Steels Creek vs Castella

Castella is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 48 in Steels Creek. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Steels Creek, the large majority of households are couple families. In Castella, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Steels Creek: a median of $1.61 million, against $1.29 million in Castella, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Steels Creek tends to suit couples and older residents, while Castella suits buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Steels Creek

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 48/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (83% vs 71%)

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

First-home buyers

Castella

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,287,500 vs $1,610,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Castella

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($420/wk vs $509/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Steels Creek

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (63.6 km vs 72.4 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (68 min vs 73 min)
  • But Castella is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Steels Creek

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (21% vs 9%)
  • carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 48/100)
  • But Castella is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)

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

Investors

Steels Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (22.7% vs -4.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Steels Creek Castella
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.

Steels Creek Castella
Walkability 0 / 10
Steels Creek — Walkability: 0/100 Castella — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 77 / 52
Steels Creek — Safety: 77/100 Castella — Safety: 52/100
Low fire risk 11 / 1
Steels Creek — Low fire risk: 11/100 Castella — Low fire risk: 1/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Steels Creek — Low flood risk: 100/100 Castella — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Steels Creek rents higher ($509/wk vs $420/wk); Steels Creek skews older (48 vs 44).

Steels Creek Castella
Population 276
+7% vs other
 257
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +22.7% -4.1%
Median age 48 44
Median household income $108,316/yr
+5% vs other
 $102,856/yr
Median weekly rent $509/wk
+17% vs other
 $420/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Steels Creek Castella
0-4 4.0% / 5.8%
Steels Creek — 0-4: 4.0% Castella — 0-4: 5.8%
5-14 11.6% / 10.1%
Steels Creek — 5-14: 11.6% Castella — 5-14: 10.1%
15-19 5.8% / 10.1%
Steels Creek — 15-19: 5.8% Castella — 15-19: 10.1%
20-24 5.4% / 5.4%
Steels Creek — 20-24: 5.4% Castella — 20-24: 5.4%
25-34 7.6% / 7.8%
Steels Creek — 25-34: 7.6% Castella — 25-34: 7.8%
35-44 10.1% / 14.8%
Steels Creek — 35-44: 10.1% Castella — 35-44: 14.8%
45-54 16.3% / 18.3%
Steels Creek — 45-54: 16.3% Castella — 45-54: 18.3%
55-64 17.0% / 18.3%
Steels Creek — 55-64: 17.0% Castella — 55-64: 18.3%
65-74 11.6% / 8.9%
Steels Creek — 65-74: 11.6% Castella — 65-74: 8.9%
75-84 8.3% / —
Steels Creek — 75-84: 8.3% Castella — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ 1.4% / —
Steels Creek — 85+: 1.4% Castella — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Steels Creek 75.0% couple families
Steels Creek — Couple Families: 75.0% Steels Creek — Lone Person: 16.7% Steels Creek — One Parent Families: 8.3%
Castella 51.5% couple families
Castella — Couple Families: 51.5% Castella — Lone Person: 28.8% Castella — One Parent Families: 19.7%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Steels Creek 3.6% renting
Steels Creek — Owned Outright: 50.0% Steels Creek — Mortgage: 46.4% Steels Creek — Renting: 3.6%
Castella 4.4% renting
Castella — Owned Outright: 38.9% Castella — Mortgage: 56.7% Castella — Renting: 4.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Steels Creek Castella
England 6.2% / 3.9%
Steels Creek — England: 6.2% Castella — England: 3.9%
Germany 2.2% / —
Steels Creek — Germany: 2.2% Castella — Germany: not among its largest
New Zealand — / 1.6%
Steels Creek — New Zealand: not among its largest Castella — New Zealand: 1.6%
Scotland 1.1% / —
Steels Creek — Scotland: 1.1% Castella — Scotland: not among its largest
Ireland 1.1% / —
Steels Creek — Ireland: 1.1% Castella — Ireland: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.2%).

Qualifications

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

Steels Creek Castella
Certificate III & IV 15.6% / 23.3%
Steels Creek — Certificate III & IV: 15.6% Castella — Certificate III & IV: 23.3%
Bachelor Degree 17.0% / 7.8%
Steels Creek — Bachelor Degree: 17.0% Castella — Bachelor Degree: 7.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.5% / 8.2%
Steels Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.5% Castella — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2%
Postgraduate Degree 5.1% / 3.9%
Steels Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 5.1% Castella — Postgraduate Degree: 3.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.6% / 3.5%
Steels Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.6% Castella — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Steels Creek 103.5% houses
Steels Creek — Houses: 103.5%
Castella 100.0% houses
Castella — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Property market

Steels Creek Castella
Median house price $1,610,000 $1,287,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Castella has more rural and farming land (71% vs 54%); Steels Creek has more land zoned for conservation (16% vs 0%).

Steels Creek Castella
Rural and farming 54% 71%
Parks and recreation 30% 18%
Environmental 16% 0%
Residential 0% 8%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 2%
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

Steels Creek Castella
New dwellings approved 416
across Yarra Ranges
 82
across Murrindindi
Approvals change year on year -57% +83%

Ranking within VIC

Steels Creek Castella
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 80% of VIC Higher than 75% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 1% of VIC Higher than 73% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 67% of VIC Higher than 68% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 38% of VIC Higher than 13% of VIC

Liveability

Castella is more walkable (10 vs 0).

Steels Creek Castella
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
same for both

Risk profile

Castella carries more crime risk (48 vs 23); Castella carries more bushfire risk (99 vs 89).

Steels Creek Castella
Bushfire High
89/100
 High
99/100
Crime Low
23/100
 Moderate
48/100
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
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Steels Creek Castella
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

Steels Creek Castella
Parks & reserves 3
same for both
Waterways 8 1

Mobility

Castella sits further from the CBD (72.4 km vs 63.6 km).

Steels Creek Castella
Walkability score 0/100 10/100
Distance to Melbourne 63.6 km 72.4 km
+14% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 68 min 73 min
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 3775
 0.8%
postcode 3777
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 48
postcode 3775
 42
postcode 3777

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.

Steels Creek Castella
Car (driver) 59.0% / 64.7%
Steels Creek — Car (driver): 59.0% Castella — Car (driver): 64.7%
Worked from Home 38.1% / 27.7%
Steels Creek — Worked from Home: 38.1% Castella — Worked from Home: 27.7%
Car (passenger) 2.9% / 7.6%
Steels Creek — Car (passenger): 2.9% Castella — Car (passenger): 7.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (64.7%).

Setting

Steels Creek Castella
Elevation 137 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 368 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Steels Creek Castella
Connectivity score 29/100 16/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
95 premises
 0%
48 premises

Climate

Steels Creek Castella
Annual rainfall 1,215 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 22.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 3.8°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Steels Creek Castella
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 15.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Steels Creek Castella
Average residential rate $2,161/yr $1,973/yr
Council Yarra Ranges Murrindindi

Federal electorate

Steels Creek Castella
Division Casey Indi
Member Aaron Violi Helen Haines
Party Liberal Independent

First Home Owner Grant

Steels Creek Castella
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Steels Creek

Outer

Castella

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Steels Creek

Steels Creek vs Yarra Glen Steels Creek vs Kinglake Steels Creek vs Christmas Hills Steels Creek vs Dixons Creek

Other comparisons with Castella

Castella vs Kinglake Castella vs Toolangi Castella vs Dixons Creek
Full data on Steels Creek Full data on Castella
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.

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