 0.6%
China 0.6% / —
Smythesdale — China: 0.6% Snake Valley — China: not among its largest
Germany — / 0.6%
Smythesdale — Germany: not among its largest Snake Valley — Germany: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Smythesdale 98.3% houses
Smythesdale — Houses: 98.3% Smythesdale — Townhouses: 1.7% Smythesdale — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Snake Valley 98.4% houses
Snake Valley — Houses: 98.4% Snake Valley — Townhouses: 0.0% Snake Valley — Flats / Apartments: 1.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Median house price $622,500 $502,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $722,500 $250,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 29 days
from 9 sales
 38 days
from 9 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.

Smythesdale Snake Valley
3 bed $550K / $450K
Smythesdale — 3 bed: $550K (15 sales) Snake Valley — 3 bed: $450K (13 sales)

15 vs 13 sales

4 bed $758K / $642K
Smythesdale — 4 bed: $758K (12 sales) Snake Valley — 4 bed: $642K (6 sales)

12 vs 6 sales

Zoning mix

Snake Valley has more rural and farming land (86% vs 48%).

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Rural and farming 48% 86%
Parks and recreation 41% 12%
Residential 4% 2%
Other and special use 4% 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

Smythesdale Snake Valley
New dwellings approved 186
across Golden Plains
 45
across Pyrenees
Approvals change year on year +10% +100%

Ranking within VIC

Smythesdale Snake Valley
House price Higher than 50% of VIC —
Income Higher than 56% of VIC Higher than 25% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 82% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 55% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 40% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 66% of VIC Higher than 59% of VIC

Liveability

Smythesdale is more walkable (47 vs 28); Snake Valley scores higher overall (43 vs 30).

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Grade D C
Score 30/100 43/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Smythesdale carries more flood risk (43 vs 0); Smythesdale carries more crime risk (55 vs 38).

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Bushfire High
75/100
 Moderate
59/100
Crime Moderate
55/100
 Low
38/100
Flood Moderate
43/100
 None
0/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Smythesdale

  • Woady Yaloak Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Snake Valley

  • Woady Yaloak Primary School-Snake Valley Campus Government · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 13 2
Childcare 0 1
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 14 6

Mobility

Snake Valley sits further from the CBD (154.5 km vs 134.2 km).

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Walkability score 47/100 28/100
Distance to Melbourne 134.2 km 154.5 km
+15% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 106 min 110 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 3351
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 52
postcode 3351
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.

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Car (driver) 77.2% / 84.2%
Smythesdale — Car (driver): 77.2% Snake Valley — Car (driver): 84.2%
Worked from Home 15.6% / 12.6%
Smythesdale — Worked from Home: 15.6% Snake Valley — Worked from Home: 12.6%
Car (passenger) 5.3% / 1.8%
Smythesdale — Car (passenger): 5.3% Snake Valley — Car (passenger): 1.8%
Walked Only 1.2% / 1.4%
Smythesdale — Walked Only: 1.2% Snake Valley — Walked Only: 1.4%
Tram / Light Rail 0.6% / —
Smythesdale — Tram / Light Rail: 0.6% Snake Valley — Tram / Light Rail: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (84.2%).

Setting

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Elevation 363 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 401 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
424 premises
 0%
359 premises

Climate

Smythesdale Snake 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

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Average residential rate $2,052/yr $1,584/yr
Council Golden Plains Pyrenees

Federal electorate

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Division Ballarat Wannon
Member Catherine King Dan Tehan
Party Australian Labor Party Liberal

First Home Owner Grant

Smythesdale Snake Valley
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Smythesdale

Acreage Affordable Parks Quiet

Snake Valley

Affordable Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Smythesdale

Smythesdale vs Smythes Creek Smythesdale vs Haddon Smythesdale vs Ross Creek Smythesdale vs Scarsdale Smythesdale vs Nintingbool Smythesdale vs Hillcrest

Other comparisons with Snake Valley

Snake Valley vs Haddon Snake Valley vs Scarsdale Snake Valley vs Linton Snake Valley vs Carngham Snake Valley vs Hillcrest Snake Valley vs Chepstowe
Full data on Smythesdale Full data on Snake Valley
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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.

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