Plumpton vs Toolern Vale
Plumpton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 44 in Toolern Vale. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Plumpton is closer to the city centre: 33.6 km, against 46.5 km.
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
Toolern Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Toolern Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 32%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Plumpton has a bigger rental market to choose from (20% vs 8%)
- Toolern Vale has cheaper rent ($385/wk vs $450/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
- Plumpton sits closer to the CBD (33.6 km vs 46.5 km)
- Toolern Vale is more walkable (30/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Toolern Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (30/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Where they sit
Plumpton 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.
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
Toolern Vale has more residents (818 vs 79); Plumpton rents higher ($450/wk vs $385/wk).
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 79 | 818 +935% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | — | +13.0% |
| Median age | 38 | 44 |
| Median household income | $94,224/yr | $99,216/yr +5% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $450/wk +14% vs other | $385/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).
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 (6.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Plumpton has more rural and farming land (92% vs 56%); Toolern Vale has more land zoned for conservation (30% vs 0%).
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 92% | 56% |
| Environmental | 0% | 30% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 8% |
| Other and special use | 7% | 1% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 4% |
| 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
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 4,602 across Melton same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +5% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 65% of VIC | Higher than 71% of VIC |
| Schools | — | Higher than 27% of VIC |
| Walkability | Higher than 64% of VIC | Higher than 83% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 85% of VIC | Higher than 45% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 72% of VIC | Higher than 46% of VIC |
Liveability
Toolern Vale is more walkable (30 vs 0).
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 36/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Plumpton carries more bushfire risk (88 vs 75).
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 88/100 | High 75/100 |
| Crime | High 89/100 | 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 | 2 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 3 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Plumpton
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
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
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 3 |
| Childcare | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 1 | 5 |
Mobility
Toolern Vale sits further from the CBD (46.5 km vs 33.6 km).
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 30/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 33.6 km | 46.5 km +38% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 40 min | 44 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.3% postcode 3335 | 0.5% postcode 3337 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | — postcode 3335 | 42 postcode 3337 |
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 (88.5%).
Setting
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 156 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 233 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 25.4 km | 36.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 34 premises | 0% 283 premises |
Climate
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 518 mm | 778 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 26.7°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.0°C | — |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 4.4 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | — same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,779/yr same for both | |
| Council | Melton same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Hawke same for both | |
| Member | Sam Rae same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Plumpton | Toolern Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Plumpton
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Plumpton
Other comparisons with Toolern Vale
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.