Wattle Flat vs Dean

Dean is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 54 in Wattle Flat. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Wattle Flat tends to suit couples, while Dean suits families with children.

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

Wattle Flat

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 81/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (87% vs 72%)

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

First-home buyers

Wattle Flat

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 23%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Wattle Flat

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $260/wk)

Weighs rent.

Commuting to the city

Wattle Flat

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (111.3 km vs 114 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Wattle Flat

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 81/100)

Weighs 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

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

Wattle Flat Dean
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.

Wattle Flat Dean
Walkability 0 / 0
Wattle Flat — Walkability: 0/100 Dean — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 43 / 19
Wattle Flat — Safety: 43/100 Dean — Safety: 19/100
Low fire risk 18 / 25
Wattle Flat — Low fire risk: 18/100 Dean — Low fire risk: 25/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Wattle Flat — Low flood risk: 100/100 Dean — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Dean rents higher ($260/wk vs $0/wk); Wattle Flat has higher household incomes ($117,000 vs $75,348).

Wattle Flat Dean
Population 104 132
+27% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.2% +10.0%
Median age 54 38
Median household income $117,000/yr
+36% vs other
 $75,348/yr
Median weekly rent — $260/wk
(not reported on the other side)

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Wattle Flat Dean
0-4 — / 8.3%
Wattle Flat — 0-4: not among its largest Dean — 0-4: 8.3%
5-14 15.4% / 18.9%
Wattle Flat — 5-14: 15.4% Dean — 5-14: 18.9%
15-19 5.8% / 6.8%
Wattle Flat — 15-19: 5.8% Dean — 15-19: 6.8%
20-24 4.8% / 2.3%
Wattle Flat — 20-24: 4.8% Dean — 20-24: 2.3%
25-34 5.8% / 6.8%
Wattle Flat — 25-34: 5.8% Dean — 25-34: 6.8%
35-44 4.8% / 12.9%
Wattle Flat — 35-44: 4.8% Dean — 35-44: 12.9%
45-54 19.2% / 13.6%
Wattle Flat — 45-54: 19.2% Dean — 45-54: 13.6%
55-64 25.0% / 12.9%
Wattle Flat — 55-64: 25.0% Dean — 55-64: 12.9%
65-74 15.4% / 12.1%
Wattle Flat — 65-74: 15.4% Dean — 65-74: 12.1%
75-84 — / 4.5%
Wattle Flat — 75-84: not among its largest Dean — 75-84: 4.5%
85+ — / —
Wattle Flat — 85+: not among its largest Dean — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Wattle Flat 73.9% couple families
Wattle Flat — Couple Families: 73.9% Wattle Flat — Lone Person: 13.0% Wattle Flat — One Parent Families: 13.0%
Dean 58.6% couple families
Dean — Couple Families: 58.6% Dean — Lone Person: 27.6% Dean — One Parent Families: 13.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Wattle Flat 0.0% renting
Wattle Flat — Owned Outright: 41.0% Wattle Flat — Mortgage: 59.0% Wattle Flat — Renting: 0.0%
Dean 0.0% renting
Dean — Owned Outright: 40.5% Dean — Mortgage: 59.5% Dean — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Wattle Flat 100.0% houses
Wattle Flat — Houses: 100.0%
Dean 100.0% houses
Dean — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Wattle Flat Dean
Certificate III & IV 21.2% / 11.4%
Wattle Flat — Certificate III & IV: 21.2% Dean — Certificate III & IV: 11.4%
Bachelor Degree 15.4% / 10.6%
Wattle Flat — Bachelor Degree: 15.4% Dean — Bachelor Degree: 10.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.7% / 6.1%
Wattle Flat — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7% Dean — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.1%
Postgraduate Degree — / 3.0%
Wattle Flat — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Dean — Postgraduate Degree: 3.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).

Zoning mix

Wattle Flat Dean
Rural and farming 94% 95%
Infrastructure and transport 5%
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

Wattle Flat Dean
New dwellings approved 338
across Moorabool
 104
across Hepburn
Approvals change year on year +4% -6%

Ranking within VIC

Wattle Flat Dean
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 89% of VIC Higher than 42% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 47% of VIC Higher than 2% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 38% of VIC Higher than 57% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 36% of VIC Higher than 38% of VIC

Liveability

Wattle Flat Dean
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
same for both

Risk profile

Dean carries more crime risk (81 vs 57).

Wattle Flat Dean
Bushfire High
82/100
 High
75/100
Crime Moderate
57/100
 High
81/100
Flood None
0/100
same for both
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

Wattle Flat Dean
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

Wattle Flat Dean
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Dean sits further from the CBD (114 km vs 111.3 km).

Wattle Flat Dean
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 111.3 km 114 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 81 min 83 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 3352
 0.6%
postcode 3363
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 51
postcode 3352
 51
postcode 3363

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.

Wattle Flat Dean
Car (driver) 56.6% / 74.1%
Wattle Flat — Car (driver): 56.6% Dean — Car (driver): 74.1%
Worked from Home 35.8% / 19.0%
Wattle Flat — Worked from Home: 35.8% Dean — Worked from Home: 19.0%
Car (passenger) 7.5% / —
Wattle Flat — Car (passenger): 7.5% Dean — Car (passenger): not among its largest
Walked Only — / 6.9%
Wattle Flat — Walked Only: not among its largest Dean — Walked Only: 6.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.1%).

Setting

Wattle Flat Dean
Elevation 599 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 587 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Wattle Flat Dean
Connectivity score 28/100 29/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
37 premises
 0%
56 premises

Climate

Wattle Flat Dean
Annual rainfall 714 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Wattle Flat Dean
Average residential rate $1,979/yr $1,748/yr
Council Moorabool Hepburn

Federal electorate

Wattle Flat Dean
Division Ballarat
same for both
Member Catherine King
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Wattle Flat Dean
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Wattle Flat

Rural

Dean

Family Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Wattle Flat

Wattle Flat vs Creswick Wattle Flat vs Glen Park Wattle Flat vs Pootilla Wattle Flat vs Clarkes Hill

Other comparisons with Dean

Dean vs Creswick Dean vs Newlyn Dean vs Mollongghip Dean vs Bullarook Dean vs Clarkes Hill
Full data on Wattle Flat Full data on Dean
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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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