Thornton vs Acheron
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Thornton, most households are people living alone. In Acheron, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Thornton tends to suit people living alone.
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
Acheron
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (52% vs 35%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 84%)
- But Thornton carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 63/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Thornton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 25%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Acheron
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 25%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Acheron
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (120.6 km vs 129 km)
- has a shorter drive in (117 min vs 124 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Thornton carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 63/100)
- Acheron has more residents already 65 and over (38% vs 31%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Thornton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (4.0% vs -14.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Thornton and Acheron 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
Thornton has more residents (311 vs 146); Acheron has higher household incomes ($76,856 vs $54,496).
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 311 +53% vs other | 146 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.0% | -14.6% |
| Median age | 55 | 56 |
| Median household income | $54,496/yr | $76,856/yr +41% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $258/wk | $271/wk +5% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (5.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $742,500 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 94% | 92% |
| Parks and recreation | 4% | 7% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 82 across Murrindindi same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +83% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 13% of VIC | Higher than 44% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 3% of VIC | Higher than 52% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 18% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 48% of VIC | Higher than 45% of VIC |
Liveability
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Acheron carries more crime risk (63 vs 48); Thornton carries more flood risk (89 vs 78).
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 97/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 48/100 | Moderate 63/100 |
| Flood | High 89/100 | High 78/100 |
| 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
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 29 | 7 |
Mobility
Thornton sits further from the CBD (129 km vs 120.6 km).
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 129 km +7% vs other | 120.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 124 min | 117 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3712 | 0.3% postcode 3714 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 39 postcode 3712 | 48 postcode 3714 |
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 (66.7%).
Setting
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 207 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 264 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 211 premises | 0% 97 premises |
Climate
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 810 mm | 648 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.3°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 4.1°C | — |
Council rates
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,973/yr same for both | |
| Council | Murrindindi same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Thornton | Acheron | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Thornton
Other comparisons with Acheron
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.