Sulky vs Bald Hills

Bald Hills is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 45 in Sulky. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Sulky, most households are couple families. In Bald Hills, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Sulky tends to suit couples, while Bald Hills 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

Sulky

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 67/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 61%)

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

First-home buyers

Sulky

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 35%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Sulky

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($203/wk vs $230/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Sulky

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (16/100 vs 0/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (123.5 km vs 127.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Sulky

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (16/100 vs 0/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 67/100)

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

Investors

Bald Hills

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (6.5% vs 0.9%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Sulky Bald Hills
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.

Sulky Bald Hills
Walkability 16 / 0
Sulky — Walkability: 16/100 Bald Hills — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 80 / 33
Sulky — Safety: 80/100 Bald Hills — Safety: 33/100
Low fire risk 67 / 67
Sulky — Low fire risk: 67/100 Bald Hills — Low fire risk: 67/100
Low flood risk 41 / 100
Sulky — Low flood risk: 41/100 Bald Hills — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Sulky has more residents (234 vs 114); Sulky has higher household incomes ($117,000 vs $86,632).

Sulky Bald Hills
Population 234
+51% vs other
 114
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.9% +6.5%
Median age 45 40
Median household income $117,000/yr
+26% vs other
 $86,632/yr
Median weekly rent $203/wk $230/wk
+13% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Sulky Bald Hills
0-4 1.3% / 6.1%
Sulky — 0-4: 1.3% Bald Hills — 0-4: 6.1%
5-14 18.8% / 16.7%
Sulky — 5-14: 18.8% Bald Hills — 5-14: 16.7%
15-19 7.7% / 5.3%
Sulky — 15-19: 7.7% Bald Hills — 15-19: 5.3%
20-24 3.0% / 4.4%
Sulky — 20-24: 3.0% Bald Hills — 20-24: 4.4%
25-34 5.1% / 10.5%
Sulky — 25-34: 5.1% Bald Hills — 25-34: 10.5%
35-44 12.8% / 5.3%
Sulky — 35-44: 12.8% Bald Hills — 35-44: 5.3%
45-54 19.7% / 18.4%
Sulky — 45-54: 19.7% Bald Hills — 45-54: 18.4%
55-64 16.7% / 12.3%
Sulky — 55-64: 16.7% Bald Hills — 55-64: 12.3%
65-74 9.4% / 5.3%
Sulky — 65-74: 9.4% Bald Hills — 65-74: 5.3%
75-84 4.3% / 4.4%
Sulky — 75-84: 4.3% Bald Hills — 75-84: 4.4%
85+ — / —
Sulky — 85+: not among its largest Bald Hills — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Sulky 61.0% couple families
Sulky — Couple Families: 61.0% Sulky — Lone Person: 23.7% Sulky — One Parent Families: 15.3%
Bald Hills 50.0% couple families
Bald Hills — Couple Families: 50.0% Bald Hills — Lone Person: 39.3% Bald Hills — One Parent Families: 10.7%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Sulky 0.0% renting
Sulky — Owned Outright: 50.0% Sulky — Mortgage: 50.0% Sulky — Renting: 0.0%
Bald Hills 0.0% renting
Bald Hills — Owned Outright: 69.4% Bald Hills — Mortgage: 30.6% Bald Hills — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Sulky 100.0% houses
Sulky — Houses: 100.0%
Bald Hills 100.0% houses
Bald Hills — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Sulky Bald Hills
Certificate III & IV 19.7% / 11.4%
Sulky — Certificate III & IV: 19.7% Bald Hills — Certificate III & IV: 11.4%
Bachelor Degree 8.1% / 9.6%
Sulky — Bachelor Degree: 8.1% Bald Hills — Bachelor Degree: 9.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.4% / 3.5%
Sulky — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4% Bald Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.8% / 4.4%
Sulky — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8% Bald Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.4%
Postgraduate Degree 3.0% / 2.6%
Sulky — Postgraduate Degree: 3.0% Bald Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.7%).

Zoning mix

Bald Hills has more rural and farming land (99% vs 83%).

Sulky Bald Hills
Rural and farming 83% 99%
Parks and recreation 13% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 1%
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

Sulky Bald Hills
New dwellings approved 104
across Hepburn
 1,451
across Ballarat
Approvals change year on year -6% +42%

Ranking within VIC

Sulky Bald Hills
House price —
same for both
Income — Higher than 56% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 78% of VIC Higher than 10% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 38% of VIC Higher than 51% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 64% of VIC Higher than 52% of VIC

Liveability

Sulky is more walkable (16 vs 0).

Sulky Bald Hills
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Sulky carries more flood risk (59 vs 0); Bald Hills carries more crime risk (67 vs 20).

Sulky Bald Hills
Bushfire Low
33/100
same for both
Crime Low
20/100
 Moderate
67/100
Flood Moderate
59/100
 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

Sulky Bald Hills
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

Sulky Bald Hills
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Bald Hills sits further from the CBD (127.4 km vs 123.5 km).

Sulky Bald Hills
Walkability score 16/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 123.5 km 127.4 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 87 min 90 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 3352
 0.5%
postcode 3364
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 51
postcode 3352
 53
postcode 3364

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.

Sulky Bald Hills
Car (driver) 81.0% / 66.7%
Sulky — Car (driver): 81.0% Bald Hills — Car (driver): 66.7%
Worked from Home 13.2% / 14.8%
Sulky — Worked from Home: 13.2% Bald Hills — Worked from Home: 14.8%
Walked Only 5.8% / 7.4%
Sulky — Walked Only: 5.8% Bald Hills — Walked Only: 7.4%
Car (passenger) — / 11.1%
Sulky — Car (passenger): not among its largest Bald Hills — Car (passenger): 11.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (81.0%).

Setting

Sulky Bald Hills
Elevation 471 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 436 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Sulky Bald Hills
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
85 premises
 0%
46 premises

Climate

Sulky Bald Hills
Annual rainfall 714 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Sulky Bald Hills
Average residential rate $1,748/yr $2,086/yr
Council Hepburn Ballarat

Federal electorate

Sulky Bald Hills
Division Ballarat
same for both
Member Catherine King
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Sulky Bald Hills
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Sulky

Rural

Bald Hills

Family Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Sulky

Sulky vs Miners Rest Sulky vs Creswick Sulky vs Invermay Sulky vs Mount Rowan

Other comparisons with Bald Hills

Bald Hills vs Miners Rest Bald Hills vs Creswick Bald Hills vs Ascot Bald Hills vs Blowhard
Full data on Sulky Full data on Bald Hills
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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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