Taradale vs Elphinstone
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Taradale: a median of $1.08 million, against $880,000 in Elphinstone, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Elphinstone tends to suit 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
Taradale
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 59/100)
- has more parks and reserves (5 vs 2)
- But Elphinstone has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Elphinstone
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($880,000 vs $1,077,500)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Elphinstone
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($203/wk vs $277/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Taradale
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (39/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (102.6 km vs 112.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Taradale
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (39/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 59/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Taradale and Elphinstone 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
Taradale rents higher ($277/wk vs $203/wk); Taradale skews older (52 vs 50).
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 524 | 633 +21% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +17.0% | +14.1% |
| Median age | 52 | 50 |
| Median household income | $76,336/yr +1% vs other | $75,244/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $277/wk +27% vs other | $203/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).
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 (16.3%).
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 (5.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,077,500 | $880,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $269,000 | $260,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 79 days from 6 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Elphinstone has more rural and farming land (88% vs 62%).
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 62% | 88% |
| Parks and recreation | 30% | 5% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 5% same for both | |
| Residential | 3% | 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
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 102 across Mount Alexander same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -7% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 43% of VIC | Higher than 42% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 84% of VIC | Higher than 62% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 71% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 49% of VIC | Higher than 71% of VIC |
Liveability
Taradale is more walkable (39 vs 0); Taradale scores higher overall (63 vs 52).
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B same for both | |
| Score | 63/100 | 52/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Elphinstone carries more crime risk (59 vs 19); Taradale carries more bushfire risk (24 vs 12).
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 24/100 | Low 12/100 |
| Crime | Low 19/100 | Moderate 59/100 |
| 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
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Taradale
- Taradale Primary School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Elphinstone
- Elphinstone Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 5 | 2 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 same for both | |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 6 | 18 |
Mobility
Elphinstone sits further from the CBD (112.1 km vs 102.6 km).
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 39/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 102.6 km | 112.1 km +9% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 75 min | 79 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3447 | 0.9% postcode 3448 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 76 postcode 3447 | 68 postcode 3448 |
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 (64.2%).
Setting
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 390 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 409 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 275 premises | 0% 310 premises |
Climate
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 598 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,885/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mount Alexander same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Bendigo same for both | |
| Member | Lisa Chesters same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Taradale | Elphinstone | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Taradale
Other comparisons with Elphinstone
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.