Briar Hill vs Eltham North

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Eltham North, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Eltham North: a median of $1.23 million, against $995,000 in Briar Hill, and rent is higher there too. Briar Hill is closer to the city centre: 23.3 km, against 27.3 km. On these figures, Briar Hill tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Eltham North suits couples.

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

Eltham North

ahead on 6 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (28 vs 6)
  • has more childcare (6 vs 2)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Briar Hill has cheaper houses ($995,000 vs $1,230,000)
  • Eltham North leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 26%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Briar Hill

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (20% vs 6%)
  • has cheaper rent ($411/wk vs $512/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Briar Hill

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (23.3 km vs 27.3 km)
  • is more walkable (72/100 vs 63/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Briar Hill

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (14% vs 2%)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (21% vs 16%)
  • is more walkable (72/100 vs 63/100)
  • But Eltham North carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 29/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Briar Hill and Eltham North drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Briar Hill Eltham North
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.

Briar Hill Eltham North
Walkability 72 / 63
Briar Hill — Walkability: 72/100 Eltham North — Walkability: 63/100
Safety 71 / 81
Briar Hill — Safety: 71/100 Eltham North — Safety: 81/100
Low fire risk 100 / 55
Briar Hill — Low fire risk: 100/100 Eltham North — Low fire risk: 55/100
Low flood risk 67 / 51
Briar Hill — Low flood risk: 67/100 Eltham North — Low flood risk: 51/100

Demographics

Eltham North has more residents (6,830 vs 3,220); Eltham North has higher household incomes ($144,040 vs $100,620).

Briar Hill Eltham North
Population 3,220 6,830
+112% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.2% +0.4%
Median age 42
same for both
Median household income $100,620/yr $144,040/yr
+43% vs other
Median weekly rent $411/wk $512/wk
+25% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Briar Hill Eltham North
0-4 6.4% / 5.1%
Briar Hill — 0-4: 6.4% Eltham North — 0-4: 5.1%
5-14 12.7% / 14.8%
Briar Hill — 5-14: 12.7% Eltham North — 5-14: 14.8%
15-19 4.9% / 6.9%
Briar Hill — 15-19: 4.9% Eltham North — 15-19: 6.9%
20-24 3.9% / 5.7%
Briar Hill — 20-24: 3.9% Eltham North — 20-24: 5.7%
25-34 11.1% / 8.4%
Briar Hill — 25-34: 11.1% Eltham North — 25-34: 8.4%
35-44 14.6% / 12.2%
Briar Hill — 35-44: 14.6% Eltham North — 35-44: 12.2%
45-54 14.2% / 15.5%
Briar Hill — 45-54: 14.2% Eltham North — 45-54: 15.5%
55-64 11.5% / 15.5%
Briar Hill — 55-64: 11.5% Eltham North — 55-64: 15.5%
65-74 11.5% / 11.1%
Briar Hill — 65-74: 11.5% Eltham North — 65-74: 11.1%
75-84 7.5% / 3.6%
Briar Hill — 75-84: 7.5% Eltham North — 75-84: 3.6%
85+ 1.6% / 0.8%
Briar Hill — 85+: 1.6% Eltham North — 85+: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Briar Hill 43.9% couple families
Briar Hill — Couple Families: 43.9% Briar Hill — Lone Person: 34.5% Briar Hill — One Parent Families: 18.6% Briar Hill — Group Household: 1.9% Briar Hill — Other Families: 1.1%
Eltham North 73.6% couple families
Eltham North — Couple Families: 73.6% Eltham North — Lone Person: 12.9% Eltham North — One Parent Families: 11.7% Eltham North — Group Household: 0.8% Eltham North — Other Families: 1.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Briar Hill 20.4% renting
Briar Hill — Owned Outright: 39.2% Briar Hill — Mortgage: 40.4% Briar Hill — Renting: 20.4%
Eltham North 6.3% renting
Eltham North — Owned Outright: 44.6% Eltham North — Mortgage: 49.2% Eltham North — Renting: 6.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Briar Hill Eltham North
Bachelor Degree 17.4% / 18.5%
Briar Hill — Bachelor Degree: 17.4% Eltham North — Bachelor Degree: 18.5%
Certificate III & IV 13.3% / 12.1%
Briar Hill — Certificate III & IV: 13.3% Eltham North — Certificate III & IV: 12.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.6% / 8.9%
Briar Hill — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.6% Eltham North — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9%
Postgraduate Degree 5.2% / 6.4%
Briar Hill — Postgraduate Degree: 5.2% Eltham North — Postgraduate Degree: 6.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.8% / 3.8%
Briar Hill — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8% Eltham North — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.5%).

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.

