Waurn Ponds vs Ceres

Waurn Ponds is the younger of the two, with a median age of 27 against 41 in Ceres. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Ceres: a median of $1.13 million, against $790,000 in Waurn Ponds, though rent is higher in Waurn Ponds. On these figures, Waurn Ponds tends to suit young adults and buyers on a tighter budget, while Ceres 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Waurn Ponds has more parks and reserves (5 vs 2)
  • Ceres carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 58/100)

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

First-home buyers

Waurn Ponds

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($790,000 vs $1,131,250)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Ceres

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 19%)
  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $430/wk)
  • But Waurn Ponds has a bigger rental market to choose from (21% vs 3%)

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

Commuting to the city

Ceres

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (82.6 km vs 87.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Waurn Ponds has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • Ceres carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 58/100)

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

Investors

Ceres

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (4.7% vs -1.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Waurn Ponds Ceres
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.

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Walkability 18 / 21
Waurn Ponds — Walkability: 18/100 Ceres — Walkability: 21/100
Safety 42 / 73
Waurn Ponds — Safety: 42/100 Ceres — Safety: 73/100
Low fire risk 69 / 67
Waurn Ponds — Low fire risk: 69/100 Ceres — Low fire risk: 67/100
Low flood risk 67 / 33
Waurn Ponds — Low flood risk: 67/100 Ceres — Low flood risk: 33/100

Demographics

Waurn Ponds has more residents (4,956 vs 266); Waurn Ponds rents higher ($430/wk vs $250/wk).

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Population 4,956
+95% vs other
 266
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -1.8% +4.7%
Median age 27 41
Median household income $118,872/yr $162,500/yr
+37% vs other
Median weekly rent $430/wk
+42% vs other
 $250/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Waurn Ponds Ceres
0-4 3.9% / 4.9%
Waurn Ponds — 0-4: 3.9% Ceres — 0-4: 4.9%
5-14 12.2% / 20.7%
Waurn Ponds — 5-14: 12.2% Ceres — 5-14: 20.7%
15-19 13.0% / 7.1%
Waurn Ponds — 15-19: 13.0% Ceres — 15-19: 7.1%
20-24 16.5% / 4.1%
Waurn Ponds — 20-24: 16.5% Ceres — 20-24: 4.1%
25-34 12.1% / 6.0%
Waurn Ponds — 25-34: 12.1% Ceres — 25-34: 6.0%
35-44 10.5% / 10.9%
Waurn Ponds — 35-44: 10.5% Ceres — 35-44: 10.9%
45-54 13.4% / 17.7%
Waurn Ponds — 45-54: 13.4% Ceres — 45-54: 17.7%
55-64 8.5% / 15.4%
Waurn Ponds — 55-64: 8.5% Ceres — 55-64: 15.4%
65-74 6.1% / 7.9%
Waurn Ponds — 65-74: 6.1% Ceres — 65-74: 7.9%
75-84 3.1% / 3.0%
Waurn Ponds — 75-84: 3.1% Ceres — 75-84: 3.0%
85+ 0.5% / 1.5%
Waurn Ponds — 85+: 0.5% Ceres — 85+: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Waurn Ponds 61.0% couple families
Waurn Ponds — Couple Families: 61.0% Waurn Ponds — Lone Person: 19.2% Waurn Ponds — One Parent Families: 12.6% Waurn Ponds — Group Household: 6.0% Waurn Ponds — Other Families: 1.1%
Ceres 66.2% couple families
Ceres — Couple Families: 66.2% Ceres — Lone Person: 27.7% Ceres — One Parent Families: 6.2% Ceres — Group Household: 0.0% Ceres — 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.

Waurn Ponds 21.3% renting
Waurn Ponds — Owned Outright: 34.7% Waurn Ponds — Mortgage: 44.0% Waurn Ponds — Renting: 21.3%
Ceres 3.3% renting
Ceres — Owned Outright: 51.1% Ceres — Mortgage: 45.6% Ceres — Renting: 3.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Bachelor Degree 13.9% / 27.1%
Waurn Ponds — Bachelor Degree: 13.9% Ceres — Bachelor Degree: 27.1%
Certificate III & IV 13.5% / 7.9%
Waurn Ponds — Certificate III & IV: 13.5% Ceres — Certificate III & IV: 7.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.1% / 6.0%
Waurn Ponds — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1% Ceres — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.0%
Postgraduate Degree 5.6% / 5.3%
Waurn Ponds — Postgraduate Degree: 5.6% Ceres — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.4% / 4.9%
Waurn Ponds — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4% Ceres — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.1%).

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.

