Strangways vs Sandon
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Strangways, about half of households are couple families. In Sandon, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Strangways tends to suit couples and older residents, while Sandon suits 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
Strangways
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (75% vs 50%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (103% vs 86%)
- But Sandon carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 43/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Strangways
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (14% vs 25%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Strangways
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (16% vs 27%)
- has cheaper rent ($225/wk vs $330/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Strangways
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (138.8 km vs 141 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Strangways has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 20%)
- Sandon carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 43/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Strangways
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (16.1% vs 9.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Strangways and Sandon 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
Sandon rents higher ($330/wk vs $225/wk); Strangways has higher household incomes ($73,112 vs $63,648).
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 101 +12% vs other | 89 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +16.1% | +9.9% |
| Median age | 55 | 53 |
| Median household income | $73,112/yr +13% vs other | $63,648/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $225/wk | $330/wk +47% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.8%).
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 (5.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.8%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $895,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Strangways has more rural and farming land (98% vs 86%).
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 98% | 86% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% | 13% |
| 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
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 102 across Mount Alexander same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -7% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | — | Higher than 25% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 8% of VIC | Higher than 31% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 86% of VIC | Higher than 64% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 29% of VIC | Higher than 15% of VIC |
Liveability
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Strangways carries more flood risk (39 vs 0); Sandon carries more bushfire risk (78 vs 25).
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 25/100 | High 78/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 43/100 | Low 22/100 |
| Flood | Low 39/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 1 | 3 |
Mobility
Sandon sits further from the CBD (141 km vs 138.8 km).
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 138.8 km | 141 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 107 min | 110 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.4% postcode 3461 | 0.7% postcode 3462 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 48 postcode 3461 | 56 postcode 3462 |
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 (74.2%).
Setting
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 229 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 285 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 27/100 | 18/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 39 premises | 0% 27 premises |
Climate
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 531 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,885/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mount Alexander same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bendigo same for both | |
| Member | Lisa Chesters same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Strangways | Sandon | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Strangways
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Strangways
Other comparisons with Sandon
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.