Thornbury vs Bellfield

In Thornbury, most households own their home. In Bellfield, about half of households rent and most homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Thornbury: a median of $1.44 million, against $1.02 million in Bellfield. Thornbury is closer to the city centre: 8.8 km, against 13.2 km. On these figures, Thornbury tends to suit people living alone, while Bellfield 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

Thornbury

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (25 vs 2)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (9 vs 1)
  • has more childcare (17 vs 3)
  • But Bellfield has more separate houses rather than flats (74% vs 51%)

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

First-home buyers

Bellfield

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,022,500 vs $1,440,000)

Weighs house 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

Thornbury

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (8.8 km vs 13.2 km)
  • is more walkable (97/100 vs 89/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Thornbury

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (6 vs 2)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (49% vs 26%)
  • is more walkable (97/100 vs 89/100)

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

Investors

Bellfield

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (11.3% vs 2.4%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Thornbury Bellfield
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.

Thornbury Bellfield
Walkability 97 / 89
Thornbury — Walkability: 97/100 Bellfield — Walkability: 89/100
Safety 30 / 30
Thornbury — Safety: 30/100 Bellfield — Safety: 30/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Thornbury — Low fire risk: 100/100 Bellfield — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 60 / 59
Thornbury — Low flood risk: 60/100 Bellfield — Low flood risk: 59/100

Demographics

Thornbury has more residents (19,005 vs 1,996).

Thornbury Bellfield
Population 19,005
+89% vs other
 1,996
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.4% +11.3%
Median age 37 36
Median household income $102,492/yr
+6% vs other
 $95,940/yr
Median weekly rent $391/wk
+4% vs other
 $375/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Thornbury Bellfield
0-4 5.1% / 6.6%
Thornbury — 0-4: 5.1% Bellfield — 0-4: 6.6%
5-14 9.6% / 10.4%
Thornbury — 5-14: 9.6% Bellfield — 5-14: 10.4%
15-19 4.3% / 5.2%
Thornbury — 15-19: 4.3% Bellfield — 15-19: 5.2%
20-24 5.4% / 6.1%
Thornbury — 20-24: 5.4% Bellfield — 20-24: 6.1%
25-34 20.3% / 19.3%
Thornbury — 25-34: 20.3% Bellfield — 25-34: 19.3%
35-44 17.7% / 16.6%
Thornbury — 35-44: 17.7% Bellfield — 35-44: 16.6%
45-54 14.1% / 11.5%
Thornbury — 45-54: 14.1% Bellfield — 45-54: 11.5%
55-64 9.8% / 11.1%
Thornbury — 55-64: 9.8% Bellfield — 55-64: 11.1%
65-74 6.5% / 8.4%
Thornbury — 65-74: 6.5% Bellfield — 65-74: 8.4%
75-84 4.5% / 3.5%
Thornbury — 75-84: 4.5% Bellfield — 75-84: 3.5%
85+ 2.6% / 1.8%
Thornbury — 85+: 2.6% Bellfield — 85+: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Thornbury 44.0% lone person
Thornbury — Lone Person: 44.0% Thornbury — Couple Families: 33.6% Thornbury — One Parent Families: 11.1% Thornbury — Group Household: 9.7% Thornbury — Other Families: 1.5%
Bellfield 30.4% lone person
Bellfield — Lone Person: 30.4% Bellfield — Couple Families: 40.7% Bellfield — One Parent Families: 17.6% Bellfield — Group Household: 9.0% Bellfield — Other Families: 2.2%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Thornbury 42.8% renting
Thornbury — Owned Outright: 27.7% Thornbury — Mortgage: 29.5% Thornbury — Renting: 42.8%
Bellfield 45.3% renting
Bellfield — Owned Outright: 22.3% Bellfield — Mortgage: 32.4% Bellfield — Renting: 45.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Thornbury Bellfield
Bachelor Degree 24.4% / 17.6%
Thornbury — Bachelor Degree: 24.4% Bellfield — Bachelor Degree: 17.6%
Postgraduate Degree 10.9% / 6.9%
Thornbury — Postgraduate Degree: 10.9% Bellfield — Postgraduate Degree: 6.9%
Certificate III & IV 7.4% / 9.1%
Thornbury — Certificate III & IV: 7.4% Bellfield — Certificate III & IV: 9.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.1% / 7.1%
Thornbury — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1% Bellfield — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.7% / 2.7%
Thornbury — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.7% Bellfield — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.4%).

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.

Thornbury Bellfield
Greece 4.2% / 1.2%
Thornbury — Greece: 4.2% Bellfield — Greece: 1.2%
England 2.9% / 1.4%
Thornbury — England: 2.9% Bellfield — England: 1.4%
China 0.9% / 3.3%
Thornbury — China: 0.9% Bellfield — China: 3.3%
India 1.2% / 2.3%
Thornbury — India: 1.2% Bellfield — India: 2.3%
Lebanon 0.8% / 2.3%
Thornbury — Lebanon: 0.8% Bellfield — Lebanon: 2.3%
Italy 2.9% / —
Thornbury — Italy: 2.9% Bellfield — Italy: not among its largest
Vietnam 1.0% / 1.8%
Thornbury — Vietnam: 1.0% Bellfield — Vietnam: 1.8%
New Zealand 2.2% / —
Thornbury — New Zealand: 2.2% Bellfield — New Zealand: not among its largest
Philippines — / 2.0%
Thornbury — Philippines: not among its largest Bellfield — Philippines: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Thornbury 51.4% houses
Thornbury — Houses: 51.4% Thornbury — Townhouses: 23.4% Thornbury — Flats / Apartments: 25.2%
Bellfield 74.2% houses
Bellfield — Houses: 74.2% Bellfield — Townhouses: 24.2% Bellfield — Flats / Apartments: 1.5%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Thornbury Bellfield
Median house price $1,440,000 $1,022,500
Median unit price $527,000 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 134 sales
 39 days
from 6 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.

