Chesney Vale vs Thoona
Chesney Vale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 53 in Thoona. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Chesney Vale, most households are couple families. In Thoona, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Chesney Vale tends to suit couples, while Thoona suits people living alone.
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
Chesney Vale
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 37/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (66% vs 44%)
- But Thoona has more parks and reserves (6 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Thoona
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 30%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Thoona
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($149/wk vs $200/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Chesney Vale
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (238.1 km vs 247.9 km)
- has a shorter drive in (161 min vs 166 min)
- But Thoona is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Chesney Vale carries lower crime risk (10/100 vs 37/100)
- Thoona is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Chesney Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (29.9% vs 4.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Chesney Vale and Thoona 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
Chesney Vale has more residents (204 vs 133); Chesney Vale has higher household incomes ($81,224 vs $59,748).
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 204 +35% vs other | 133 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +29.9% | +4.7% |
| Median age | 42 | 53 |
| Median household income | $81,224/yr +26% vs other | $59,748/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk +26% vs other | $149/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).
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 (3.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $635,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $312,500 | — |
Zoning mix
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 96% | 92% |
| Parks and recreation | 4% | 7% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 1% |
| 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
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 235 across Benalla same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +65% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 48% of VIC | Higher than 20% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 15% of VIC | Higher than 69% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 35% of VIC | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 34% of VIC | Higher than 17% of VIC |
Liveability
Thoona is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Thoona carries more crime risk (37 vs 10); Chesney Vale carries more bushfire risk (42 vs 30).
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 42/100 | Low 30/100 |
| Crime | Low 10/100 | Low 37/100 |
| 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
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 6 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 0 | 7 |
Mobility
Thoona sits further from the CBD (247.9 km vs 238.1 km).
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 238.1 km | 247.9 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 161 min | 166 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 3725 | 0.0% postcode 3726 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 66 postcode 3725 | 65 postcode 3726 |
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 (80.3%).
Setting
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 207 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 149 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 20/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 71 premises | 0% 21 premises |
Climate
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 565 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 2.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,119/yr same for both | |
| Council | Benalla same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Chesney Vale | Thoona | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Chesney Vale
Other comparisons with Thoona
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.