Haven vs Lower Norton
Haven is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 45 in Lower Norton. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Haven tends to suit 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Haven has more parks and reserves (4 vs 1)
- Lower Norton carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 44/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Lower Norton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($248/wk vs $303/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Haven
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (27/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (206 min vs 217 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (300.2 km vs 314.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Haven is more walkable (27/100 vs 0/100)
- Lower Norton carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 44/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Haven
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (10.7% vs 2.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Haven and Lower Norton 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
Haven has more residents (1,443 vs 236); Haven rents higher ($303/wk vs $248/wk).
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,443 +84% vs other | 236 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +10.7% | +2.2% |
| Median age | 41 | 45 |
| Median household income | $112,372/yr | $119,340/yr +6% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $303/wk +18% vs other | $248/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (1.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $750,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $280,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 54 days from 13 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Lower Norton has more rural and farming land (95% vs 54%).
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 54% | 95% |
| Residential | 24% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 9% | 1% |
| Industrial | 5% | 0% |
| Parks and recreation | 4% same for both | |
| 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
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 94 across Horsham same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +57% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 85% of VIC | Higher than 91% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 82% of VIC | Higher than 10% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 11% of VIC | Higher than 10% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 73% of VIC | Higher than 51% of VIC |
Liveability
Haven is more walkable (27 vs 0).
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 40/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Haven carries more bushfire risk (56 vs 12); Haven carries more crime risk (44 vs 18).
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 56/100 | Low 12/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 44/100 | Low 18/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 57/100 | High 71/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 3 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Haven
- Horsham West and Haven Primary School-Haven Campus Government · Primary
Schools in Lower Norton
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 1 |
| Waterways | 5 | 20 |
Mobility
Lower Norton sits further from the CBD (314.7 km vs 300.2 km).
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 27/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 300.2 km | 314.7 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 206 min | 217 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 3401 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 52 postcode 3401 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (81.1%).
Setting
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 136 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 139 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 49/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 22% 564 premises | 0% 87 premises |
Climate
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 383 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,228/yr same for both | |
| Council | Horsham same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Haven | Lower Norton | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Haven
Other comparisons with Lower Norton
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.