Sugarloaf Creek vs Hilldene

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Sugarloaf Creek, the large majority of households are couple families. In Hilldene, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Sugarloaf Creek tends to suit couples, while Hilldene 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

Sugarloaf Creek

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 74/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (92% vs 64%)

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

First-home buyers

Sugarloaf Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 28%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Sugarloaf Creek

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (9% vs 15%)
  • has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $250/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Sugarloaf Creek

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (96.3 km vs 115 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (79 min vs 85 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Sugarloaf Creek carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 74/100)
  • Hilldene has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 18%)

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

Investors

Sugarloaf Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (4.5% vs -4.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
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.

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
Walkability 0 / 0
Sugarloaf Creek — Walkability: 0/100 Hilldene — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 69 / 26
Sugarloaf Creek — Safety: 69/100 Hilldene — Safety: 26/100
Low fire risk 38 / 46
Sugarloaf Creek — Low fire risk: 38/100 Hilldene — Low fire risk: 46/100
Low flood risk 54 / 47
Sugarloaf Creek — Low flood risk: 54/100 Hilldene — Low flood risk: 47/100

Demographics

Sugarloaf Creek has higher household incomes ($113,100 vs $86,632); Hilldene has more residents (330 vs 255).

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
Population 255 330
+29% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.5% -4.6%
Median age 49
same for both
Median household income $113,100/yr
+23% vs other
 $86,632/yr
Median weekly rent $200/wk $250/wk
+25% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
0-4 5.1% / 3.3%
Sugarloaf Creek — 0-4: 5.1% Hilldene — 0-4: 3.3%
5-14 11.8% / 14.5%
Sugarloaf Creek — 5-14: 11.8% Hilldene — 5-14: 14.5%
15-19 7.8% / 8.2%
Sugarloaf Creek — 15-19: 7.8% Hilldene — 15-19: 8.2%
20-24 5.5% / 2.4%
Sugarloaf Creek — 20-24: 5.5% Hilldene — 20-24: 2.4%
25-34 6.3% / 5.8%
Sugarloaf Creek — 25-34: 6.3% Hilldene — 25-34: 5.8%
35-44 7.8% / 9.4%
Sugarloaf Creek — 35-44: 7.8% Hilldene — 35-44: 9.4%
45-54 19.2% / 15.5%
Sugarloaf Creek — 45-54: 19.2% Hilldene — 45-54: 15.5%
55-64 20.8% / 16.1%
Sugarloaf Creek — 55-64: 20.8% Hilldene — 55-64: 16.1%
65-74 14.1% / 13.9%
Sugarloaf Creek — 65-74: 14.1% Hilldene — 65-74: 13.9%
75-84 3.9% / 9.4%
Sugarloaf Creek — 75-84: 3.9% Hilldene — 75-84: 9.4%
85+ — / 1.5%
Sugarloaf Creek — 85+: not among its largest Hilldene — 85+: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Sugarloaf Creek 79.2% couple families
Sugarloaf Creek — Couple Families: 79.2% Sugarloaf Creek — Lone Person: 8.3% Sugarloaf Creek — One Parent Families: 12.5% Sugarloaf Creek — Other Families: 0.0%
Hilldene 51.5% couple families
Hilldene — Couple Families: 51.5% Hilldene — Lone Person: 30.3% Hilldene — One Parent Families: 12.1% Hilldene — Other Families: 6.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Sugarloaf Creek 8.0% renting
Sugarloaf Creek — Owned Outright: 49.3% Sugarloaf Creek — Mortgage: 42.7% Sugarloaf Creek — Renting: 8.0%
Hilldene 7.1% renting
Hilldene — Owned Outright: 49.5% Hilldene — Mortgage: 43.4% Hilldene — Renting: 7.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
Certificate III & IV 17.6% / 17.6%
Sugarloaf Creek — Certificate III & IV: 17.6% Hilldene — Certificate III & IV: 17.6%
Bachelor Degree 7.5% / 7.9%
Sugarloaf Creek — Bachelor Degree: 7.5% Hilldene — Bachelor Degree: 7.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.5% / 7.0%
Sugarloaf Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.5% Hilldene — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.0%
Postgraduate Degree 4.7% / 3.0%
Sugarloaf Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 4.7% Hilldene — Postgraduate Degree: 3.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.2% / 1.5%
Sugarloaf Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2% Hilldene — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).

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.

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
England 2.4% / 3.3%
Sugarloaf Creek — England: 2.4% Hilldene — England: 3.3%
Italy — / 1.8%
Sugarloaf Creek — Italy: not among its largest Hilldene — Italy: 1.8%
New Zealand — / 1.5%
Sugarloaf Creek — New Zealand: not among its largest Hilldene — New Zealand: 1.5%
Germany — / 1.5%
Sugarloaf Creek — Germany: not among its largest Hilldene — Germany: 1.5%
Scotland 1.2% / —
Sugarloaf Creek — Scotland: 1.2% Hilldene — Scotland: not among its largest
Netherlands — / 1.2%
Sugarloaf Creek — Netherlands: not among its largest Hilldene — Netherlands: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Sugarloaf Creek 94.4% houses
Sugarloaf Creek — Houses: 94.4% Sugarloaf Creek — Flats / Apartments: 5.6%
Hilldene 100.0% houses
Hilldene — Houses: 100.0% Hilldene — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Zoning mix

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
Rural and farming 100% 91%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 6%
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

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
New dwellings approved 1,074
across Mitchell
same for both
Approvals change year on year +70%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
House price —
same for both
Income — Higher than 57% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 61% of VIC Higher than 58% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 29% of VIC Higher than 17% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 70% of VIC Higher than 46% of VIC

Liveability

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Hilldene carries more crime risk (74 vs 31).

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
Bushfire Moderate
62/100
 Moderate
54/100
Crime Low
31/100
 High
74/100
Flood Moderate
46/100
 Moderate
53/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
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

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
Parks & reserves 0 2
Waterways 3 4

Mobility

Hilldene sits further from the CBD (115 km vs 96.3 km).

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 96.3 km 115 km
+19% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 79 min 85 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 3658
 0.2%
postcode 3660
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 57
postcode 3658
 46
postcode 3660

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.

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
Car (driver) 75.2% / 69.0%
Sugarloaf Creek — Car (driver): 75.2% Hilldene — Car (driver): 69.0%
Worked from Home 16.5% / 26.4%
Sugarloaf Creek — Worked from Home: 16.5% Hilldene — Worked from Home: 26.4%
Car (passenger) 8.3% / 4.7%
Sugarloaf Creek — Car (passenger): 8.3% Hilldene — Car (passenger): 4.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (75.2%).

Setting

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
Elevation 204 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 173 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
Connectivity score 30/100 29/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
96 premises
 0%
138 premises

Climate

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
Annual rainfall 540 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
Average residential rate $1,947/yr
same for both
Council Mitchell
same for both

Federal electorate

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
Division Nicholls
same for both
Member Sam Birrell
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Sugarloaf Creek Hilldene
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Sugarloaf Creek

Quiet Rural

Hilldene

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Sugarloaf Creek

Sugarloaf Creek vs Broadford Sugarloaf Creek vs Tallarook Sugarloaf Creek vs Glenaroua

Other comparisons with Hilldene

Hilldene vs Seymour Hilldene vs Puckapunyal Hilldene vs Tallarook Hilldene vs Glenaroua Hilldene vs Northwood
Full data on Sugarloaf Creek Full data on Hilldene
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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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