Briar Hill Eltham North
England 4.1% / 4.2%
Briar Hill — England: 4.1% Eltham North — England: 4.2%
New Zealand 1.0% / 1.3%
Briar Hill — New Zealand: 1.0% Eltham North — New Zealand: 1.3%
Italy 1.1% / 0.9%
Briar Hill — Italy: 1.1% Eltham North — Italy: 0.9%
China 0.9% / 1.1%
Briar Hill — China: 0.9% Eltham North — China: 1.1%
India 0.6% / 0.5%
Briar Hill — India: 0.6% Eltham North — India: 0.5%
South Africa — / 0.7%
Briar Hill — South Africa: not among its largest Eltham North — South Africa: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Briar Hill 85.6% houses
Briar Hill — Houses: 85.6% Briar Hill — Townhouses: 14.4% Briar Hill — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Eltham North 98.2% houses
Eltham North — Houses: 98.2% Eltham North — Townhouses: 1.7% Eltham North — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Briar Hill Eltham North
Median house price $995,000 $1,230,000
Median unit price $715,000 —
Median land price — $1,122,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 19 sales
 24 days
from 71 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Briar Hill Eltham North
3 bed $968K / $1.08M
Briar Hill — 3 bed: $968K (44 sales) Eltham North — 3 bed: $1.08M (52 sales)

44 vs 52 sales

4 bed $1.17M / $1.29M
Briar Hill — 4 bed: $1.17M (28 sales) Eltham North — 4 bed: $1.29M (83 sales)

28 vs 83 sales

5 bed $1.32M / $1.54M
Briar Hill — 5 bed: $1.32M (6 sales) Eltham North — 5 bed: $1.54M (18 sales)

6 vs 18 sales

Zoning mix

Briar Hill Eltham North
Residential 89% 85%
Parks and recreation 2% 9%
Infrastructure and transport 6%
same for both
Commercial 3% 0%
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

Briar Hill Eltham North
New dwellings approved 722
across Banyule
 98
across Nillumbik
Approvals change year on year -75% +8%

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.

Briar Hill Eltham North
Houses 3.4%
$680/wk on $1.05M
 3.7%
$850/wk on $1.2M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Briar Hill Eltham North
House price Higher than 63% of VIC Higher than 79% of VIC
Income Higher than 73% of VIC Higher than 98% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 59% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 91% of VIC Higher than 88% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 55% of VIC Higher than 58% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 87% of VIC Higher than 92% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 30% of VIC Higher than 45% of VIC

Liveability

Briar Hill is more walkable (72 vs 63); Briar Hill scores higher overall (80 vs 71).

Briar Hill Eltham North
Grade A
same for both
Score 80/100 71/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Eltham North carries more bushfire risk (45 vs 0); Briar Hill carries more crime risk (29 vs 19).

Briar Hill Eltham North
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
45/100
Crime Low
29/100
 Low
19/100
Flood Low
33/100
 Moderate
49/100
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

Briar Hill Eltham North
Inside the suburb 2 4
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 2
same for both
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 2
Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus, 5.5 km
 2
Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus, 7.2 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.5% 3.4%

Schools in Briar Hill

  • Briar Hill Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Sherbourne Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Eltham North

  • Holy Trinity Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Eltham North Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Helena Secondary College Government · Secondary at peers
  • Glen Katherine Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Briar Hill Eltham North
Cafes & restaurants 1 0
Parks & reserves 6 28
Childcare 2 6
GPs 2 1
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 1 2

Mobility

Eltham North sits further from the CBD (27.3 km vs 23.3 km).

Briar Hill Eltham North
Walkability score 72/100 63/100
Distance to Melbourne 23.3 km 27.3 km
+17% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 35 min 39 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 78/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 49.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 65.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.4%
postcode 3088
 1.8%
postcode 3095
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 28
postcode 3088
 34
postcode 3095

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.

Briar Hill Eltham North
Car (driver) 55.3% / 53.8%
Briar Hill — Car (driver): 55.3% Eltham North — Car (driver): 53.8%
Worked from Home 37.9% / 40.1%
Briar Hill — Worked from Home: 37.9% Eltham North — Worked from Home: 40.1%
Car (passenger) 2.3% / 2.5%
Briar Hill — Car (passenger): 2.3% Eltham North — Car (passenger): 2.5%
Train 2.3% / 2.5%
Briar Hill — Train: 2.3% Eltham North — Train: 2.5%
Walked Only 1.0% / 0.5%
Briar Hill — Walked Only: 1.0% Eltham North — Walked Only: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (55.3%).

Setting

Briar Hill Eltham North
Elevation 88 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 107 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 21.6 km 23.5 km

NBN connectivity

Briar Hill Eltham North
Connectivity score 75/100
same for both
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 1%
1,496 premises
 1%
2,361 premises

Climate

Briar Hill Eltham North
Annual rainfall 534 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Briar Hill Eltham North
PM2.5 3.9 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Briar Hill Eltham North
Average residential rate $1,787/yr $2,696/yr
Council Banyule Nillumbik

Federal electorate

Briar Hill Eltham North
Division Jagajaga
same for both
Member Kate Thwaites
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Briar Hill Eltham North
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Briar Hill

Middle-Ring Parks Professionals Quiet

Eltham North

Large Blocks Outer Parks Quiet River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Briar Hill

Briar Hill vs Greensborough Briar Hill vs Eltham Briar Hill vs Montmorency

Other comparisons with Eltham North

Eltham North vs Greensborough Eltham North vs Eltham Eltham North vs Diamond Creek Eltham North vs St Helena
Full data on Briar Hill Full data on Eltham North
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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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