Town by town snapshot: Haddon

The size of Haddon is approximately 34.3 square kilometres and has one main park.

The population of Haddon in 2011 was 1,369 people and by the 2016 Census the population was 1,203 showing a population decline of 12.1 per cent in the area during that time.

Haddon is a rural/residential village 12km south-west of Ballarat and was thought to be named after an early gold prospector or after Haddon, in Derby, England.

Although data shows a population decline from 2011 to 2016, land holdings in this lifestyle friendly rural hamlet are tightly held and keenly sought after due to the proximately to Ballarat and the family friendly environment.

The area was first known as Sago Hill or Campbell’s Diggings, where gold had been prospected for in 1857 but not profitably mined until 1859. Alluvial mining was undertaken within 1km of the village, which had the Sago Hill Hotel.

By 1870 Sago Hill had been renamed Haddon, and it maintained a population of over 400 people until the early 1880s.

In 1883 it was connected by railway to Ballarat but during the next 70 years Haddon’s population declined to about 80 people, but its proximity to Ballarat made it suitable for rural/residential living.

Haddon boasts a kindergarten, a primary school, a recreation centre, a community house, a community church and a general store.

CoreLogic data indicates that the predominant age group in Haddon is 50-59 years with households in Haddon being primarily couples with children and are likely to be repaying $1,800 – $2,399 per month on mortgage repayments, and in general, people in Haddon work in a trades occupation.

In 2011, 93.7 per cent of the homes in Haddon were owner-occupied compared with 93.6 per cent in 2016.