Hillside vs Fraser Rise

Fraser Rise is the younger of the two, with a median age of 31 against 36 in Hillside. 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 Hillside: a median of $825,000, against $700,000 in Fraser Rise, though rent is higher in Fraser Rise. Hillside is closer to the city centre: 28.1 km, against 31.5 km. On these figures, Fraser Rise tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Hillside

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (25 vs 2)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (14 vs 5)

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

First-home buyers

Fraser Rise

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($627,000 vs $1,192,500)
  • has cheaper houses ($700,000 vs $825,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Hillside

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($380/wk vs $431/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Hillside

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (77/100 vs 11/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (33 min vs 38 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (28.1 km vs 31.5 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Hillside

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (77/100 vs 11/100)
  • has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (10% vs 4%)

Weighs smaller dwellings, 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 house yield.

Where they sit

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

Hillside Fraser Rise
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.

Hillside Fraser Rise
Walkability 77 / 11
Hillside — Walkability: 77/100 Fraser Rise — Walkability: 11/100
Safety 64 / 30
Hillside — Safety: 64/100 Fraser Rise — Safety: 30/100
Low fire risk 39 / 15
Hillside — Low fire risk: 39/100 Fraser Rise — Low fire risk: 15/100
Low flood risk 30 / 81
Hillside — Low flood risk: 30/100 Fraser Rise — Low flood risk: 81/100

Demographics

Hillside has more residents (17,331 vs 9,097); Hillside skews older (36 vs 31).

Hillside Fraser Rise
Population 17,331
+48% vs other
 9,097
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.6% —
Median age 36 31
Median household income $113,880/yr $118,352/yr
+4% vs other
Median weekly rent $380/wk $431/wk
+13% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Hillside Fraser Rise
0-4 5.3% / 11.3%
Hillside — 0-4: 5.3% Fraser Rise — 0-4: 11.3%
5-14 14.2% / 16.9%
Hillside — 5-14: 14.2% Fraser Rise — 5-14: 16.9%
15-19 8.5% / 6.0%
Hillside — 15-19: 8.5% Fraser Rise — 15-19: 6.0%
20-24 7.6% / 5.3%
Hillside — 20-24: 7.6% Fraser Rise — 20-24: 5.3%
25-34 12.4% / 19.5%
Hillside — 25-34: 12.4% Fraser Rise — 25-34: 19.5%
35-44 13.9% / 21.2%
Hillside — 35-44: 13.9% Fraser Rise — 35-44: 21.2%
45-54 16.9% / 10.1%
Hillside — 45-54: 16.9% Fraser Rise — 45-54: 10.1%
55-64 11.6% / 5.6%
Hillside — 55-64: 11.6% Fraser Rise — 55-64: 5.6%
65-74 6.5% / 3.2%
Hillside — 65-74: 6.5% Fraser Rise — 65-74: 3.2%
75-84 2.6% / 0.7%
Hillside — 75-84: 2.6% Fraser Rise — 75-84: 0.7%
85+ 0.5% / 0.1%
Hillside — 85+: 0.5% Fraser Rise — 85+: 0.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Hillside 64.8% couple families
Hillside — Couple Families: 64.8% Hillside — One Parent Families: 16.5% Hillside — Lone Person: 15.8% Hillside — Group Household: 1.4% Hillside — Other Families: 1.4%
Fraser Rise 68.7% couple families
Fraser Rise — Couple Families: 68.7% Fraser Rise — One Parent Families: 15.3% Fraser Rise — Lone Person: 13.6% Fraser Rise — Group Household: 1.4% Fraser Rise — Other Families: 0.9%
Couple Families One Parent Families Lone Person Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Hillside 15.0% renting
Hillside — Owned Outright: 31.5% Hillside — Mortgage: 53.4% Hillside — Renting: 15.0%
Fraser Rise 16.8% renting
Fraser Rise — Owned Outright: 10.6% Fraser Rise — Mortgage: 72.6% Fraser Rise — Renting: 16.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Hillside Fraser Rise
Bachelor Degree 12.1% / 15.4%
Hillside — Bachelor Degree: 12.1% Fraser Rise — Bachelor Degree: 15.4%
Certificate III & IV 13.7% / 10.5%
Hillside — Certificate III & IV: 13.7% Fraser Rise — Certificate III & IV: 10.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.0% / 8.9%
Hillside — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0% Fraser Rise — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9%
Postgraduate Degree 3.1% / 4.6%
Hillside — Postgraduate Degree: 3.1% Fraser Rise — Postgraduate Degree: 4.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.6% / 1.6%
Hillside — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6% Fraser Rise — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.4%).

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.

