Melton vs Toolern Vale

Melton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 44 in Toolern Vale. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Toolern Vale, most households are couple families. On these figures, Melton tends to suit people living alone, while Toolern Vale 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Melton has more childcare (15 vs 2)
  • Toolern Vale is already more of a family suburb (74% vs 52%)

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

Melton

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (36% vs 8%)
  • has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $385/wk)
  • But Toolern Vale leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 28%)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Melton sits closer to the CBD (43.8 km vs 46.5 km)
  • Toolern Vale is more walkable (30/100 vs 20/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Melton has more GPs (10 vs 0)
  • Toolern Vale is more walkable (30/100 vs 20/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Toolern Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (13.0% vs -1.4%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Melton Toolern Vale
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.

Melton Toolern Vale
Walkability 20 / 30
Melton — Walkability: 20/100 Toolern Vale — Walkability: 30/100
Safety 6 / 19
Melton — Safety: 6/100 Toolern Vale — Safety: 19/100
Low fire risk 14 / 25
Melton — Low fire risk: 14/100 Toolern Vale — Low fire risk: 25/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Melton — Low flood risk: 100/100 Toolern Vale — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Melton has more residents (7,953 vs 818); Toolern Vale has higher household incomes ($99,216 vs $55,016).

Melton Toolern Vale
Population 7,953
+90% vs other
 818
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -1.4% +13.0%
Median age 40 44
Median household income $55,016/yr $99,216/yr
+80% vs other
Median weekly rent $300/wk $385/wk
+28% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Melton Toolern Vale
0-4 6.4% / 4.9%
Melton — 0-4: 6.4% Toolern Vale — 0-4: 4.9%
5-14 12.3% / 11.6%
Melton — 5-14: 12.3% Toolern Vale — 5-14: 11.6%
15-19 5.4% / 6.5%
Melton — 15-19: 5.4% Toolern Vale — 15-19: 6.5%
20-24 5.6% / 6.8%
Melton — 20-24: 5.6% Toolern Vale — 20-24: 6.8%
25-34 13.5% / 7.1%
Melton — 25-34: 13.5% Toolern Vale — 25-34: 7.1%
35-44 13.0% / 12.6%
Melton — 35-44: 13.0% Toolern Vale — 35-44: 12.6%
45-54 12.0% / 15.8%
Melton — 45-54: 12.0% Toolern Vale — 45-54: 15.8%
55-64 11.5% / 14.1%
Melton — 55-64: 11.5% Toolern Vale — 55-64: 14.1%
65-74 12.8% / 12.1%
Melton — 65-74: 12.8% Toolern Vale — 65-74: 12.1%
75-84 6.2% / 6.7%
Melton — 75-84: 6.2% Toolern Vale — 75-84: 6.7%
85+ 1.4% / 1.2%
Melton — 85+: 1.4% Toolern Vale — 85+: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Melton 30.2% couple families
Melton — Couple Families: 30.2% Melton — Lone Person: 41.6% Melton — One Parent Families: 22.3% Melton — Group Household: 3.7% Melton — Other Families: 2.2%
Toolern Vale 59.7% couple families
Toolern Vale — Couple Families: 59.7% Toolern Vale — Lone Person: 25.8% Toolern Vale — One Parent Families: 14.5% Toolern Vale — Group Household: 0.0% Toolern Vale — 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.

Melton 35.6% renting
Melton — Owned Outright: 33.7% Melton — Mortgage: 30.7% Melton — Renting: 35.6%
Toolern Vale 8.1% renting
Toolern Vale — Owned Outright: 46.8% Toolern Vale — Mortgage: 45.2% Toolern Vale — Renting: 8.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Melton Toolern Vale
Certificate III & IV 14.8% / 17.4%
Melton — Certificate III & IV: 14.8% Toolern Vale — Certificate III & IV: 17.4%
Bachelor Degree 5.4% / 8.7%
Melton — Bachelor Degree: 5.4% Toolern Vale — Bachelor Degree: 8.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.0% / 7.9%
Melton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.0% Toolern Vale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9%
Postgraduate Degree 1.3% / 2.3%
Melton — Postgraduate Degree: 1.3% Toolern Vale — Postgraduate Degree: 2.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.1% / 1.8%
Melton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1% Toolern Vale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.4%).

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.