Waurn Ponds Ceres
England 2.9% / 5.6%
Waurn Ponds — England: 2.9% Ceres — England: 5.6%
India 4.0% / —
Waurn Ponds — India: 4.0% Ceres — India: not among its largest
China 1.4% / —
Waurn Ponds — China: 1.4% Ceres — China: not among its largest
Sri Lanka 1.4% / —
Waurn Ponds — Sri Lanka: 1.4% Ceres — Sri Lanka: not among its largest
Singapore — / 1.1%
Waurn Ponds — Singapore: not among its largest Ceres — Singapore: 1.1%
New Zealand 0.8% / —
Waurn Ponds — New Zealand: 0.8% Ceres — New Zealand: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Waurn Ponds 97.6% houses
Waurn Ponds — Houses: 97.6% Waurn Ponds — Flats / Apartments: 0.0% Waurn Ponds — Townhouses: 2.4%
Ceres 96.6% houses
Ceres — Houses: 96.6% Ceres — Flats / Apartments: 3.4% Ceres — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Median house price $790,000 $1,131,250
Median unit price $510,000 —
Median land price $638,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 58 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Ceres has more rural and farming land (96% vs 75%).

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Rural and farming 75% 96%
Infrastructure and transport 14% 2%
Residential 8% 1%
Other and special use 2% 0%
Parks and recreation 1%
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

Waurn Ponds Ceres
New dwellings approved 3,468
across Greater Geelong
same for both
Approvals change year on year +56%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Houses 3.7%
$610/wk on $855K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Waurn Ponds Ceres
House price Higher than 48% of VIC —
Income Higher than 91% of VIC Higher than 99% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 79% of VIC Higher than 80% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 89% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 79% of VIC Higher than 74% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of VIC Higher than 62% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 47% of VIC —

Liveability

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Grade B —
Score 55/100 —
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Waurn Ponds carries more crime risk (58 vs 27); Ceres carries more flood risk (67 vs 33).

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Bushfire Low
31/100
 Low
33/100
Crime Moderate
58/100
 Low
27/100
Flood Low
33/100
 Moderate
67/100
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

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Inside the suburb 1 2
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 2
Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, 9.6 km
 2
Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, 7.9 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 16.8% 3.8%

Schools in Waurn Ponds

  • Christian College Geelong - Senior School – Waurn Ponds Independent · Combined

Schools in Ceres

  • Ceres Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Woodline Primary Independent · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Cafes & restaurants 3 0
Parks & reserves 5 2
Childcare 2 1
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Hospitals 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 14 0

Mobility

Waurn Ponds sits further from the CBD (87.9 km vs 82.6 km).

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Walkability score 18/100 21/100
Distance to Melbourne 87.9 km
+6% vs other
 82.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 68 min 65 min
Electric vehicle share 1.0%
postcode 3216
 0.9%
postcode 3221
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 33
postcode 3216
 —
postcode 3221

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.

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Car (driver) 70.2% / 60.9%
Waurn Ponds — Car (driver): 70.2% Ceres — Car (driver): 60.9%
Worked from Home 19.7% / 32.0%
Waurn Ponds — Worked from Home: 19.7% Ceres — Worked from Home: 32.0%
Car (passenger) 4.8% / 7.0%
Waurn Ponds — Car (passenger): 4.8% Ceres — Car (passenger): 7.0%
Bus 2.2% / —
Waurn Ponds — Bus: 2.2% Ceres — Bus: not among its largest
Walked Only 1.4% / —
Waurn Ponds — Walked Only: 1.4% Ceres — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.2%).

Setting

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Elevation 104 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 137 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 10.1 km 7.9 km

NBN connectivity

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Connectivity score 70/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 46%
1,552 premises
 0%
99 premises

Climate

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Annual rainfall — 454 mm
Summer max (Jan) 22.8°C 26.1°C
Winter min (Jul) 7.8°C 5.5°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Waurn Ponds Ceres
PM2.5 5.0 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 20.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Average residential rate $1,802/yr
same for both
Council Greater Geelong
same for both

Federal electorate

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Division Corangamite
same for both
Member Libby Coker
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Waurn Ponds Ceres
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Waurn Ponds

Acreage River Students

Ceres

Family Professionals Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Waurn Ponds

Waurn Ponds vs Highton Waurn Ponds vs Grovedale Waurn Ponds vs Mount Duneed Waurn Ponds vs Wandana Heights Waurn Ponds vs Freshwater Creek Waurn Ponds vs Mount Moriac

Other comparisons with Ceres

Ceres vs Highton Ceres vs Wandana Heights Ceres vs Fyansford Ceres vs Barrabool Ceres vs Stonehaven
Full data on Waurn Ponds Full data on Ceres
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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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