Darlington vs Mortlake
In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Darlington, most households are people living alone. In Mortlake, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Darlington tends to suit 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
Mortlake
ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more childcare (3 vs 0)
- has more parks and reserves (10 vs 3)
- has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Darlington
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (14% vs 22%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Darlington
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (33% vs 19%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 22%)
- has cheaper rent ($155/wk vs $220/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Darlington
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (145 min vs 166 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (195.9 km vs 219.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Mortlake
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (63/100 vs 87/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Mortlake
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (7.7% vs -21.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Darlington and Mortlake 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
Mortlake has more residents (1,477 vs 84); Mortlake rents higher ($220/wk vs $155/wk).
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 84 | 1,477 +1658% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -21.5% | +7.7% |
| Median age | 50 | 49 |
| Median household income | $56,316/yr +9% vs other | $51,168/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $155/wk | $220/wk +42% vs other |
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.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.9%).
Property market
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $365,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 42 days from 9 sales |
Zoning mix
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 98% |
| 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
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 64 across Moyne same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -15% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 4.4% $370/wk on $440K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 4% of VIC |
| Income | Higher than 15% of VIC | Higher than 11% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 38% of VIC | Higher than 39% of VIC |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 91% of VIC |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 8% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 31% of VIC | Higher than 74% of VIC |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 87% of VIC |
Liveability
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 36/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Darlington carries more bushfire risk (57 vs 28); Darlington carries more crime risk (87 vs 63).
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 57/100 | Low 28/100 |
| Crime | High 87/100 | Moderate 63/100 |
| 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
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Darlington
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Mortlake
- St Colman's School Catholic · Primary above peers
- Mortlake P-12 College Government · Combined at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 10 |
| Childcare | 0 | 3 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 2 | 6 |
Mobility
Mortlake sits further from the CBD (219.5 km vs 195.9 km).
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 195.9 km | 219.5 km +12% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 145 min | 166 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3271 | 0.2% postcode 3272 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | — | 36 postcode 3272 |
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 (74.2%).
Setting
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 153 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 248 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 27/100 | 51/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 46 premises | 23% 844 premises |
Climate
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 594 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,613/yr same for both | |
| Council | Moyne same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Darlington | Mortlake | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Mortlake
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Darlington
Other comparisons with Mortlake
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.