Suburb by suburb snapshot – Suburb Profile: White Hills

The size of White Hills is approximately 4.9 square kilometres and has three parks covering nearly 4.9 per cent of total area.

The population of White Hills in 2011 was 3275 people and by the 2016 Census it was 3215 showing a population decline of 1.8 per cent in the area during that time.

White Hills is a suburb of Bendigo, on the Midland Highway four kilometres north-west of the city centre.

Its name came about from the colour of the clay which was exposed by gold miners at that part of the Bendigo diggings.

The Bendigo Creek, the site of the first gold find, runs upstream through the suburb.

White Hills apparently attracted a wide range of nationalities, particularly Chinese, which is attested to by the inscriptions on graves at the White Hills cemetery (1854).

Nevertheless, the first church school which opened was Wesleyan (1853), followed by an Anglican school two years later and a government primary school opened in 1877.

The Bendigo racecourse was laid out on the edge of White Hills, inspiring the name of Epsom for the neighbouring locality.

Within two decades White Hills was described as a minor suburb of Bendigo, and in 1941 an Army Ordnance factory was opened on the Bendigo side of White Hills.

In 1960 White Hills technical school was opened, signifying the locality’s urban growth. There is also a recreation reserve, swimming pool, Anglican church and a Catholic church and school.

All these places are along the Midland Highway (Napier Street), along with the botanic garden with its war memorial archway entrance.

East of the highway and railway there is the White Hills Sediments Gold Reserve, with remains of Chinese gold workings.

South of there stands the actual White Hill, with an elevation of 231 metres.

CoreLogic data indicates that the predominant age group in White Hills is 20-29 years with households in White Hills being primarily couples with children and are likely to be repaying $1000 – $1399 per month on mortgages. In general, people in White Hills work in a trades occupation.

In 2011, 71.1 per cent of the homes in White Hills were owner-occupied compared with 62.9 per cent in 2016.

 

TIDBIT:

The Bendigo Botanical Gardens were laid out in 1857.

 

Population: 3219

Male: 47.7%

Female: 52.3%

Median age: 37

5-year population change: -1.8%

House median value: $451,000

Change in Median Price: (5yrs) is 28.5%

Median asking rent per week: $350

Average length of ownership: 10 years

Owner occupiers:66%

Renters: 34%

 

House median sale price:

March 2021: $382,500

March 2020: $319,500

March 2019: $311,250

March 2018: $309,000

March 2017: $295,000

 

House sales per annum:

Period ending March 2021: 67

Period ending March 2020: 54

 

Land median sale price:

March 2021: $185,000

March 2020: $167,000

 

Land sales per annum:

Period ending March 2021: 23

Period ending March 2020: 11