Melton Toolern Vale
England 2.7% / 2.9%
Melton — England: 2.7% Toolern Vale — England: 2.9%
New Zealand 2.7% / 1.0%
Melton — New Zealand: 2.7% Toolern Vale — New Zealand: 1.0%
India 2.2% / —
Melton — India: 2.2% Toolern Vale — India: not among its largest
Philippines 1.7% / —
Melton — Philippines: 1.7% Toolern Vale — Philippines: not among its largest
Scotland 0.7% / 1.0%
Melton — Scotland: 0.7% Toolern Vale — Scotland: 1.0%
Myanmar 1.2% / —
Melton — Myanmar: 1.2% Toolern Vale — Myanmar: not among its largest
Italy — / 0.6%
Melton — Italy: not among its largest Toolern Vale — Italy: 0.6%
Germany — / 0.6%
Melton — Germany: not among its largest Toolern Vale — Germany: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Melton 83.3% houses
Melton — Houses: 83.3% Melton — Townhouses: 16.5% Melton — Flats / Apartments: 0.2%
Toolern Vale 97.7% houses
Toolern Vale — Houses: 97.7% Toolern Vale — Townhouses: 1.5% Toolern Vale — Flats / Apartments: 0.8%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Melton Toolern Vale
Median house price $540,000 —
Median unit price $400,000 —
Median land price $787,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 33 days
from 94 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Toolern Vale has more land zoned for conservation (30% vs 0%).

Melton Toolern Vale
Rural and farming 50% 56%
Environmental 0% 30%
Residential 27% 0%
Industrial 10% 0%
Parks and recreation 7% 8%
Infrastructure and transport 5% 4%
Other and special use 0% 1%
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

Melton Toolern Vale
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.

Melton Toolern Vale
Houses 3.7%
$410/wk on $574K
 —
Units 4.9%
$410/wk on $435K
 —

Ranking within VIC

Melton Toolern Vale
House price Higher than 18% of VIC —
Income Higher than 13% of VIC Higher than 71% of VIC
Schools Higher than 3% of VIC Higher than 27% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 79% of VIC Higher than 83% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 44% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 45% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 99% of VIC Higher than 46% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 47% of VIC —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 56% of VIC —

Liveability

Toolern Vale scores higher overall (36 vs 20); Toolern Vale is more walkable (30 vs 20).

Melton Toolern Vale
Grade D C
Score 20/100 36/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Melton carries more crime risk (94 vs 81); Melton carries more bushfire risk (86 vs 75).

Melton Toolern Vale
Bushfire High
86/100
 High
75/100
Crime High
94/100
 High
81/100
Flood None
0/100
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Melton Toolern Vale
Inside the suburb 5 3
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 2 0

Schools in Melton

  • Melton Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Muhammadiyah Australia College Independent · Combined below peers
  • St Dominic's School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • Djerriwarrh Community & Education Services - Djerriwarrh Community College Independent · Secondary
  • Western English Language School-Melton Campus Government · Combined · Special school

Schools in Toolern Vale

  • Toolern Vale and District Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Melton Christian College - Online Campus Independent · Combined
  • Melton Christian College - Toolern Vale Campus Independent · Combined

Amenities in the suburb

Melton Toolern Vale
Supermarkets 3 0
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 8 3
Childcare 15 2
GPs 10 0
Pharmacies 4 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 7 0
Waterways 25 5

Mobility

Toolern Vale sits further from the CBD (46.5 km vs 43.8 km).

Melton Toolern Vale
Walkability score 20/100 30/100
Distance to Melbourne 43.8 km 46.5 km
+6% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 42 min 44 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 3337
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 42
postcode 3337
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.

Melton Toolern Vale
Car (driver) 72.4% / 62.7%
Melton — Car (driver): 72.4% Toolern Vale — Car (driver): 62.7%
Worked from Home 15.1% / 26.6%
Melton — Worked from Home: 15.1% Toolern Vale — Worked from Home: 26.6%
Car (passenger) 6.4% / 6.3%
Melton — Car (passenger): 6.4% Toolern Vale — Car (passenger): 6.3%
Train 2.9% / 2.1%
Melton — Train: 2.9% Toolern Vale — Train: 2.1%
Walked Only 2.2% / 2.4%
Melton — Walked Only: 2.2% Toolern Vale — Walked Only: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.4%).

Setting

Melton Toolern Vale
Elevation 144 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 233 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 28.5 km 36.0 km

NBN connectivity

Melton Toolern Vale
Connectivity score 99/100 29/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 98%
4,809 premises
 0%
283 premises

Climate

Melton Toolern Vale
Annual rainfall 518 mm 778 mm
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C —
Winter min (Jul) 6.0°C —

Air quality (annual mean)

Melton Toolern Vale
PM2.5 4.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Melton Toolern Vale
Average residential rate $1,779/yr
same for both
Council Melton
same for both

Federal electorate

Melton Toolern Vale
Division Hawke
same for both
Member Sam Rae
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Melton Toolern Vale
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Melton

Affordable Outer

Toolern Vale

Outer River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Melton

Melton vs Harkness Melton vs Melton South Melton vs Brookfield Melton vs Kurunjang Melton vs Melton West Melton vs Cobblebank

Other comparisons with Toolern Vale

Toolern Vale vs Harkness Toolern Vale vs Kurunjang Toolern Vale vs Gisborne Toolern Vale vs Diggers Rest Toolern Vale vs Gisborne South Toolern Vale vs Coimadai
Full data on Melton Full data on Toolern Vale
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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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