Ferntree Gully vs Knoxfield

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. Knoxfield is closer to the city centre: 32.1 km, against 38.1 km.

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

Ferntree Gully

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (11 vs 2)
  • has more childcare (23 vs 6)
  • has more parks and reserves (27 vs 10)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Ferntree Gully has cheaper units ($685,000 vs $805,000)
  • Knoxfield has cheaper land ($1,133,000 vs $1,340,000)

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

Renters

Ferntree Gully

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($386/wk vs $421/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Ferntree Gully is more walkable (91/100 vs 79/100)
  • Knoxfield sits closer to the CBD (32.1 km vs 38.1 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Ferntree Gully

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (6 vs 1)
  • is more walkable (91/100 vs 79/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
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.

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Walkability 91 / 79
Ferntree Gully — Walkability: 91/100 Knoxfield — Walkability: 79/100
Safety 36 / 45
Ferntree Gully — Safety: 36/100 Knoxfield — Safety: 45/100
Low fire risk 29 / 100
Ferntree Gully — Low fire risk: 29/100 Knoxfield — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 54 / 46
Ferntree Gully — Low flood risk: 54/100 Knoxfield — Low flood risk: 46/100

Demographics

Ferntree Gully has more residents (27,398 vs 7,645).

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Population 27,398
+72% vs other
 7,645
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.7% +2.5%
Median age 40 41
Median household income $92,040/yr $91,624/yr
Median weekly rent $386/wk $421/wk
+9% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
0-4 5.9% / 5.2%
Ferntree Gully — 0-4: 5.9% Knoxfield — 0-4: 5.2%
5-14 11.6% / 11.6%
Ferntree Gully — 5-14: 11.6% Knoxfield — 5-14: 11.6%
15-19 5.8% / 6.0%
Ferntree Gully — 15-19: 5.8% Knoxfield — 15-19: 6.0%
20-24 5.5% / 5.9%
Ferntree Gully — 20-24: 5.5% Knoxfield — 20-24: 5.9%
25-34 13.3% / 12.2%
Ferntree Gully — 25-34: 13.3% Knoxfield — 25-34: 12.2%
35-44 14.7% / 14.7%
Ferntree Gully — 35-44: 14.7% Knoxfield — 35-44: 14.7%
45-54 13.6% / 13.0%
Ferntree Gully — 45-54: 13.6% Knoxfield — 45-54: 13.0%
55-64 12.1% / 11.8%
Ferntree Gully — 55-64: 12.1% Knoxfield — 55-64: 11.8%
65-74 9.8% / 10.5%
Ferntree Gully — 65-74: 9.8% Knoxfield — 65-74: 10.5%
75-84 5.7% / 7.4%
Ferntree Gully — 75-84: 5.7% Knoxfield — 75-84: 7.4%
85+ 1.9% / 1.7%
Ferntree Gully — 85+: 1.9% Knoxfield — 85+: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ferntree Gully 45.7% couple families
Ferntree Gully — Couple Families: 45.7% Ferntree Gully — Lone Person: 31.7% Ferntree Gully — One Parent Families: 17.5% Ferntree Gully — Group Household: 3.6% Ferntree Gully — Other Families: 1.5%
Knoxfield 50.1% couple families
Knoxfield — Couple Families: 50.1% Knoxfield — Lone Person: 28.6% Knoxfield — One Parent Families: 16.3% Knoxfield — Group Household: 3.4% Knoxfield — Other Families: 1.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Ferntree Gully 21.7% renting
Ferntree Gully — Owned Outright: 34.5% Ferntree Gully — Mortgage: 43.7% Ferntree Gully — Renting: 21.7%
Knoxfield 23.3% renting
Knoxfield — Owned Outright: 37.8% Knoxfield — Mortgage: 39.0% Knoxfield — Renting: 23.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
China 2.7% / 6.9%
Ferntree Gully — China: 2.7% Knoxfield — China: 6.9%
England 3.8% / 3.1%
Ferntree Gully — England: 3.8% Knoxfield — England: 3.1%
India 2.3% / 3.6%
Ferntree Gully — India: 2.3% Knoxfield — India: 3.6%
Malaysia 1.3% / 3.0%
Ferntree Gully — Malaysia: 1.3% Knoxfield — Malaysia: 3.0%
Sri Lanka 1.5% / 2.4%
Ferntree Gully — Sri Lanka: 1.5% Knoxfield — Sri Lanka: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.9%).

Qualifications

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

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Bachelor Degree 13.2% / 16.4%
Ferntree Gully — Bachelor Degree: 13.2% Knoxfield — Bachelor Degree: 16.4%
Certificate III & IV 15.5% / 12.4%
Ferntree Gully — Certificate III & IV: 15.5% Knoxfield — Certificate III & IV: 12.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.1% / 9.2%
Ferntree Gully — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1% Knoxfield — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.2%
Postgraduate Degree 4.3% / 5.8%
Ferntree Gully — Postgraduate Degree: 4.3% Knoxfield — Postgraduate Degree: 5.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.0% / 2.3%
Ferntree Gully — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0% Knoxfield — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ferntree Gully 88.0% houses
Ferntree Gully — Houses: 88.0% Ferntree Gully — Townhouses: 9.8% Ferntree Gully — Flats / Apartments: 2.2%
Knoxfield 79.4% houses
Knoxfield — Houses: 79.4% Knoxfield — Townhouses: 20.4% Knoxfield — Flats / Apartments: 0.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Median house price $933,000 $1,000,050
Median unit price $685,000 $805,000
Median land price $1,340,000 $1,133,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 287 sales
 24 days
from 40 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.

