Don Valley vs Launching Place

Launching Place is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 44 in Don Valley. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Don Valley: a median of $838,000, against $765,000 in Launching Place, though rent is higher in Launching Place.

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

  • Don Valley has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • Launching Place has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Don Valley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper land ($41,000 vs $705,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Don Valley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($270/wk vs $350/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Launching Place

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (31/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (68 min vs 74 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (64.1 km vs 69.1 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Launching Place

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (31/100 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

Don Valley and Launching Place drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Don Valley Launching Place
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.

Don Valley Launching Place
Walkability 0 / 31
Don Valley — Walkability: 0/100 Launching Place — Walkability: 31/100
Safety 53 / 52
Don Valley — Safety: 53/100 Launching Place — Safety: 52/100
Low fire risk 1 / 2
Don Valley — Low fire risk: 1/100 Launching Place — Low fire risk: 2/100
Low flood risk 65 / 30
Don Valley — Low flood risk: 65/100 Launching Place — Low flood risk: 30/100

Demographics

Launching Place has more residents (2,495 vs 586); Launching Place rents higher ($350/wk vs $270/wk).

Don Valley Launching Place
Population 586 2,495
+326% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.7% +4.2%
Median age 44 38
Median household income $91,520/yr $95,160/yr
+4% vs other
Median weekly rent $270/wk $350/wk
+30% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Don Valley Launching Place
0-4 5.3% / 7.0%
Don Valley — 0-4: 5.3% Launching Place — 0-4: 7.0%
5-14 13.3% / 12.6%
Don Valley — 5-14: 13.3% Launching Place — 5-14: 12.6%
15-19 6.3% / 7.1%
Don Valley — 15-19: 6.3% Launching Place — 15-19: 7.1%
20-24 4.3% / 6.2%
Don Valley — 20-24: 4.3% Launching Place — 20-24: 6.2%
25-34 8.7% / 13.9%
Don Valley — 25-34: 8.7% Launching Place — 25-34: 13.9%
35-44 11.6% / 11.3%
Don Valley — 35-44: 11.6% Launching Place — 35-44: 11.3%
45-54 13.5% / 13.7%
Don Valley — 45-54: 13.5% Launching Place — 45-54: 13.7%
55-64 18.4% / 12.7%
Don Valley — 55-64: 18.4% Launching Place — 55-64: 12.7%
65-74 11.4% / 10.9%
Don Valley — 65-74: 11.4% Launching Place — 65-74: 10.9%
75-84 6.1% / 3.8%
Don Valley — 75-84: 6.1% Launching Place — 75-84: 3.8%
85+ 0.7% / 0.8%
Don Valley — 85+: 0.7% Launching Place — 85+: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Don Valley 53.2% couple families
Don Valley — Couple Families: 53.2% Don Valley — Lone Person: 25.2% Don Valley — One Parent Families: 15.8% Don Valley — Group Household: 2.9% Don Valley — Other Families: 2.9%
Launching Place 52.1% couple families
Launching Place — Couple Families: 52.1% Launching Place — Lone Person: 26.1% Launching Place — One Parent Families: 16.5% Launching Place — Group Household: 3.6% Launching Place — Other Families: 1.7%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Don Valley 7.2% renting
Don Valley — Owned Outright: 37.1% Don Valley — Mortgage: 55.7% Don Valley — Renting: 7.2%
Launching Place 6.3% renting
Launching Place — Owned Outright: 35.1% Launching Place — Mortgage: 58.6% Launching Place — Renting: 6.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Don Valley Launching Place
Certificate III & IV 17.6% / 20.2%
Don Valley — Certificate III & IV: 17.6% Launching Place — Certificate III & IV: 20.2%
Bachelor Degree 8.5% / 8.6%
Don Valley — Bachelor Degree: 8.5% Launching Place — Bachelor Degree: 8.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.8% / 8.3%
Don Valley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8% Launching Place — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.0% / 2.0%
Don Valley — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0% Launching Place — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0%
Postgraduate Degree 1.5% / 1.0%
Don Valley — Postgraduate Degree: 1.5% Launching Place — Postgraduate Degree: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).

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.