Hillside Fraser Rise
India 4.3% / 11.5%
Hillside — India: 4.3% Fraser Rise — India: 11.5%
Philippines 1.8% / 6.0%
Hillside — Philippines: 1.8% Fraser Rise — Philippines: 6.0%
Sri Lanka 1.2% / 2.1%
Hillside — Sri Lanka: 1.2% Fraser Rise — Sri Lanka: 2.1%
New Zealand 1.2% / 2.0%
Hillside — New Zealand: 1.2% Fraser Rise — New Zealand: 2.0%
Italy 1.6% / —
Hillside — Italy: 1.6% Fraser Rise — Italy: not among its largest
Iraq — / 1.4%
Hillside — Iraq: not among its largest Fraser Rise — Iraq: 1.4%
England 1.2% / —
Hillside — England: 1.2% Fraser Rise — England: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (11.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Hillside 88.0% houses
Hillside — Houses: 88.0% Hillside — Townhouses: 9.5% Hillside — Flats / Apartments: 2.4%
Fraser Rise 95.0% houses
Fraser Rise — Houses: 95.0% Fraser Rise — Townhouses: 4.8% Fraser Rise — Flats / Apartments: 0.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Hillside Fraser Rise
Median house price $825,000 $700,000
Median unit price $600,000 —
Median land price $1,192,500 $627,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 26 days
from 128 sales
 47 days
from 473 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.

Hillside Fraser Rise
3 bed $738K / $612K
Hillside — 3 bed: $738K (92 sales) Fraser Rise — 3 bed: $612K (142 sales)

92 vs 142 sales

4 bed $885K / $730K
Hillside — 4 bed: $885K (104 sales) Fraser Rise — 4 bed: $730K (362 sales)

104 vs 362 sales

5 bed $1.05M / $954K
Hillside — 5 bed: $1.05M (29 sales) Fraser Rise — 5 bed: $954K (30 sales)

29 vs 30 sales

Zoning mix

Fraser Rise has more rural and farming land (50% vs 9%).

Hillside Fraser Rise
Residential 84% 46%
Rural and farming 9% 50%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 1%
Other and special use 0% 2%
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

Hillside Fraser Rise
New dwellings approved 4,602
across Melton
same for both
Approvals change year on year +5%
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.

Hillside Fraser Rise
Houses 3.4%
$550/wk on $832K
 3.7%
$520/wk on $735K
Units 4.7%
$500/wk on $548K
 —

Ranking within VIC

Hillside Fraser Rise
House price — Higher than 37% of VIC
Income Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 90% of VIC
Schools Higher than 93% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 92% of VIC Higher than 73% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 95% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 69% of VIC Higher than 90% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 90% of VIC Higher than 99% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 33% of VIC Higher than 45% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 48% of VIC —

Liveability

Hillside is more walkable (77 vs 11); Hillside scores higher overall (60 vs 43).

Hillside Fraser Rise
Grade B C
Score 60/100 43/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Hillside carries more flood risk (70 vs 19); Fraser Rise carries more crime risk (70 vs 36).

Hillside Fraser Rise
Bushfire Moderate
61/100
 High
85/100
Crime Low
36/100
 High
70/100
Flood High
70/100
 Low
19/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise Moderate
50/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Hillside Fraser Rise
Inside the suburb 3 1
Rated above peers 2 0
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Hillside

  • Cana Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Sydenham - Hillside Primary School-Hillside Campus Government · Primary above peers
  • Parkwood Green Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Fraser Rise

  • Springside West Secondary College Government · Secondary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Hillside Fraser Rise
Supermarkets 2 1
Cafes & restaurants 4 3
Parks & reserves 25 2
Childcare 14 5
GPs 5 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Fuel stations 2 0
Waterways 11 1

Mobility

Fraser Rise sits further from the CBD (31.5 km vs 28.1 km).

Hillside Fraser Rise
Walkability score 77/100 11/100
Distance to Melbourne 28.1 km 31.5 km
+12% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 33 min 38 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 134.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 96.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 3037
 1.6%
postcode 3336
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 39
postcode 3037
 89
postcode 3336

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.

Hillside Fraser Rise
Car (driver) 67.5% / 64.7%
Hillside — Car (driver): 67.5% Fraser Rise — Car (driver): 64.7%
Worked from Home 24.1% / 26.8%
Hillside — Worked from Home: 24.1% Fraser Rise — Worked from Home: 26.8%
Car (passenger) 4.9% / 3.9%
Hillside — Car (passenger): 4.9% Fraser Rise — Car (passenger): 3.9%
Train 2.6% / 3.6%
Hillside — Train: 2.6% Fraser Rise — Train: 3.6%
Bus 0.4% / 0.8%
Hillside — Bus: 0.4% Fraser Rise — Bus: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (67.5%).

Setting

Hillside Fraser Rise
Elevation 135 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 118 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 21.4 km 20.9 km

NBN connectivity

Hillside Fraser Rise
Connectivity score 79/100 99/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 56%
5,864 premises
 98%
3,552 premises

Climate

Hillside Fraser Rise
Annual rainfall 518 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.0°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Hillside Fraser Rise
PM2.5 4.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Hillside Fraser Rise
Average residential rate $1,779/yr
same for both
Council Melton
same for both

Federal electorate

Hillside Fraser Rise
Division Hawke Gorton
Member Sam Rae Alice Jordan-Baird
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Hillside Fraser Rise
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Hillside

Outer Parks River

Fraser Rise

Acreage Family Multicultural Outer Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Hillside

Hillside vs Caroline Springs Hillside vs Taylors Hill Hillside vs Sydenham Hillside vs Plumpton

Other comparisons with Fraser Rise

Fraser Rise vs Caroline Springs Fraser Rise vs Deanside Fraser Rise vs Bonnie Brook Fraser Rise vs Plumpton
Full data on Hillside Full data on Fraser Rise
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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