Chirnside Park vs Mooroolbark

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Chirnside Park, most households are couple families. In Mooroolbark, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Chirnside Park: a median of $950,000, against $870,000 in Mooroolbark, and rent is higher there too.

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

Mooroolbark

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (10 vs 2)
  • has more childcare (21 vs 7)
  • has more parks and reserves (32 vs 11)

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

First-home buyers

Mooroolbark

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper land ($858,500 vs $1,132,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Mooroolbark

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $443/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Mooroolbark

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (71/100 vs 22/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (37.2 km vs 40.5 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Mooroolbark

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (71/100 vs 22/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (50/100 vs 70/100)

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

Investors

Chirnside Park

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (19.3% vs 5.0%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Chirnside Park and Mooroolbark drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
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.

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Walkability 22 / 71
Chirnside Park — Walkability: 22/100 Mooroolbark — Walkability: 71/100
Safety 30 / 50
Chirnside Park — Safety: 30/100 Mooroolbark — Safety: 50/100
Low fire risk 14 / 15
Chirnside Park — Low fire risk: 14/100 Mooroolbark — Low fire risk: 15/100
Low flood risk 44 / 68
Chirnside Park — Low flood risk: 44/100 Mooroolbark — Low flood risk: 68/100

Demographics

Mooroolbark has more residents (23,059 vs 11,779); Chirnside Park rents higher ($443/wk vs $400/wk).

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Population 11,779 23,059
+96% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +19.3% +5.0%
Median age 38 37
Median household income $108,368/yr
+4% vs other
 $103,688/yr
Median weekly rent $443/wk
+10% vs other
 $400/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
0-4 6.8% / 6.7%
Chirnside Park — 0-4: 6.8% Mooroolbark — 0-4: 6.7%
5-14 12.8% / 13.1%
Chirnside Park — 5-14: 12.8% Mooroolbark — 5-14: 13.1%
15-19 6.2% / 5.9%
Chirnside Park — 15-19: 6.2% Mooroolbark — 15-19: 5.9%
20-24 5.9% / 6.3%
Chirnside Park — 20-24: 5.9% Mooroolbark — 20-24: 6.3%
25-34 13.0% / 14.6%
Chirnside Park — 25-34: 13.0% Mooroolbark — 25-34: 14.6%
35-44 13.8% / 14.5%
Chirnside Park — 35-44: 13.8% Mooroolbark — 35-44: 14.5%
45-54 12.8% / 12.6%
Chirnside Park — 45-54: 12.8% Mooroolbark — 45-54: 12.6%
55-64 11.6% / 10.9%
Chirnside Park — 55-64: 11.6% Mooroolbark — 55-64: 10.9%
65-74 10.0% / 9.0%
Chirnside Park — 65-74: 10.0% Mooroolbark — 65-74: 9.0%
75-84 5.9% / 4.9%
Chirnside Park — 75-84: 5.9% Mooroolbark — 75-84: 4.9%
85+ 1.4% / 1.5%
Chirnside Park — 85+: 1.4% Mooroolbark — 85+: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Chirnside Park 56.6% couple families
Chirnside Park — Couple Families: 56.6% Chirnside Park — Lone Person: 24.1% Chirnside Park — One Parent Families: 15.9% Chirnside Park — Group Household: 2.4% Chirnside Park — Other Families: 1.0%
Mooroolbark 52.5% couple families
Mooroolbark — Couple Families: 52.5% Mooroolbark — Lone Person: 25.8% Mooroolbark — One Parent Families: 17.4% Mooroolbark — Group Household: 2.9% Mooroolbark — Other Families: 1.3%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Chirnside Park 15.1% renting
Chirnside Park — Owned Outright: 37.1% Chirnside Park — Mortgage: 47.8% Chirnside Park — Renting: 15.1%
Mooroolbark 20.7% renting
Mooroolbark — Owned Outright: 32.3% Mooroolbark — Mortgage: 47.0% Mooroolbark — Renting: 20.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Certificate III & IV 16.0% / 17.0%
Chirnside Park — Certificate III & IV: 16.0% Mooroolbark — Certificate III & IV: 17.0%
Bachelor Degree 12.5% / 11.8%
Chirnside Park — Bachelor Degree: 12.5% Mooroolbark — Bachelor Degree: 11.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.1% / 8.6%
Chirnside Park — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1% Mooroolbark — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6%
Postgraduate Degree 3.5% / 3.2%
Chirnside Park — Postgraduate Degree: 3.5% Mooroolbark — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.3% / 2.2%
Chirnside Park — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3% Mooroolbark — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).

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.

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
England 4.1% / 3.8%
Chirnside Park — England: 4.1% Mooroolbark — England: 3.8%
Myanmar 0.7% / 3.3%
Chirnside Park — Myanmar: 0.7% Mooroolbark — Myanmar: 3.3%
China 2.0% / 1.5%
Chirnside Park — China: 2.0% Mooroolbark — China: 1.5%
India 1.7% / 1.6%
Chirnside Park — India: 1.7% Mooroolbark — India: 1.6%
New Zealand 1.1% / 1.1%
Chirnside Park — New Zealand: 1.1% Mooroolbark — New Zealand: 1.1%
Italy 1.4% / —
Chirnside Park — Italy: 1.4% Mooroolbark — Italy: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Chirnside Park 97.9% houses
Chirnside Park — Houses: 97.9% Chirnside Park — Townhouses: 1.6% Chirnside Park — Flats / Apartments: 0.5%
Mooroolbark 95.4% houses
Mooroolbark — Houses: 95.4% Mooroolbark — Townhouses: 4.3% Mooroolbark — Flats / Apartments: 0.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Median house price $950,000 $870,000
Median unit price $690,000 $712,500
Median land price $1,132,500 $858,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 19 days
from 136 sales
 24 days
from 305 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.

