Tawonga vs Bright

Bright is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 52 in Tawonga. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bright, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Bright: a median of $1.12 million, against $790,000 in Tawonga, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Tawonga 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

Tawonga

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 55/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 86%)
  • But Bright has more parks and reserves (14 vs 4)

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

First-home buyers

Tawonga

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($790,000 vs $1,122,500)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Tawonga

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (16% vs 22%)
  • has cheaper rent ($220/wk vs $300/wk)
  • But Bright has a bigger rental market to choose from (24% vs 7%)

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

  • Tawonga has a shorter drive in (253 min vs 289 min)
  • Bright sits closer to the CBD (345.9 km vs 358.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Tawonga carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 55/100)
  • Bright has more GPs (5 vs 0)

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

Investors

Bright

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (8.9% vs -1.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Tawonga Bright
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.

Tawonga Bright
Walkability 0 / 0
Tawonga — Walkability: 0/100 Bright — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 79 / 45
Tawonga — Safety: 79/100 Bright — Safety: 45/100
Low fire risk 3 / 4
Tawonga — Low fire risk: 3/100 Bright — Low fire risk: 4/100
Low flood risk 100 / 86
Tawonga — Low flood risk: 100/100 Bright — Low flood risk: 86/100

Demographics

Bright has more residents (2,620 vs 568); Bright rents higher ($300/wk vs $220/wk).

Tawonga Bright
Population 568 2,620
+361% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -1.0% +8.9%
Median age 52 49
Median household income $71,500/yr
+2% vs other
 $70,304/yr
Median weekly rent $220/wk $300/wk
+36% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Tawonga Bright
0-4 4.0% / 3.3%
Tawonga — 0-4: 4.0% Bright — 0-4: 3.3%
5-14 11.6% / 11.4%
Tawonga — 5-14: 11.6% Bright — 5-14: 11.4%
15-19 5.8% / 4.8%
Tawonga — 15-19: 5.8% Bright — 15-19: 4.8%
20-24 3.3% / 4.3%
Tawonga — 20-24: 3.3% Bright — 20-24: 4.3%
25-34 6.7% / 8.8%
Tawonga — 25-34: 6.7% Bright — 25-34: 8.8%
35-44 10.4% / 12.0%
Tawonga — 35-44: 10.4% Bright — 35-44: 12.0%
45-54 13.2% / 13.3%
Tawonga — 45-54: 13.2% Bright — 45-54: 13.3%
55-64 21.8% / 14.4%
Tawonga — 55-64: 21.8% Bright — 55-64: 14.4%
65-74 18.0% / 14.8%
Tawonga — 65-74: 18.0% Bright — 65-74: 14.8%
75-84 6.2% / 9.6%
Tawonga — 75-84: 6.2% Bright — 75-84: 9.6%
85+ 2.3% / 3.2%
Tawonga — 85+: 2.3% Bright — 85+: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Tawonga 44.5% lone person
Tawonga — Lone Person: 44.5% Tawonga — Couple Families: 38.4% Tawonga — One Parent Families: 10.3% Tawonga — Group Household: 2.7% Tawonga — Other Families: 4.1%
Bright 47.4% lone person
Bright — Lone Person: 47.4% Bright — Couple Families: 33.4% Bright — One Parent Families: 12.6% Bright — Group Household: 5.6% Bright — Other Families: 1.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Tawonga 7.1% renting
Tawonga — Owned Outright: 57.1% Tawonga — Mortgage: 35.7% Tawonga — Renting: 7.1%
Bright 24.5% renting
Bright — Owned Outright: 47.6% Bright — Mortgage: 27.9% Bright — Renting: 24.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Tawonga Bright
Certificate III & IV 16.4% / 14.6%
Tawonga — Certificate III & IV: 16.4% Bright — Certificate III & IV: 14.6%
Bachelor Degree 14.3% / 14.0%
Tawonga — Bachelor Degree: 14.3% Bright — Bachelor Degree: 14.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 9.5%
Tawonga — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Bright — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.5%
Postgraduate Degree 3.7% / 3.5%
Tawonga — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7% Bright — Postgraduate Degree: 3.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.5% / 3.1%
Tawonga — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.5% Bright — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.4%).

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.

