Castella vs Toolangi
Castella is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 48 in Toolangi. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Castella, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Castella: a median of $1.29 million, against $938,000 in Toolangi, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Toolangi tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Toolangi
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more parks and reserves (6 vs 3)
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
- Castella leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 29%)
- Toolangi has cheaper houses ($937,500 vs $1,287,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Toolangi
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($236/wk vs $420/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 21%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Castella
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (73 min vs 90 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (72.4 km vs 82.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Castella is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- Toolangi has more residents already 65 and over (17% vs 9%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Toolangi
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (6.4% vs -4.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Castella and Toolangi drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Castella rents higher ($420/wk vs $236/wk); Toolangi has more residents (366 vs 257).
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 257 | 366 +42% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -4.1% | +6.4% |
| Median age | 44 | 48 |
| Median household income | $102,856/yr +19% vs other | $83,772/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $420/wk +44% vs other | $236/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,287,500 | $937,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Castella has more rural and farming land (71% vs 10%).
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks and recreation | 18% | 82% |
| Rural and farming | 71% | 10% |
| Residential | 8% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 6% |
| Environmental | 0% | 2% |
| 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
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 82 across Murrindindi same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +83% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 75% of VIC | Higher than 51% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 73% of VIC | Higher than 38% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 68% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 13% of VIC | Higher than 14% of VIC |
Liveability
Castella is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 99/100 | High 95/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 48/100 | Moderate 55/100 |
| 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
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Castella
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Toolangi
- Toolangi Primary School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 6 |
| Waterways | 1 | 124 |
Mobility
Toolangi sits further from the CBD (82.5 km vs 72.4 km).
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 72.4 km | 82.5 km +14% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 73 min | 90 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.8% postcode 3777 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 42 postcode 3777 same for both | |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.2%).
Setting
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 368 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 658 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 16/100 | 17/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 48 premises | 0% 47 premises |
Climate
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,215 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 22.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.8°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,973/yr same for both | |
| Council | Murrindindi same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Castella | Toolangi | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Castella
Other comparisons with Toolangi
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.