Mount Cottrell vs Exford

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mount Cottrell, about half of households are couple families. In Exford, most households are couple families. Mount Cottrell is closer to the city centre: 36.4 km, against 50.4 km. On these figures, Exford 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

They split

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

  • Mount Cottrell has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
  • Exford is already more of a family suburb (91% vs 73%)

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

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Mount Cottrell

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (36.4 km vs 50.4 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (43 min vs 52 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

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

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

Investors

Exford

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (24.3% vs -12.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Mount Cottrell Exford
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.

Mount Cottrell Exford
Walkability 0 / 0
Mount Cottrell — Walkability: 0/100 Exford — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 2 / 8
Mount Cottrell — Safety: 2/100 Exford — Safety: 8/100
Low fire risk 24 / 100
Mount Cottrell — Low fire risk: 24/100 Exford — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Mount Cottrell — Low flood risk: 100/100 Exford — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Mount Cottrell has more residents (496 vs 133); Mount Cottrell has higher household incomes ($80,184 vs $71,500).

Mount Cottrell Exford
Population 496
+73% vs other
 133
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -12.8% +24.3%
Median age 41 39
Median household income $80,184/yr
+11% vs other
 $71,500/yr
Median weekly rent $462/wk
+7% vs other
 $429/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Mount Cottrell Exford
0-4 4.6% / 9.0%
Mount Cottrell — 0-4: 4.6% Exford — 0-4: 9.0%
5-14 14.5% / 19.5%
Mount Cottrell — 5-14: 14.5% Exford — 5-14: 19.5%
15-19 5.4% / —
Mount Cottrell — 15-19: 5.4% Exford — 15-19: not among its largest
20-24 6.5% / 4.5%
Mount Cottrell — 20-24: 6.5% Exford — 20-24: 4.5%
25-34 10.1% / 12.8%
Mount Cottrell — 25-34: 10.1% Exford — 25-34: 12.8%
35-44 14.3% / 16.5%
Mount Cottrell — 35-44: 14.3% Exford — 35-44: 16.5%
45-54 10.7% / 10.5%
Mount Cottrell — 45-54: 10.7% Exford — 45-54: 10.5%
55-64 14.3% / 12.8%
Mount Cottrell — 55-64: 14.3% Exford — 55-64: 12.8%
65-74 12.3% / 15.8%
Mount Cottrell — 65-74: 12.3% Exford — 65-74: 15.8%
75-84 5.0% / —
Mount Cottrell — 75-84: 5.0% Exford — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ 2.4% / —
Mount Cottrell — 85+: 2.4% Exford — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Mount Cottrell 49.1% couple families
Mount Cottrell — Couple Families: 49.1% Mount Cottrell — One Parent Families: 23.6% Mount Cottrell — Lone Person: 23.6% Mount Cottrell — Group Household: 3.6%
Exford 71.9% couple families
Exford — Couple Families: 71.9% Exford — One Parent Families: 18.8% Exford — Lone Person: 9.4% Exford — Group Household: 0.0%
Couple Families One Parent Families Lone Person Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Mount Cottrell 27.0% renting
Mount Cottrell — Owned Outright: 51.8% Mount Cottrell — Mortgage: 21.3% Mount Cottrell — Renting: 27.0%
Exford 21.1% renting
Exford — Owned Outright: 34.2% Exford — Mortgage: 44.7% Exford — Renting: 21.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Mount Cottrell 97.3% houses
Mount Cottrell — Houses: 97.3% Mount Cottrell — Flats / Apartments: 2.7%
Exford 100.0% houses
Exford — Houses: 100.0% Exford — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Mount Cottrell Exford
Certificate III & IV 16.9% / 15.8%
Mount Cottrell — Certificate III & IV: 16.9% Exford — Certificate III & IV: 15.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.4% / 9.0%
Mount Cottrell — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.4% Exford — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.0%
Bachelor Degree 6.9% / 6.0%
Mount Cottrell — Bachelor Degree: 6.9% Exford — Bachelor Degree: 6.0%
Postgraduate Degree 2.2% / 2.3%
Mount Cottrell — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2% Exford — Postgraduate Degree: 2.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.8% / —
Mount Cottrell — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.8% Exford — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.9%).

Property market

Mount Cottrell Exford
Median house price $770,000 —
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $380,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 72 days
from 21 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Exford has more rural and farming land (89% vs 32%); Mount Cottrell has more land zoned for conservation (31% vs 8%).

Mount Cottrell Exford
Rural and farming 32% 89%
Environmental 31% 8%
Residential 23% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 11% 3%
Other and special use 2% 0%
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 Cottrell Exford
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.

Mount Cottrell Exford
Houses 3.9%
$555/wk on $750K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Mount Cottrell Exford
House price Higher than 51% of VIC —
Income Higher than 47% of VIC Higher than 35% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 35% of VIC Higher than 28% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 45% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 84% of VIC Higher than 72% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 77% of VIC Higher than 57% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 58% of VIC —

Liveability

Mount Cottrell Exford
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

Mount Cottrell carries more bushfire risk (76 vs 0).

Mount Cottrell Exford
Bushfire High
76/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
98/100
 High
92/100
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
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Mount Cottrell Exford
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Mount Cottrell

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Exford

  • Exford Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Mount Cottrell Exford
Parks & reserves 5 0
Childcare 1 0
Waterways 11 1

Mobility

Exford sits further from the CBD (50.4 km vs 36.4 km).

Mount Cottrell Exford
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 36.4 km 50.4 km
+38% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 43 min 52 min
Electric vehicle share 1.3%
postcode 3024
 0.9%
postcode 3338
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 69
postcode 3024
 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.

Mount Cottrell Exford
Car (driver) 71.6% / 70.5%
Mount Cottrell — Car (driver): 71.6% Exford — Car (driver): 70.5%
Worked from Home 20.3% / 22.7%
Mount Cottrell — Worked from Home: 20.3% Exford — Worked from Home: 22.7%
Walked Only 2.7% / 6.8%
Mount Cottrell — Walked Only: 2.7% Exford — Walked Only: 6.8%
Car (passenger) 5.4% / —
Mount Cottrell — Car (passenger): 5.4% Exford — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (71.6%).

Setting

Mount Cottrell Exford
Elevation 95 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 116 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 19.6 km 28.9 km

NBN connectivity

Mount Cottrell Exford
Connectivity score 66/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 51%
456 premises
 0%
44 premises

Climate

Mount Cottrell Exford
Annual rainfall 482 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.2°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Mount Cottrell Exford
PM2.5 4.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Mount Cottrell Exford
Average residential rate $1,779/yr
same for both
Council Melton
same for both

Federal electorate

Mount Cottrell Exford
Division Gorton Hawke
Member Alice Jordan-Baird Sam Rae
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Mount Cottrell Exford
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Mount Cottrell

Multicultural Outer

Exford

Family Outer Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Mount Cottrell

Mount Cottrell vs Tarneit Mount Cottrell vs Truganina Mount Cottrell vs Wyndham Vale Mount Cottrell vs Weir Views Mount Cottrell vs Strathtulloh Mount Cottrell vs Thornhill Park

Other comparisons with Exford

Exford vs Brookfield Exford vs Weir Views Exford vs Eynesbury Exford vs Parwan
Full data on Mount Cottrell Full data on Exford
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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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