Mount Camel vs Toolleen
Toolleen is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 56 in Mount Camel. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mount Camel, most households are people living alone. In Toolleen, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Toolleen: a median of $1.01 million, against $582,000 in Mount Camel, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Mount Camel tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Toolleen suits 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
Toolleen
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (54% vs 40%)
- But Mount Camel carries lower crime risk (47/100 vs 70/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Mount Camel
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($582,500 vs $1,007,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Mount Camel
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 18%)
- has cheaper rent ($125/wk vs $260/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Mount Camel sits closer to the CBD (147.3 km vs 156.5 km)
- Toolleen is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Mount Camel
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (47/100 vs 70/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 20%)
- But Toolleen is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Mount Camel
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (28.3% vs 21.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Mount Camel and Toolleen 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
Toolleen rents higher ($260/wk vs $125/wk); Toolleen has more residents (221 vs 136).
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 136 | 221 +62% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +28.3% | +21.4% |
| Median age | 56 | 46 |
| Median household income | $77,116/yr +4% vs other | $74,360/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $125/wk | $260/wk +108% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).
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 (6.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $582,500 | $1,007,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Toolleen has more rural and farming land (86% vs 68%).
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 68% | 86% |
| Parks and recreation | 32% | 13% |
| 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
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 885 across Greater Bendigo | 264 across Campaspe |
| Approvals change year on year | +28% | +63% |
Ranking within VIC
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 44% of VIC | Higher than 40% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 16% of VIC | Higher than 68% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 64% of VIC | Higher than 56% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 40% of VIC | Higher than 25% of VIC |
Liveability
Toolleen is more walkable (8 vs 0).
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Toolleen carries more crime risk (70 vs 47).
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 30/100 | Low 39/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 47/100 | High 70/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 4 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 8 | 2 |
Mobility
Toolleen sits further from the CBD (156.5 km vs 147.3 km).
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 8/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 147.3 km | 156.5 km +6% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 110 min | 114 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 3523 | 0.6% postcode 3551 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 54 postcode 3523 | 64 postcode 3551 |
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 (66.0%).
Setting
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 211 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 190 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 25/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 83 premises | 0% 98 premises |
Climate
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 553 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.6°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,949/yr | $2,035/yr |
| Council | Greater Bendigo | Campaspe |
Federal electorate
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bendigo | Nicholls |
| Member | Lisa Chesters | Sam Birrell |
| Party | Australian Labor Party | The Nationals |
First Home Owner Grant
| Mount Camel | Toolleen | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Mount Camel
Other comparisons with Toolleen
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.