Melton West vs Brookfield

Brookfield is the younger of the two, with a median age of 32 against 36 in Melton West. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Brookfield, most households are couple families. On these figures, Brookfield tends to suit families with children and 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

Brookfield

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (43/100 vs 85/100)
  • has more childcare (11 vs 8)
  • But Melton West has more schools inside the suburb (8 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Brookfield

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper land ($364,250 vs $470,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Melton West

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($320/wk vs $350/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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 West has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • Brookfield carries lower crime risk (43/100 vs 85/100)

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

Melton West and Brookfield 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 West Brookfield
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 West Brookfield
Walkability 40 / 40
Melton West — Walkability: 40/100 Brookfield — Walkability: 40/100
Safety 15 / 57
Melton West — Safety: 15/100 Brookfield — Safety: 57/100
Low fire risk 33 / 34
Melton West — Low fire risk: 33/100 Brookfield — Low fire risk: 34/100
Low flood risk 89 / 87
Melton West — Low flood risk: 89/100 Brookfield — Low flood risk: 87/100

Demographics

Brookfield has higher household incomes ($85,384 vs $75,400); Melton West skews older (36 vs 32).

Melton West Brookfield
Population 8,784 10,782
+23% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) — +17.0%
Median age 36 32
Median household income $75,400/yr $85,384/yr
+13% vs other
Median weekly rent $320/wk $350/wk
+9% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Melton West Brookfield
0-4 6.1% / 8.9%
Melton West — 0-4: 6.1% Brookfield — 0-4: 8.9%
5-14 15.0% / 17.9%
Melton West — 5-14: 15.0% Brookfield — 5-14: 17.9%
15-19 7.1% / 6.4%
Melton West — 15-19: 7.1% Brookfield — 15-19: 6.4%
20-24 6.0% / 6.1%
Melton West — 20-24: 6.0% Brookfield — 20-24: 6.1%
25-34 13.0% / 15.2%
Melton West — 25-34: 13.0% Brookfield — 25-34: 15.2%
35-44 14.4% / 15.9%
Melton West — 35-44: 14.4% Brookfield — 35-44: 15.9%
45-54 12.9% / 10.4%
Melton West — 45-54: 12.9% Brookfield — 45-54: 10.4%
55-64 11.3% / 8.2%
Melton West — 55-64: 11.3% Brookfield — 55-64: 8.2%
65-74 9.8% / 6.8%
Melton West — 65-74: 9.8% Brookfield — 65-74: 6.8%
75-84 3.7% / 3.1%
Melton West — 75-84: 3.7% Brookfield — 75-84: 3.1%
85+ 0.9% / 1.0%
Melton West — 85+: 0.9% Brookfield — 85+: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Melton West 44.8% couple families
Melton West — Couple Families: 44.8% Melton West — Lone Person: 26.7% Melton West — One Parent Families: 23.7% Melton West — Group Household: 3.3% Melton West — Other Families: 1.4%
Brookfield 55.0% couple families
Brookfield — Couple Families: 55.0% Brookfield — Lone Person: 22.4% Brookfield — One Parent Families: 18.8% Brookfield — Group Household: 2.3% Brookfield — Other Families: 1.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Melton West 23.8% renting
Melton West — Owned Outright: 30.5% Melton West — Mortgage: 45.7% Melton West — Renting: 23.8%
Brookfield 30.0% renting
Brookfield — Owned Outright: 24.2% Brookfield — Mortgage: 45.8% Brookfield — Renting: 30.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Melton West Brookfield
Certificate III & IV 16.3% / 13.4%
Melton West — Certificate III & IV: 16.3% Brookfield — Certificate III & IV: 13.4%
Bachelor Degree 6.4% / 8.3%
Melton West — Bachelor Degree: 6.4% Brookfield — Bachelor Degree: 8.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.5% / 7.2%
Melton West — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.5% Brookfield — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.2%
Postgraduate Degree 1.7% / 2.8%
Melton West — Postgraduate Degree: 1.7% Brookfield — Postgraduate Degree: 2.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.0% / 1.2%
Melton West — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0% Brookfield — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.3%).

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 West Brookfield
India 3.4% / 7.5%
Melton West — India: 3.4% Brookfield — India: 7.5%
New Zealand 2.4% / 3.1%
Melton West — New Zealand: 2.4% Brookfield — New Zealand: 3.1%
England 2.8% / 2.1%
Melton West — England: 2.8% Brookfield — England: 2.1%
Philippines 1.5% / 2.4%
Melton West — Philippines: 1.5% Brookfield — Philippines: 2.4%
Pakistan 0.6% / 1.4%
Melton West — Pakistan: 0.6% Brookfield — Pakistan: 1.4%
Vietnam 0.7% / 0.7%
Melton West — Vietnam: 0.7% Brookfield — Vietnam: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Melton West 93.7% houses
Melton West — Houses: 93.7% Melton West — Townhouses: 6.2% Melton West — Flats / Apartments: 0.1%
Brookfield 89.7% houses
Brookfield — Houses: 89.7% Brookfield — Townhouses: 10.3% Brookfield — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Melton West Brookfield
Median house price $600,000 $605,000
Median unit price $430,000 $450,000
Median land price $470,000 $364,250
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 98 sales
 32 days
from 153 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.

