Lower Norton vs Wonwondah
Lower Norton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 48 in Wonwondah. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lower Norton, most households are couple families. In Wonwondah, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Lower Norton tends to suit families with children and couples, while Wonwondah suits people living alone.
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
Lower Norton
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 37/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 64%)
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 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (11% vs 25%)
- has cheaper rent ($248/wk vs $345/wk)
- But Wonwondah has a bigger rental market to choose from (18% vs 6%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Wonwondah
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (295.6 km vs 314.7 km)
- has a shorter drive in (208 min vs 217 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Lower Norton carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 37/100)
- Wonwondah has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 19%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Wonwondah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (10.7% vs 2.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Lower Norton and Wonwondah 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
Lower Norton has more residents (236 vs 114); Lower Norton has higher household incomes ($119,340 vs $71,500).
| Lower Norton | Wonwondah | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 236 +52% vs other | 114 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.2% | +10.7% |
| Median age | 45 | 48 |
| Median household income | $119,340/yr +40% vs other | $71,500/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $248/wk | $345/wk +39% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.5%).
Zoning mix
| Lower Norton | Wonwondah | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 95% | 96% |
| Parks and recreation | 4% 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
| Lower Norton | Wonwondah | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 94 across Horsham same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +57% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Lower Norton | Wonwondah | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 91% of VIC | Higher than 35% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 10% of VIC | Higher than 27% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 10% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 51% of VIC | Higher than 17% of VIC |
Liveability
| Lower Norton | Wonwondah | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Lower Norton carries more bushfire risk (12 vs 0); Wonwondah carries more crime risk (37 vs 18).
| Lower Norton | Wonwondah | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 12/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 18/100 | Low 37/100 |
| Flood | High 71/100 same for both | |
| 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
| Lower Norton | Wonwondah | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Lower Norton | Wonwondah | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 20 | 27 |
Mobility
Lower Norton sits further from the CBD (314.7 km vs 295.6 km).
| Lower Norton | Wonwondah | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 314.7 km +6% vs other | 295.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 217 min | 208 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 (79.0%).
Setting
| Lower Norton | Wonwondah | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 139 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 153 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Lower Norton | Wonwondah | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 20/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 87 premises | 0% 33 premises |
Climate
| Lower Norton | Wonwondah | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Lower Norton | Wonwondah | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,228/yr same for both | |
| Council | Horsham same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Lower Norton | Wonwondah | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mallee same for both | |
| Member | Anne Webster same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Lower Norton | Wonwondah | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Lower Norton
Other comparisons with Wonwondah
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.