Cottles Bridge vs Nutfield
Comparing Cottles Bridge and Nutfield, VIC: Cottles Bridge carries more bushfire risk (89 vs 0); Nutfield is more walkable (20 vs 0); and Cottles Bridge has more residents (609 vs 158).
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Cottles Bridge carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 55/100)
- Nutfield is already more of a family suburb (88% vs 70%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Cottles Bridge
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (27% vs 36%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Nutfield
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($212/wk vs $260/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Nutfield
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (20/100 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
- Cottles Bridge carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 55/100)
- Nutfield is more walkable (20/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Cottles Bridge and Nutfield 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
Cottles Bridge has more residents (609 vs 158); Cottles Bridge rents higher ($260/wk vs $212/wk).
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 609 +74% vs other | 158 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.3% | +3.9% |
| Median age | 52 | 50 |
| Median household income | $112,840/yr +12% vs other | $99,632/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $260/wk +18% vs other | $212/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).
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 (6.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,462,500 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 44 days from 4 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Nutfield has more rural and farming land (48% vs 0%); Cottles Bridge has more land zoned for conservation (96% vs 50%).
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 96% | 50% |
| Rural and farming | 0% | 48% |
| Parks and recreation | 3% | 1% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 98 across Nillumbik same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +8% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 86% of VIC | Higher than 72% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 11% of VIC | Higher than 79% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 83% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 52% of VIC | Higher than 57% of VIC |
Liveability
Nutfield is more walkable (20 vs 0).
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 56/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Cottles Bridge carries more bushfire risk (89 vs 0); Cottles Bridge carries more flood risk (23 vs 0).
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 89/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 17/100 | Moderate 55/100 |
| Flood | Low 23/100 | None 0/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Cottles Bridge
- Learning Co-Operative School Independent · Primary
Schools in Nutfield
- Yarra Me School -Hurstbridge Farm Campus Government · Secondary · Special school
Amenities in the suburb
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 same for both | |
Mobility
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 20/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 39.3 km | 39.9 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 53 min | 55 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.2% postcode 3099 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 41 postcode 3099 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 (60.7%).
Setting
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 139 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 135 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 35.9 km | 34.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 219 premises | 0% 55 premises |
Climate
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 3.9 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | — same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,696/yr same for both | |
| Council | Nillumbik same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mcewen same for both | |
| Member | Rob Mitchell same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cottles Bridge | Nutfield | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Cottles Bridge
Other comparisons with Nutfield
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.