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
3 bed $880K / $920K
Ferntree Gully — 3 bed: $880K (244 sales) Knoxfield — 3 bed: $920K (63 sales)

244 vs 63 sales

4 bed $1.03M / $1.19M
Ferntree Gully — 4 bed: $1.03M (151 sales) Knoxfield — 4 bed: $1.19M (35 sales)

151 vs 35 sales

5 bed $1.17M / $1.4M
Ferntree Gully — 5 bed: $1.17M (23 sales) Knoxfield — 5 bed: $1.4M (9 sales)

23 vs 9 sales

Zoning mix

Knoxfield has more industrially zoned land (26% vs 3%).

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Residential 72% 42%
Industrial 3% 26%
Infrastructure and transport 11% 13%
Other and special use 4% 10%
Parks and recreation 5% 7%
Commercial 4% 2%
Rural and farming 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

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
New dwellings approved 577
across Knox
same for both
Approvals change year on year -14%
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.

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Houses 3.8%
$660/wk on $892K
 3.6%
$650/wk on $930K
Units 4.4%
$572/wk on $682K
 4.3%
$575/wk on $688K

Ranking within VIC

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
House price Higher than 64% of VIC Higher than 70% of VIC
Income Higher than 61% of VIC
same for both
Schools Higher than 77% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 97% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 42% of VIC Higher than 30% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 81% of VIC Higher than 85% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 88% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 58% of VIC Higher than 43% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 25% of VIC
same for both

Liveability

Knoxfield scores higher overall (68 vs 55); Ferntree Gully is more walkable (91 vs 79).

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Grade B
same for both
Score 55/100 68/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Ferntree Gully carries more bushfire risk (71 vs 0).

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Bushfire High
71/100
 None
0/100
Crime Moderate
64/100
 Moderate
55/100
Flood Moderate
46/100
 Moderate
54/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 7
within 5 km
 9
within 5 km

Schools

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Inside the suburb 11 2
Rated above peers 4 1
Rated at peers 4 0
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Ferntree Gully

  • Fairhills High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • Heritage College Knox Independent · Combined above peers
  • Kent Park Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Mountain Gate Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Fairhills Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St John the Baptist School Catholic · Primary at peers

Schools in Knoxfield

  • Knox Park Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Carrington Primary School Government · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Supermarkets 8 1
Cafes & restaurants 35 7
Parks & reserves 27 10
Childcare 23 6
GPs 6 1
Pharmacies 4 2
Banks & Bank@Post 3 1
Fuel stations 6 2
Waterways 22 5

Mobility

Ferntree Gully sits further from the CBD (38.1 km vs 32.1 km).

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Walkability score 91/100 79/100
Distance to Melbourne 38.1 km
+16% vs other
 32.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 40 min 37 min
Public transport score 93/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 462.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 114.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.2%
postcode 3156
 1.4%
postcode 3180
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 37
postcode 3156
 42
postcode 3180

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.

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Car (driver) 64.8% / 63.3%
Ferntree Gully — Car (driver): 64.8% Knoxfield — Car (driver): 63.3%
Worked from Home 26.6% / 28.6%
Ferntree Gully — Worked from Home: 26.6% Knoxfield — Worked from Home: 28.6%
Car (passenger) 4.0% / 4.0%
Ferntree Gully — Car (passenger): 4.0% Knoxfield — Car (passenger): 4.0%
Train 2.4% / 1.6%
Ferntree Gully — Train: 2.4% Knoxfield — Train: 1.6%
Bus 0.9% / 1.0%
Ferntree Gully — Bus: 0.9% Knoxfield — Bus: 1.0%
Walked Only 0.7% / 1.2%
Ferntree Gully — Walked Only: 0.7% Knoxfield — Walked Only: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (64.8%).

Setting

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Elevation 108 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 87 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 22.1 km 19.5 km

NBN connectivity

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Connectivity score 77/100 86/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 11%
12,673 premises
 37%
3,841 premises

Climate

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
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)

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
PM2.5 — 6.3 µg/m³
PM10 15.5 µg/m³ 20.8 µg/m³
NO₂ — 0.98 pphm

Council rates

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Average residential rate $1,732/yr
same for both
Council Knox
same for both

Federal electorate

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Division Aston
same for both
Member Mary Doyle
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Ferntree Gully Knoxfield
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Ferntree Gully

Easy Commute Outer Parks Transport Hub

Knoxfield

Outer Parks Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ferntree Gully

Ferntree Gully vs Rowville Ferntree Gully vs Boronia Ferntree Gully vs Lysterfield Ferntree Gully vs Upper Ferntree Gully Ferntree Gully vs Tremont

Other comparisons with Knoxfield

Knoxfield vs Rowville Knoxfield vs Boronia Knoxfield vs Wantirna South Knoxfield vs Scoresby
Full data on Ferntree Gully Full data on Knoxfield
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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