Gembrook vs Tonimbuk

Gembrook is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 50 in Tonimbuk. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Tonimbuk: a median of $1.12 million, against $930,000 in Gembrook, though rent is higher in Gembrook. On these figures, Gembrook tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget, while Tonimbuk suits couples.

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

Gembrook

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (18 vs 2)
  • has more childcare (3 vs 0)
  • But Tonimbuk carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 87/100)

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

First-home buyers

Gembrook

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($930,000 vs $1,125,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Tonimbuk

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 18%)
  • has cheaper rent ($260/wk vs $360/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Gembrook sits closer to the CBD (77.9 km vs 88.5 km)
  • Tonimbuk has a shorter drive in (72 min vs 91 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Tonimbuk

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 87/100)

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

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

Gembrook Tonimbuk
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.

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Walkability 0 / 0
Gembrook — Walkability: 0/100 Tonimbuk — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 13 / 77
Gembrook — Safety: 13/100 Tonimbuk — Safety: 77/100
Low fire risk 5 / 2
Gembrook — Low fire risk: 5/100 Tonimbuk — Low fire risk: 2/100
Low flood risk 64 / 44
Gembrook — Low flood risk: 64/100 Tonimbuk — Low flood risk: 44/100

Demographics

Gembrook has more residents (2,559 vs 229); Gembrook rents higher ($360/wk vs $260/wk).

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Population 2,559
+91% vs other
 229
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +8.9% +10.1%
Median age 41 50
Median household income $104,104/yr $105,248/yr
+1% vs other
Median weekly rent $360/wk
+28% vs other
 $260/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Gembrook Tonimbuk
0-4 5.3% / 7.4%
Gembrook — 0-4: 5.3% Tonimbuk — 0-4: 7.4%
5-14 15.1% / 7.4%
Gembrook — 5-14: 15.1% Tonimbuk — 5-14: 7.4%
15-19 6.3% / 9.2%
Gembrook — 15-19: 6.3% Tonimbuk — 15-19: 9.2%
20-24 5.8% / 3.5%
Gembrook — 20-24: 5.8% Tonimbuk — 20-24: 3.5%
25-34 10.4% / 8.3%
Gembrook — 25-34: 10.4% Tonimbuk — 25-34: 8.3%
35-44 11.5% / 7.9%
Gembrook — 35-44: 11.5% Tonimbuk — 35-44: 7.9%
45-54 15.0% / 21.0%
Gembrook — 45-54: 15.0% Tonimbuk — 45-54: 21.0%
55-64 15.0% / 21.0%
Gembrook — 55-64: 15.0% Tonimbuk — 55-64: 21.0%
65-74 9.8% / 12.2%
Gembrook — 65-74: 9.8% Tonimbuk — 65-74: 12.2%
75-84 4.9% / 7.4%
Gembrook — 75-84: 4.9% Tonimbuk — 75-84: 7.4%
85+ 1.1% / —
Gembrook — 85+: 1.1% Tonimbuk — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Gembrook 58.2% couple families
Gembrook — Couple Families: 58.2% Gembrook — Lone Person: 25.6% Gembrook — One Parent Families: 12.6% Gembrook — Group Household: 2.4% Gembrook — Other Families: 1.2%
Tonimbuk 70.5% couple families
Tonimbuk — Couple Families: 70.5% Tonimbuk — Lone Person: 22.7% Tonimbuk — One Parent Families: 6.8% Tonimbuk — Group Household: 0.0% Tonimbuk — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Gembrook 12.4% renting
Gembrook — Owned Outright: 33.6% Gembrook — Mortgage: 54.1% Gembrook — Renting: 12.4%
Tonimbuk 11.0% renting
Tonimbuk — Owned Outright: 46.6% Tonimbuk — Mortgage: 42.5% Tonimbuk — Renting: 11.0%
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.

Gembrook Tonimbuk
England 4.6% / 3.1%
Gembrook — England: 4.6% Tonimbuk — England: 3.1%
New Zealand 1.1% / —
Gembrook — New Zealand: 1.1% Tonimbuk — New Zealand: not among its largest
Germany 0.7% / —
Gembrook — Germany: 0.7% Tonimbuk — Germany: not among its largest
South Africa 0.5% / —
Gembrook — South Africa: 0.5% Tonimbuk — South Africa: not among its largest
Italy 0.5% / —
Gembrook — Italy: 0.5% Tonimbuk — Italy: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.6%).

