Illowa vs Tower Hill
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Illowa, most households are couple families. In Tower Hill, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Illowa tends to suit couples, while Tower Hill suits share households.
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
Illowa
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 36/100)
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
Tower Hill
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (21% vs 3%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (11% vs 18%)
- has cheaper rent ($278/wk vs $380/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Illowa
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (266.8 km vs 269.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Illowa
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (16/100 vs 36/100)
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
Illowa and Tower Hill 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
Illowa has more residents (304 vs 83); Illowa rents higher ($380/wk vs $278/wk).
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 304 +73% vs other | 83 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.0% | +2.5% |
| Median age | 47 | 45 |
| Median household income | $108,316/yr | $126,724/yr +17% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $380/wk +27% vs other | $278/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).
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 (3.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,387,500 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Illowa has more rural and farming land (99% vs 51%).
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 51% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 48% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 64 across Moyne same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -15% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 81% of VIC | Higher than 94% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 68% of VIC | Higher than 53% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 35% of VIC | Higher than 15% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 68% of VIC | Higher than 67% of VIC |
Liveability
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Illowa carries more flood risk (18 vs 0); Tower Hill carries more bushfire risk (15 vs 0).
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 15/100 |
| Crime | Low 16/100 | Low 36/100 |
| Flood | Low 18/100 | None 0/100 |
| Coastal erosion | Low 16/100 | Moderate 45/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 2 |
| Waterways | 1 | 3 |
Mobility
Tower Hill sits further from the CBD (269.4 km vs 266.8 km).
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 6/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 266.8 km | 269.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 201 min | 200 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 3282 | 0.2% postcode 3283 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 37 postcode 3282 | 41 postcode 3283 |
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 (79.1%).
Setting
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 24 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 15 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 2.4 km | 2.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 128 premises | 0% 37 premises |
Climate
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 699 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 22.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.2°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,613/yr same for both | |
| Council | Moyne same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wannon same for both | |
| Member | Dan Tehan same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Illowa | Tower Hill | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Illowa
Other comparisons with Tower Hill
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.