Doreen vs Yan Yean
Doreen is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 48 in Yan Yean. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Doreen is closer to the city centre: 35.8 km, against 50.6 km. On these figures, Doreen tends to suit families with children, while Yan Yean suits older residents.
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
Doreen
ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (130 vs 3)
- has more childcare (16 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (8 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Doreen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 39%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Doreen
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (22% vs 11%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 26%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Doreen
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (40/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (35.8 km vs 50.6 km)
- has a shorter drive in (51 min vs 56 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Doreen
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (40/100 vs 0/100)
- has more GPs (7 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 84/100)
- But Yan Yean has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 8%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Doreen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (27.3% vs -2.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Doreen and Yan Yean 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
Doreen has more residents (27,122 vs 246); Yan Yean skews older (48 vs 33).
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 27,122 +99% vs other | 246 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +27.3% | -2.4% |
| Median age | 33 | 48 |
| Median household income | $111,852/yr +29% vs other | $79,040/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $397/wk +2% vs other | $388/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.5%).
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 (3.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $805,500 | — |
| Median unit price | $570,000 | — |
| Median land price | $747,500 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 20 days from 359 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Doreen has more rural and farming land (38% vs 24%).
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 53% |
| Rural and farming | 38% | 24% |
| Residential | 33% | 0% |
| Environmental | 21% | 23% |
| Parks and recreation | 3% | 0% |
| Other and special use | 3% | 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
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 98 across Nillumbik | 2,632 across Whittlesea |
| Approvals change year on year | +8% | -28% |
Gross rental yield
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.8% $585/wk on $810K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 52% of VIC | — |
| Income | Higher than 85% of VIC | Higher than 46% of VIC |
| Schools | Higher than 41% of VIC | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 85% of VIC | Higher than 43% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 81% of VIC | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 82% of VIC | Higher than 81% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 94% of VIC | Higher than 63% of VIC |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 51% of VIC | — |
Liveability
Doreen is more walkable (40 vs 0).
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 58/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Doreen carries more bushfire risk (26 vs 0); Yan Yean carries more crime risk (84 vs 39).
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 26/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 39/100 | High 84/100 |
| Flood | Low 38/100 | Moderate 66/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 2 within 5 km | 3 within 5 km |
Schools
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 8 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 4 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Doreen
- Doreen Primary School Government · Primary above peers
- Ashley Park Primary School Government · Primary at peers
- Hazel Glen College Government · Combined at peers
- Laurimar Primary School Government · Primary at peers
- Plenty Valley Christian College Independent · Combined at peers
- St Paul the Apostle Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers
Schools in Yan Yean
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 6 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 130 | 3 |
| Childcare | 16 | 0 |
| GPs | 7 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 2 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 7 | 3 |
Mobility
Yan Yean sits further from the CBD (50.6 km vs 35.8 km).
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 40/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 35.8 km | 50.6 km +41% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 51 min | 56 min |
| Public transport score | 78/100 Bus | 76/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 263.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 28.5 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.2% postcode 3754 | 1.2% postcode 3755 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 45 postcode 3754 | — |
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 (67.9%).
Setting
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 195 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 213 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 32.8 km | 36.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 86/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 74% 8,430 premises | 0% 107 premises |
Climate
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 534 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.5°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 3.9 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | — same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,696/yr | $1,899/yr |
| Council | Nillumbik | Whittlesea |
Federal electorate
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mcewen same for both | |
| Member | Rob Mitchell same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Doreen | Yan Yean | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Doreen
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Doreen
Other comparisons with Yan Yean
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.