Qualifications

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

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Certificate III & IV 17.0% / 17.5%
Gembrook — Certificate III & IV: 17.0% Tonimbuk — Certificate III & IV: 17.5%
Bachelor Degree 10.3% / 14.4%
Gembrook — Bachelor Degree: 10.3% Tonimbuk — Bachelor Degree: 14.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.6% / 11.4%
Gembrook — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6% Tonimbuk — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 11.4%
Postgraduate Degree 2.6% / 2.2%
Gembrook — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6% Tonimbuk — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.6% / —
Gembrook — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6% Tonimbuk — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Gembrook 97.5% houses
Gembrook — Houses: 97.5% Gembrook — Flats / Apartments: 2.5%
Tonimbuk 100.0% houses
Tonimbuk — Houses: 100.0% Tonimbuk — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Median house price $930,000 $1,125,000
Median unit price $570,000 —
Median land price $1,160,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 30 days
from 28 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Tonimbuk has more rural and farming land (36% vs 13%); Tonimbuk has more land zoned for conservation (32% vs 18%).

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Parks and recreation 68% 31%
Rural and farming 13% 36%
Environmental 18% 32%
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

Gembrook Tonimbuk
New dwellings approved 1,323
across Cardinia
same for both
Approvals change year on year +13%
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.

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Houses 3.3%
$650/wk on $1.04M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Gembrook Tonimbuk
House price Higher than 70% of VIC —
Income Higher than 76% of VIC Higher than 77% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 14% of VIC Higher than 33% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 44% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 41% of VIC Higher than 51% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 74% of VIC Higher than 26% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 26% of VIC —

Liveability

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Grade D —
Score 28/100 —
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Gembrook carries more crime risk (87 vs 23); Tonimbuk carries more flood risk (56 vs 36).

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Bushfire High
95/100
 High
98/100
Crime High
87/100
 Low
23/100
Flood Low
36/100
 Moderate
56/100
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

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Gembrook

  • Gembrook Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Tonimbuk

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 4 0
Parks & reserves 18 2
Childcare 3 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 436 20

Mobility

Tonimbuk sits further from the CBD (88.5 km vs 77.9 km).

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 77.9 km 88.5 km
+14% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 91 min 72 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 3783
 0.5%
postcode 3815
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 48
postcode 3783
 47
postcode 3815

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.

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Car (driver) 70.1% / 75.6%
Gembrook — Car (driver): 70.1% Tonimbuk — Car (driver): 75.6%
Worked from Home 24.6% / 24.4%
Gembrook — Worked from Home: 24.6% Tonimbuk — Worked from Home: 24.4%
Car (passenger) 2.5% / —
Gembrook — Car (passenger): 2.5% Tonimbuk — Car (passenger): not among its largest
Walked Only 1.9% / —
Gembrook — Walked Only: 1.9% Tonimbuk — Walked Only: not among its largest
Train 0.7% / —
Gembrook — Train: 0.7% Tonimbuk — Train: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (75.6%).

Setting

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Elevation 154 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 139 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 34.6 km 31.3 km

NBN connectivity

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Connectivity score 58/100 25/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 35%
896 premises
 0%
107 premises

Climate

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Annual rainfall 1,350 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Average residential rate $1,880/yr
same for both
Council Cardinia
same for both

Federal electorate

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Division La Trobe
same for both
Member Jason Wood
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Gembrook Tonimbuk
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Gembrook

River Rural

Tonimbuk

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Gembrook

Gembrook vs Cockatoo Gembrook vs Pakenham Upper Gembrook vs Nar Nar Goon North Gembrook vs Yellingbo Gembrook vs Tynong North Gembrook vs Labertouche

Other comparisons with Tonimbuk

Tonimbuk vs Tynong North Tonimbuk vs Labertouche Tonimbuk vs Garfield North Tonimbuk vs Bunyip North
Full data on Gembrook Full data on Tonimbuk
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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