Tawonga Bright
England 3.3% / 5.5%
Tawonga — England: 3.3% Bright — England: 5.5%
New Zealand 0.9% / 1.5%
Tawonga — New Zealand: 0.9% Bright — New Zealand: 1.5%
Canada 0.9% / 0.5%
Tawonga — Canada: 0.9% Bright — Canada: 0.5%
South Africa 0.5% / 0.7%
Tawonga — South Africa: 0.5% Bright — South Africa: 0.7%
Germany — / 1.1%
Tawonga — Germany: not among its largest Bright — Germany: 1.1%
Philippines 0.9% / —
Tawonga — Philippines: 0.9% Bright — Philippines: not among its largest
Thailand 0.9% / —
Tawonga — Thailand: 0.9% Bright — Thailand: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Tawonga 100.0% houses
Tawonga — Houses: 100.0% Tawonga — Townhouses: 0.0% Tawonga — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Bright 86.0% houses
Bright — Houses: 86.0% Bright — Townhouses: 11.0% Bright — Flats / Apartments: 3.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Tawonga Bright
Median house price $790,000 $1,122,500
Median unit price — $622,500
Median land price — $737,500
Typical days to sell (houses) — 120 days
from 14 sales

Zoning mix

Tawonga has more rural and farming land (41% vs 19%).

Tawonga Bright
Parks and recreation 58% 76%
Rural and farming 41% 19%
Residential 0% 3%
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

Tawonga Bright
New dwellings approved 32
across Alpine
same for both
Approvals change year on year -42%
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.

Tawonga Bright
Houses — 2.6%
$602/wk on $1.19M
Units — 3.5%
$420/wk on $624K

Ranking within VIC

Tawonga Bright
House price — Higher than 71% of VIC
Income — Higher than 32% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 15% of VIC Higher than 4% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 11% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 71% of VIC Higher than 79% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 53% of VIC Higher than 92% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 5% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 2% of VIC

Liveability

Tawonga scores higher overall (38 vs 28).

Tawonga Bright
Grade C D
Score 38/100 28/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Bright carries more flood risk (14 vs 0); Bright carries more crime risk (55 vs 21).

Tawonga Bright
Bushfire High
97/100
 High
96/100
Crime Low
21/100
 Moderate
55/100
Flood None
0/100
 Low
14/100
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

Tawonga Bright
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Tawonga

  • Tawonga Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Bright

  • Bright P-12 College Government · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Tawonga Bright
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 18
Parks & reserves 4 14
Childcare 2
same for both
GPs 0 5
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 3
Fuel stations 0 3
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 5 30

Mobility

Tawonga sits further from the CBD (358.4 km vs 345.9 km).

Tawonga Bright
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 358.4 km
+3% vs other
 345.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 253 min 289 min
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 3697
 1.1%
postcode 3741
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 65
postcode 3697
 45
postcode 3741

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.

Tawonga Bright
Car (driver) 67.3% / 55.2%
Tawonga — Car (driver): 67.3% Bright — Car (driver): 55.2%
Worked from Home 26.8% / 25.1%
Tawonga — Worked from Home: 26.8% Bright — Worked from Home: 25.1%
Walked Only 1.5% / 13.0%
Tawonga — Walked Only: 1.5% Bright — Walked Only: 13.0%
Car (passenger) 4.4% / 3.6%
Tawonga — Car (passenger): 4.4% Bright — Car (passenger): 3.6%
Bicycle — / 2.8%
Tawonga — Bicycle: not among its largest Bright — Bicycle: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (67.3%).

Setting

Tawonga Bright
Elevation 555 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 900 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Tawonga Bright
Connectivity score 30/100 84/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
267 premises
 45%
2,112 premises

Climate

Tawonga Bright
Annual rainfall 1,488 mm 895 mm
Summer max (Jan) 17.1°C —
Winter min (Jul) -2.4°C —

Council rates

Tawonga Bright
Average residential rate $1,945/yr
same for both
Council Alpine
same for both

Federal electorate

Tawonga Bright
Division Indi
same for both
Member Helen Haines
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Tawonga Bright
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Tawonga

Retirees Rural

Bright

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Tawonga

Tawonga vs Tawonga South Tawonga vs Mount Beauty Tawonga vs Eskdale Tawonga vs Mitta Mitta Tawonga vs Coral Bank

Other comparisons with Bright

Bright vs Porepunkah Bright vs Wandiligong Bright vs Buckland Bright vs Coral Bank Bright vs Kancoona
Full data on Tawonga Full data on Bright
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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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