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
2 bed $741K / $715K
Chirnside Park — 2 bed: $741K (8 sales) Mooroolbark — 2 bed: $715K (17 sales)

8 vs 17 sales

3 bed $828K / $818K
Chirnside Park — 3 bed: $828K (116 sales) Mooroolbark — 3 bed: $818K (285 sales)

116 vs 285 sales

4 bed $1.05M / $988K
Chirnside Park — 4 bed: $1.05M (108 sales) Mooroolbark — 4 bed: $988K (166 sales)

108 vs 166 sales

5 bed $1.2M / $1.16M
Chirnside Park — 5 bed: $1.2M (28 sales) Mooroolbark — 5 bed: $1.16M (38 sales)

28 vs 38 sales

Zoning mix

Chirnside Park has more rural and farming land (66% vs 12%).

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Residential 19% 73%
Rural and farming 66% 12%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 9%
Other and special use 8% 1%
Parks and recreation 1% 4%
Commercial 2% 1%
Industrial 1% 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

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
New dwellings approved 416
across Yarra Ranges
same for both
Approvals change year on year -57%
same for both

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.

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Houses 4.5%
$750/wk on $858K
 4.1%
$670/wk on $842K
Units — 4.3%
$588/wk on $705K

Ranking within VIC

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
House price Higher than 64% of VIC Higher than 60% of VIC
Income Higher than 81% of VIC Higher than 76% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 79% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 80% of VIC Higher than 90% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 60% of VIC Higher than 63% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 70% of VIC Higher than 67% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 96% of VIC
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 92% of VIC Higher than 76% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 24% of VIC

Liveability

Mooroolbark is more walkable (71 vs 22); Mooroolbark scores higher overall (56 vs 39).

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Grade C B
Score 39/100 56/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Chirnside Park carries more flood risk (56 vs 32); Chirnside Park carries more crime risk (70 vs 50).

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Bushfire High
86/100
 High
85/100
Crime High
70/100
 Moderate
50/100
Flood Moderate
56/100
 Low
32/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 4
within 5 km
 9
within 5 km

Schools

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Inside the suburb 2 10
Rated above peers 2 4
Rated at peers 0 3
Rated below peers 0 3

Schools in Chirnside Park

  • Chirnside Park Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Oxley Christian College Independent · Combined above peers

Schools in Mooroolbark

  • Mooroolbark East Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Mooroolbark Grammar Independent · Combined above peers
  • Pembroke Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Rolling Hills Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Billanook College Independent · Combined at peers
  • Mooroolbark College Government · Secondary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Supermarkets 3 6
Cafes & restaurants 4 15
Parks & reserves 11 32
Childcare 7 21
GPs 3 4
Pharmacies 2 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 4 2
Fuel stations 3
same for both
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 4 11

Mobility

Chirnside Park sits further from the CBD (40.5 km vs 37.2 km).

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Walkability score 22/100 71/100
Distance to Melbourne 40.5 km
+8% vs other
 37.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 44 min 43 min
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
 93/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 160.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 111.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 3116
 0.7%
postcode 3138
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 37
postcode 3116
 35
postcode 3138

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.

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Car (driver) 66.4% / 66.1%
Chirnside Park — Car (driver): 66.4% Mooroolbark — Car (driver): 66.1%
Worked from Home 26.5% / 26.1%
Chirnside Park — Worked from Home: 26.5% Mooroolbark — Worked from Home: 26.1%
Car (passenger) 4.0% / 4.2%
Chirnside Park — Car (passenger): 4.0% Mooroolbark — Car (passenger): 4.2%
Train 1.6% / 2.4%
Chirnside Park — Train: 1.6% Mooroolbark — Train: 2.4%
Walked Only 0.9% / 0.6%
Chirnside Park — Walked Only: 0.9% Mooroolbark — Walked Only: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.4%).

Setting

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Elevation 100 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 110 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 33.2 km 32.3 km

NBN connectivity

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Connectivity score 90/100
same for both
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the curb
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 57%
4,929 premises
 49%
9,281 premises

Climate

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Annual rainfall 777 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.3°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 15.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Average residential rate $2,161/yr
same for both
Council Yarra Ranges
same for both

Federal electorate

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Division Casey
same for both
Member Aaron Violi
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Chirnside Park Mooroolbark
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Chirnside Park

Large Blocks Outer

Mooroolbark

Easy Commute Outer Parks Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Chirnside Park

Chirnside Park vs Croydon Chirnside Park vs Lilydale Chirnside Park vs Croydon North Chirnside Park vs Wonga Park Chirnside Park vs Coldstream Chirnside Park vs Christmas Hills

Other comparisons with Mooroolbark

Mooroolbark vs Croydon Mooroolbark vs Lilydale Mooroolbark vs Kilsyth Mooroolbark vs Montrose
Full data on Chirnside Park Full data on Mooroolbark
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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