Thornbury Bellfield
2 bed $1.28M / $1.01M
Thornbury — 2 bed: $1.28M (65 sales) Bellfield — 2 bed: $1.01M (11 sales)

65 vs 11 sales

3 bed $1.4M / $1.02M
Thornbury — 3 bed: $1.4M (140 sales) Bellfield — 3 bed: $1.02M (21 sales)

140 vs 21 sales

4 bed $1.75M / $1.02M
Thornbury — 4 bed: $1.75M (52 sales) Bellfield — 4 bed: $1.02M (9 sales)

52 vs 9 sales

Zoning mix

Thornbury Bellfield
Residential 71% 67%
Parks and recreation 10% 17%
Infrastructure and transport 10% 16%
Industrial 6% 0%
Commercial 3% 0%
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

Thornbury Bellfield
New dwellings approved 1,213
across Darebin
 722
across Banyule
Approvals change year on year +0% -75%

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.

Thornbury Bellfield
Houses 3.5%
$878/wk on $1.31M
 3.5%
$630/wk on $948K
Units 5.1%
$550/wk on $559K
 —

Ranking within VIC

Thornbury Bellfield
House price Higher than 88% of VIC —
Income Higher than 75% of VIC Higher than 66% of VIC
Schools Higher than 37% of VIC —
Walkability Higher than 99% of VIC Higher than 96% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 12% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 90% of VIC Higher than 88% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 92% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 35% of VIC Higher than 34% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 68% of VIC —

Liveability

Thornbury is more walkable (97 vs 89).

Thornbury Bellfield
Grade A B
Score 71/100 67/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Thornbury Bellfield
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
70/100
same for both
Flood Moderate
40/100
 Moderate
41/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 6
within 5 km
 7
within 5 km

Schools

Thornbury Bellfield
Inside the suburb 9 1
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 4 0
Rated below peers 2 0
Universities within 10 km 3
Australian Catholic University-Melbourne Campus, 5.3 km
 3
Melbourne (Bundoora) Campus, 6.3 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.7% 3.0%

Schools in Thornbury

  • Virtual School Victoria Government · Combined above peers
  • Penders Grove Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Mary's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Thornbury High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Wales Street Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Holy Spirit School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Bellfield

  • Waratah Special Developmental School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Thornbury Bellfield
Supermarkets 6 0
Cafes & restaurants 37 0
Parks & reserves 25 2
Childcare 17 3
GPs 6 2
Pharmacies 5 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 5 0
Waterways 2 1

Mobility

Bellfield sits further from the CBD (13.2 km vs 8.8 km).

Thornbury Bellfield
Walkability score 97/100 89/100
Distance to Melbourne 8.8 km 13.2 km
+50% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 21 min 24 min
Public transport score 94/100
Rail · Tram · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 386.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 60.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.6%
postcode 3071
 1.5%
postcode 3081
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 19
postcode 3071
 22
postcode 3081

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.

Thornbury Bellfield
Car (driver) 35.3% / 55.0%
Thornbury — Car (driver): 35.3% Bellfield — Car (driver): 55.0%
Worked from Home 49.4% / 32.6%
Thornbury — Worked from Home: 49.4% Bellfield — Worked from Home: 32.6%
Train 3.6% / 2.4%
Thornbury — Train: 3.6% Bellfield — Train: 2.4%
Bicycle 4.0% / 1.5%
Thornbury — Bicycle: 4.0% Bellfield — Bicycle: 1.5%
Bus 1.1% / 3.8%
Thornbury — Bus: 1.1% Bellfield — Bus: 3.8%
Car (passenger) 1.9% / 3.0%
Thornbury — Car (passenger): 1.9% Bellfield — Car (passenger): 3.0%
Tram / Light Rail 2.5% / —
Thornbury — Tram / Light Rail: 2.5% Bellfield — Tram / Light Rail: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (55.0%).

Setting

Thornbury Bellfield
Elevation 69 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 65 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 11.2 km 13.2 km

NBN connectivity

Thornbury Bellfield
Connectivity score 76/100 83/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 3%
10,177 premises
 28%
1,016 premises

Climate

Thornbury Bellfield
Annual rainfall 534 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Thornbury Bellfield
PM2.5 7.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.82 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Thornbury Bellfield
Average residential rate $1,764/yr $1,787/yr
Council Darebin Banyule

Federal electorate

Thornbury Bellfield
Division Cooper Jagajaga
Member Ged Kearney Kate Thwaites
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Thornbury Bellfield
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Thornbury

Cafe Culture Easy Commute Gentrifying Inner Nightlife Parks Premium Professionals Townhouses Trams Transport Hub Urban

Bellfield

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Professionals Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Thornbury

Thornbury vs Preston Thornbury vs Coburg Thornbury vs Northcote Thornbury vs Ivanhoe Thornbury vs Brunswick East Thornbury vs Fairfield

Other comparisons with Bellfield

Bellfield vs Preston Bellfield vs Ivanhoe Bellfield vs Heidelberg Heights Bellfield vs Heidelberg West
Full data on Thornbury Full data on Bellfield
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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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