The Basin vs Montrose

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In The Basin, about half of households are couple families. In Montrose, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Montrose: a median of $980,000, against $865,000 in The Basin.

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

Montrose

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (8 vs 3)
  • has more parks and reserves (18 vs 13)
  • carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 52/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • The Basin has cheaper houses ($865,000 vs $980,000)
  • Montrose has cheaper units ($640,000 vs $718,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Montrose

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (69/100 vs 52/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Montrose

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 52/100)
  • is more walkable (69/100 vs 52/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

The Basin Montrose
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.

The Basin Montrose
Walkability 52 / 69
The Basin — Walkability: 52/100 Montrose — Walkability: 69/100
Safety 48 / 61
The Basin — Safety: 48/100 Montrose — Safety: 61/100
Low fire risk 19 / 26
The Basin — Low fire risk: 19/100 Montrose — Low fire risk: 26/100
Low flood risk 71 / 75
The Basin — Low flood risk: 71/100 Montrose — Low flood risk: 75/100

Demographics

Montrose has more residents (6,900 vs 4,497).

The Basin Montrose
Population 4,497 6,900
+53% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.8% +2.1%
Median age 40 41
Median household income $104,988/yr $108,576/yr
+3% vs other
Median weekly rent $365/wk
same for both

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

The Basin Montrose
0-4 5.7% / 6.5%
The Basin — 0-4: 5.7% Montrose — 0-4: 6.5%
5-14 13.6% / 13.1%
The Basin — 5-14: 13.6% Montrose — 5-14: 13.1%
15-19 6.1% / 5.9%
The Basin — 15-19: 6.1% Montrose — 15-19: 5.9%
20-24 4.9% / 5.2%
The Basin — 20-24: 4.9% Montrose — 20-24: 5.2%
25-34 11.7% / 11.2%
The Basin — 25-34: 11.7% Montrose — 25-34: 11.2%
35-44 13.3% / 13.2%
The Basin — 35-44: 13.3% Montrose — 35-44: 13.2%
45-54 14.7% / 13.7%
The Basin — 45-54: 14.7% Montrose — 45-54: 13.7%
55-64 12.7% / 11.6%
The Basin — 55-64: 12.7% Montrose — 55-64: 11.6%
65-74 9.7% / 10.2%
The Basin — 65-74: 9.7% Montrose — 65-74: 10.2%
75-84 4.9% / 6.2%
The Basin — 75-84: 4.9% Montrose — 75-84: 6.2%
85+ 2.6% / 3.1%
The Basin — 85+: 2.6% Montrose — 85+: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

The Basin 53.9% couple families
The Basin — Couple Families: 53.9% The Basin — Lone Person: 26.6% The Basin — One Parent Families: 15.8% The Basin — Group Household: 2.6% The Basin — Other Families: 1.1%
Montrose 58.5% couple families
Montrose — Couple Families: 58.5% Montrose — Lone Person: 26.1% Montrose — One Parent Families: 12.7% Montrose — Group Household: 1.8% Montrose — Other Families: 0.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

The Basin 10.5% renting
The Basin — Owned Outright: 36.7% The Basin — Mortgage: 52.8% The Basin — Renting: 10.5%
Montrose 8.9% renting
Montrose — Owned Outright: 37.7% Montrose — Mortgage: 53.5% Montrose — Renting: 8.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

The Basin Montrose
Certificate III & IV 16.9% / 17.8%
The Basin — Certificate III & IV: 16.9% Montrose — Certificate III & IV: 17.8%
Bachelor Degree 11.7% / 12.0%
The Basin — Bachelor Degree: 11.7% Montrose — Bachelor Degree: 12.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.7% / 8.9%
The Basin — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.7% Montrose — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9%
Postgraduate Degree 3.2% / 2.8%
The Basin — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2% Montrose — Postgraduate Degree: 2.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.2% / 2.3%
The Basin — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2% Montrose — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.8%).

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.

The Basin Montrose
England 5.0% / 5.2%
The Basin — England: 5.0% Montrose — England: 5.2%
Germany 2.0% / 0.6%
The Basin — Germany: 2.0% Montrose — Germany: 0.6%
New Zealand 1.2% / 1.0%
The Basin — New Zealand: 1.2% Montrose — New Zealand: 1.0%
Netherlands 0.8% / 1.4%
The Basin — Netherlands: 0.8% Montrose — Netherlands: 1.4%
China 0.8% / 0.4%
The Basin — China: 0.8% Montrose — China: 0.4%
South Africa — / 0.4%
The Basin — South Africa: not among its largest Montrose — South Africa: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

The Basin 94.6% houses
The Basin — Houses: 94.6% The Basin — Townhouses: 4.8% The Basin — Flats / Apartments: 0.6%
Montrose 92.0% houses
Montrose — Houses: 92.0% Montrose — Townhouses: 4.0% Montrose — Flats / Apartments: 4.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