Don Valley Launching Place
England 4.3% / 5.0%
Don Valley — England: 4.3% Launching Place — England: 5.0%
New Zealand 1.2% / 1.0%
Don Valley — New Zealand: 1.2% Launching Place — New Zealand: 1.0%
Netherlands 0.7% / 0.8%
Don Valley — Netherlands: 0.7% Launching Place — Netherlands: 0.8%
South Africa 1.2% / 0.2%
Don Valley — South Africa: 1.2% Launching Place — South Africa: 0.2%
Germany 0.5% / 0.6%
Don Valley — Germany: 0.5% Launching Place — Germany: 0.6%
Malaysia 0.5% / —
Don Valley — Malaysia: 0.5% Launching Place — Malaysia: not among its largest
Scotland — / 0.4%
Don Valley — Scotland: not among its largest Launching Place — Scotland: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Don Valley 100.0% houses
Don Valley — Houses: 100.0% Don Valley — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Launching Place 99.8% houses
Launching Place — Houses: 99.8% Launching Place — Flats / Apartments: 0.2%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Don Valley Launching Place
Median house price $838,500 $765,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $41,000 $705,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 53 days
from 5 sales
 7 days
from 9 sales

Zoning mix

Don Valley has more land zoned for conservation (49% vs 35%); Launching Place has more rural and farming land (49% vs 36%).

Don Valley Launching Place
Rural and farming 36% 49%
Environmental 49% 35%
Parks and recreation 10% 7%
Infrastructure and transport 5%
same for both
Residential 0% 3%
Other and special use 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

Don Valley Launching Place
New dwellings approved 416
across Yarra Ranges
same for both
Approvals change year on year -57%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Don Valley Launching Place
House price — Higher than 49% of VIC
Income Higher than 60% of VIC Higher than 66% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 53% of VIC Higher than 83% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 69% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 46% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 67% of VIC Higher than 76% of VIC

Liveability

Launching Place is more walkable (31 vs 0); Launching Place scores higher overall (31 vs 24).

Don Valley Launching Place
Grade D
same for both
Score 24/100 31/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Launching Place carries more flood risk (70 vs 35).

Don Valley Launching Place
Bushfire High
99/100
 High
98/100
Crime Moderate
47/100
 Moderate
48/100
Flood Low
35/100
 High
70/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Don Valley Launching Place
Inside the suburb 2 1
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Don Valley

  • Don Valley Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • School for Student Leadership-Don Valley Campus Government · Secondary

Schools in Launching Place

  • Launching Place Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Don Valley Launching Place
Cafes & restaurants 0 1
Parks & reserves 0 5
Childcare 1
same for both
GPs 0 1
Fuel stations 0 2
Waterways 1 13

Mobility

Don Valley sits further from the CBD (69.1 km vs 64.1 km).

Don Valley Launching Place
Walkability score 0/100 31/100
Distance to Melbourne 69.1 km
+7% vs other
 64.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 74 min 68 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 3139
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 44
postcode 3139
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.

Don Valley Launching Place
Car (driver) 68.8% / 75.4%
Don Valley — Car (driver): 68.8% Launching Place — Car (driver): 75.4%
Worked from Home 24.5% / 18.2%
Don Valley — Worked from Home: 24.5% Launching Place — Worked from Home: 18.2%
Car (passenger) 4.6% / 4.3%
Don Valley — Car (passenger): 4.6% Launching Place — Car (passenger): 4.3%
Walked Only 2.1% / 1.1%
Don Valley — Walked Only: 2.1% Launching Place — Walked Only: 1.1%
Train — / 0.8%
Don Valley — Train: not among its largest Launching Place — Train: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (75.4%).

Setting

Don Valley Launching Place
Elevation 213 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 117 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Don Valley Launching Place
Connectivity score 30/100 63/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
239 premises
 42%
973 premises

Climate

Don Valley Launching Place
Annual rainfall 1,350 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Don Valley Launching Place
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 15.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Don Valley Launching Place
Average residential rate $2,161/yr
same for both
Council Yarra Ranges
same for both

Federal electorate

Don Valley Launching Place
Division Casey
same for both
Member Aaron Violi
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Don Valley Launching Place
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Don Valley

Acreage River

Launching Place

Acreage River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Don Valley

Don Valley vs Healesville Don Valley vs Wesburn Don Valley vs Mount Toolebewong

Other comparisons with Launching Place

Launching Place vs Woori Yallock Launching Place vs Yarra Junction Launching Place vs Wesburn Launching Place vs Hoddles Creek Launching Place vs Gladysdale Launching Place vs Mount Toolebewong
Full data on Don Valley Full data on Launching Place
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or