Melton West Brookfield
3 bed $550K / $565K
Melton West — 3 bed: $550K (117 sales) Brookfield — 3 bed: $565K (85 sales)

117 vs 85 sales

4 bed $650K / $615K
Melton West — 4 bed: $650K (98 sales) Brookfield — 4 bed: $615K (189 sales)

98 vs 189 sales

5 bed $725K / $678K
Melton West — 5 bed: $725K (15 sales) Brookfield — 5 bed: $678K (15 sales)

15 vs 15 sales

Zoning mix

Melton West has more rural and farming land (25% vs 11%).

Melton West Brookfield
Residential 53% 65%
Rural and farming 25% 11%
Infrastructure and transport 6% 11%
Parks and recreation 6% 7%
Environmental 6% 5%
Commercial 4% 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 West Brookfield
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 West Brookfield
Houses 3.8%
$450/wk on $610K
 3.8%
$470/wk on $637K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Melton West Brookfield
House price Higher than 26% of VIC Higher than 24% of VIC
Income Higher than 42% of VIC Higher than 55% of VIC
Schools Higher than 40% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 68% of VIC Higher than 82% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 45% of VIC Higher than 72% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 98% of VIC
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 57% of VIC
same for both

Liveability

Brookfield scores higher overall (44 vs 32).

Melton West Brookfield
Grade C
same for both
Score 32/100 44/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Melton West carries more crime risk (85 vs 43).

Melton West Brookfield
Bushfire Moderate
67/100
 Moderate
66/100
Crime High
85/100
 Moderate
43/100
Flood Low
11/100
 Low
13/100
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

Melton West Brookfield
Inside the suburb 8 2
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 1
same for both
Rated below peers 4 1

Schools in Melton West

  • OneSchool Global Vic Independent · Combined above peers
  • St Francis Catholic College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • Melton Secondary College Government · Secondary below peers
  • Melton West Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • St Catherine of Siena School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • Wedge Park Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Brookfield

  • Melton Christian College Independent · Combined at peers
  • Binap Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Melton West Brookfield
Supermarkets 4 0
Cafes & restaurants 6 0
Parks & reserves 3
same for both
Childcare 8 11
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Banks & Bank@Post 5 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 1 7

Mobility

Melton West Brookfield
Walkability score 40/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 47.8 km 48 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 45 min
same for both
Public transport score 77/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 113.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 33.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 3337
 0.9%
postcode 3338
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 42
postcode 3337
 57
postcode 3338

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 West Brookfield
Car (driver) 72.6% / 73.1%
Melton West — Car (driver): 72.6% Brookfield — Car (driver): 73.1%
Worked from Home 17.7% / 17.5%
Melton West — Worked from Home: 17.7% Brookfield — Worked from Home: 17.5%
Car (passenger) 5.6% / 5.7%
Melton West — Car (passenger): 5.6% Brookfield — Car (passenger): 5.7%
Train 2.4% / 3.1%
Melton West — Train: 2.4% Brookfield — Train: 3.1%
Walked Only 1.2% / 0.4%
Melton West — Walked Only: 1.2% Brookfield — Walked Only: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (73.1%).

Setting

Melton West Brookfield
Elevation 142 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 119 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 32.5 km 31.1 km

NBN connectivity

Melton West Brookfield
Connectivity score 97/100 96/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 92%
3,608 premises
 92%
4,078 premises

Climate

Melton West Brookfield
Annual rainfall 518 mm 482 mm
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C 25.9°C
Winter min (Jul) 6.0°C 6.2°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Melton West Brookfield
PM2.5 4.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Melton West Brookfield
Average residential rate $1,779/yr
same for both
Council Melton
same for both

Federal electorate

Melton West Brookfield
Division Hawke
same for both
Member Sam Rae
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Melton West

Large Blocks Outer

Brookfield

Family Large Blocks Multicultural Outer Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Melton West

Melton West vs Harkness Melton West vs Melton South Melton West vs Kurunjang Melton West vs Melton Melton West vs Hopetoun Park Melton West vs Long Forest

Other comparisons with Brookfield

Brookfield vs Melton South Brookfield vs Melton Brookfield vs Weir Views Brookfield vs Hopetoun Park Brookfield vs Long Forest Brookfield vs Parwan
Full data on Melton West Full data on Brookfield
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or