Springfield vs Willowmavin
Springfield is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 53 in Willowmavin. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Springfield, most households are couple families. In Willowmavin, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Springfield tends to suit families with children and couples, while Willowmavin suits people living alone and older residents.
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
- Springfield is already more of a family suburb (74% vs 58%)
- Willowmavin carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 64/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Springfield
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 24%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Willowmavin
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $391/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Springfield
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (71.4 km vs 84.2 km)
- has a shorter drive in (68 min vs 80 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Willowmavin
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 64/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 16%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Willowmavin
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (11.6% vs 6.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Springfield and Willowmavin 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
Springfield rents higher ($391/wk vs $300/wk); Springfield has higher household incomes ($131,404 vs $106,860).
| Springfield | Willowmavin | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 193 | 241 +25% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.6% | +11.6% |
| Median age | 46 | 53 |
| Median household income | $131,404/yr +19% vs other | $106,860/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $391/wk +23% vs other | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.5%).
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 (2.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Springfield | Willowmavin | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 93% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 4% |
| 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
| Springfield | Willowmavin | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 331 across Macedon Ranges | 1,074 across Mitchell |
| Approvals change year on year | +80% | +70% |
Ranking within VIC
| Springfield | Willowmavin | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 95% of VIC | Higher than 79% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 44% of VIC | Higher than 56% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 65% of VIC | Higher than 34% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 32% of VIC | Higher than 46% of VIC |
Liveability
| Springfield | Willowmavin | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Springfield carries more crime risk (64 vs 21).
| Springfield | Willowmavin | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 76/100 | High 75/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 64/100 | Low 21/100 |
| 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
| Springfield | Willowmavin | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Springfield
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Willowmavin
- Willowmavin Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Springfield | Willowmavin | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 5 | 7 |
Mobility
Willowmavin sits further from the CBD (84.2 km vs 71.4 km).
| Springfield | Willowmavin | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 71.4 km | 84.2 km +18% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 68 min | 80 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 3434 | 0.4% postcode 3764 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 3434 | 46 postcode 3764 |
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 (67.6%).
Setting
| Springfield | Willowmavin | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 549 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 380 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Springfield | Willowmavin | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 27/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 79 premises | 0% 117 premises |
Climate
| Springfield | Willowmavin | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 778 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Springfield | Willowmavin | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,065/yr | $1,947/yr |
| Council | Macedon Ranges | Mitchell |
Federal electorate
| Springfield | Willowmavin | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mcewen | Nicholls |
| Member | Rob Mitchell | Sam Birrell |
| Party | Australian Labor Party | The Nationals |
First Home Owner Grant
| Springfield | Willowmavin | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Springfield
Other comparisons with Willowmavin
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.