The Basin Montrose
Median house price $865,000 $980,000
Median unit price $718,000 $640,000
Median land price — $455,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 26 sales
 15 days
from 65 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

The Basin Montrose
2 bed $850K / $798K
The Basin — 2 bed: $850K (7 sales) Montrose — 2 bed: $798K (10 sales)

7 vs 10 sales

3 bed $826K / $892K
The Basin — 3 bed: $826K (42 sales) Montrose — 3 bed: $892K (51 sales)

42 vs 51 sales

4 bed $945K / $1.06M
The Basin — 4 bed: $945K (31 sales) Montrose — 4 bed: $1.06M (63 sales)

31 vs 63 sales

5 bed $1.15M / $1.05M
The Basin — 5 bed: $1.15M (6 sales) Montrose — 5 bed: $1.05M (14 sales)

6 vs 14 sales

Zoning mix

The Basin has more land zoned for conservation (33% vs 0%); Montrose has more rural and farming land (36% vs 7%).

The Basin Montrose
Rural and farming 7% 36%
Residential 36% 31%
Environmental 33% 0%
Parks and recreation 3% 17%
Other and special use 15% 7%
Infrastructure and transport 6% 8%
Industrial 0% 1%
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

The Basin Montrose
New dwellings approved 577
across Knox
 416
across Yarra Ranges
Approvals change year on year -14% -57%

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.

The Basin Montrose
Houses 3.8%
$615/wk on $840K
 3.9%
$700/wk on $930K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

The Basin Montrose
House price Higher than 56% of VIC Higher than 63% of VIC
Income — Higher than 81% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 94% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 90% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 64% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 77% of VIC Higher than 71% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of VIC Higher than 96% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 55% of VIC Higher than 62% of VIC

Liveability

Montrose scores higher overall (66 vs 49); Montrose is more walkable (69 vs 52).

The Basin Montrose
Grade C B
Score 49/100 66/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
same for both

Risk profile

The Basin carries more crime risk (52 vs 39).

The Basin Montrose
Bushfire High
81/100
 High
74/100
Crime Moderate
52/100
 Low
39/100
Flood Low
29/100
 Low
25/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 15
within 5 km
 9
within 5 km

Schools

The Basin Montrose
Inside the suburb 2 3
Rated above peers 2
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in The Basin

  • St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • The Basin Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Montrose

  • Billanook Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Montrose Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Mount Evelyn Christian School Independent · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

The Basin Montrose
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 4 7
Parks & reserves 13 18
Childcare 3 8
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 1
same for both
Waterways 7
same for both

Mobility

The Basin Montrose
Walkability score 52/100 69/100
Distance to Melbourne 39.4 km
+1% vs other
 38.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 43 min 46 min
Public transport score 74/100
Bus
 78/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 27.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 99.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.0%
postcode 3154
 0.8%
postcode 3765
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 36
postcode 3154
 35
postcode 3765

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.

The Basin Montrose
Car (driver) 66.7% / 66.3%
The Basin — Car (driver): 66.7% Montrose — Car (driver): 66.3%
Worked from Home 26.5% / 27.0%
The Basin — Worked from Home: 26.5% Montrose — Worked from Home: 27.0%
Car (passenger) 3.3% / 4.2%
The Basin — Car (passenger): 3.3% Montrose — Car (passenger): 4.2%
Train 1.2% / 1.1%
The Basin — Train: 1.2% Montrose — Train: 1.1%
Walked Only 1.5% / 0.7%
The Basin — Walked Only: 1.5% Montrose — Walked Only: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.7%).

Setting

The Basin Montrose
Elevation 158 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 193 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 26.7 km 31.7 km

NBN connectivity

The Basin Montrose
Connectivity score 75/100 90/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 3%
1,733 premises
 52%
2,716 premises

Climate

The Basin Montrose
Annual rainfall 777 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.3°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

The Basin Montrose
PM2.5 —
same for both
PM10 15.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

The Basin Montrose
Average residential rate $1,732/yr $2,161/yr
Council Knox Yarra Ranges

Federal electorate

The Basin Montrose
Division Aston Casey
Member Mary Doyle Aaron Violi
Party Australian Labor Party Liberal

First Home Owner Grant

The Basin Montrose
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

The Basin

Large Blocks Outer Parks Quiet River

Montrose

Large Blocks Outer Parks River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with The Basin

The Basin vs Boronia The Basin vs Kilsyth The Basin vs Ferny Creek The Basin vs Mount Dandenong The Basin vs Sassafras The Basin vs Tremont

Other comparisons with Montrose

Montrose vs Mooroolbark Montrose vs Lilydale Montrose vs Kilsyth Montrose vs Mount Evelyn Montrose vs Kalorama Montrose vs Mount Dandenong
Full data on The Basin Full data on Montrose
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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