Thornton vs Eildon

In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Thornton: a median of $742,000, against $390,000 in Eildon. On these figures, Eildon 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

Eildon

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (7 vs 2)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • But Thornton carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 59/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Thornton leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 28%)
  • Eildon has cheaper houses ($390,000 vs $742,500)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Eildon

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (26% vs 16%)

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

Commuting to the city

Thornton

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (124 min vs 171 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (129 km vs 165.1 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Thornton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 59/100)

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

Investors

Thornton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (4.0% vs -3.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Thornton Eildon
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.

Thornton Eildon
Walkability 0 / 0
Thornton — Walkability: 0/100 Eildon — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 52 / 41
Thornton — Safety: 52/100 Eildon — Safety: 41/100
Low fire risk 3 / 8
Thornton — Low fire risk: 3/100 Eildon — Low fire risk: 8/100
Low flood risk 11 / 57
Thornton — Low flood risk: 11/100 Eildon — Low flood risk: 57/100

Demographics

Eildon has more residents (944 vs 311); Thornton has higher household incomes ($54,496 vs $48,464).

Thornton Eildon
Population 311 944
+204% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.0% -3.1%
Median age 55 56
Median household income $54,496/yr
+11% vs other
 $48,464/yr
Median weekly rent $258/wk
+3% vs other
 $250/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Thornton Eildon
0-4 4.5% / 2.6%
Thornton — 0-4: 4.5% Eildon — 0-4: 2.6%
5-14 6.8% / 8.2%
Thornton — 5-14: 6.8% Eildon — 5-14: 8.2%
15-19 3.2% / 3.9%
Thornton — 15-19: 3.2% Eildon — 15-19: 3.9%
20-24 4.2% / 3.5%
Thornton — 20-24: 4.2% Eildon — 20-24: 3.5%
25-34 5.1% / 7.3%
Thornton — 25-34: 5.1% Eildon — 25-34: 7.3%
35-44 11.3% / 8.9%
Thornton — 35-44: 11.3% Eildon — 35-44: 8.9%
45-54 11.3% / 12.1%
Thornton — 45-54: 11.3% Eildon — 45-54: 12.1%
55-64 19.6% / 20.2%
Thornton — 55-64: 19.6% Eildon — 55-64: 20.2%
65-74 19.0% / 18.2%
Thornton — 65-74: 19.0% Eildon — 65-74: 18.2%
75-84 9.0% / 9.6%
Thornton — 75-84: 9.0% Eildon — 75-84: 9.6%
85+ 2.9% / 5.5%
Thornton — 85+: 2.9% Eildon — 85+: 5.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Thornton 58.3% lone person
Thornton — Lone Person: 58.3% Thornton — Couple Families: 23.3% Thornton — One Parent Families: 11.7% Thornton — Group Household: 6.8% Thornton — Other Families: 0.0%
Eildon 62.7% lone person
Eildon — Lone Person: 62.7% Eildon — Couple Families: 16.3% Eildon — One Parent Families: 13.6% Eildon — Group Household: 5.8% Eildon — Other Families: 1.7%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Thornton 16.0% renting
Thornton — Owned Outright: 58.0% Thornton — Mortgage: 26.0% Thornton — Renting: 16.0%
Eildon 26.0% renting
Eildon — Owned Outright: 49.1% Eildon — Mortgage: 24.8% Eildon — Renting: 26.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Thornton Eildon
Certificate III & IV 20.6% / 21.1%
Thornton — Certificate III & IV: 20.6% Eildon — Certificate III & IV: 21.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 6.4%
Thornton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Eildon — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.4%
Bachelor Degree 8.0% / 6.1%
Thornton — Bachelor Degree: 8.0% Eildon — Bachelor Degree: 6.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.0% / 1.6%
Thornton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0% Eildon — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%
Postgraduate Degree — / 1.1%
Thornton — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Eildon — Postgraduate Degree: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).

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.

Thornton Eildon
England 4.8% / 5.6%
Thornton — England: 4.8% Eildon — England: 5.6%
New Zealand 1.0% / 1.3%
Thornton — New Zealand: 1.0% Eildon — New Zealand: 1.3%
Germany 1.0% / 0.6%
Thornton — Germany: 1.0% Eildon — Germany: 0.6%
Netherlands 1.0% / 0.4%
Thornton — Netherlands: 1.0% Eildon — Netherlands: 0.4%
Philippines 1.3% / —
Thornton — Philippines: 1.3% Eildon — Philippines: not among its largest
India — / 1.2%
Thornton — India: not among its largest Eildon — India: 1.2%
China — / 0.4%
Thornton — China: not among its largest Eildon — China: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Thornton 84.2% houses
Thornton — Houses: 84.2% Thornton — Flats / Apartments: 15.8% Thornton — Townhouses: 0.0%
Eildon 90.3% houses
Eildon — Houses: 90.3% Eildon — Flats / Apartments: 7.8% Eildon — Townhouses: 1.8%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Thornton Eildon
Median house price $742,500 $390,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $475,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 101 days
from 3 sales

Zoning mix

Thornton has more rural and farming land (94% vs 6%).

Thornton Eildon
Rural and farming 94% 6%
Parks and recreation 4% 91%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 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

Thornton Eildon
New dwellings approved 82
across Murrindindi
same for both
Approvals change year on year +83%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Thornton Eildon
House price — Higher than 6% of VIC
Income Higher than 13% of VIC Higher than 8% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 3% of VIC Higher than 49% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 71% of VIC
EV adoption — Higher than 26% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 48% of VIC Higher than 65% of VIC

Liveability

Thornton Eildon
Grade — D
Score — 10/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Thornton carries more flood risk (89 vs 43); Eildon carries more crime risk (59 vs 48).

Thornton Eildon
Bushfire High
97/100
 High
92/100
Crime Moderate
48/100
 Moderate
59/100
Flood High
89/100
 Moderate
43/100
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 Eildon
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Thornton

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Eildon

  • Eildon Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Thornton Eildon
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 1
same for both
Parks & reserves 2 7
Childcare 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 29 1227

Mobility

Eildon sits further from the CBD (165.1 km vs 129 km).

Thornton Eildon
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 129 km 165.1 km
+28% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 124 min 171 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 3712
 0.3%
postcode 3713
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 39
postcode 3712
 34
postcode 3713

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.

Thornton Eildon
Car (driver) 66.7% / 75.8%
Thornton — Car (driver): 66.7% Eildon — Car (driver): 75.8%
Worked from Home 22.5% / 13.2%
Thornton — Worked from Home: 22.5% Eildon — Worked from Home: 13.2%
Walked Only 8.3% / 6.3%
Thornton — Walked Only: 8.3% Eildon — Walked Only: 6.3%
Car (passenger) 2.5% / 4.6%
Thornton — Car (passenger): 2.5% Eildon — Car (passenger): 4.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (75.8%).

Setting

Thornton Eildon
Elevation 207 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 534 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Thornton Eildon
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
211 premises
 0%
754 premises

Climate

Thornton Eildon
Annual rainfall 810 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.3°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 4.1°C
same for both

Council rates

Thornton Eildon
Average residential rate $1,973/yr
same for both
Council Murrindindi
same for both

Federal electorate

Thornton Eildon
Division Indi
same for both
Member Helen Haines
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Thornton Eildon
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Thornton

Retirees Rural

Eildon

Affordable Retirees River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Thornton

Thornton vs Alexandra Thornton vs Taggerty Thornton vs Acheron Thornton vs Taylor Bay

Other comparisons with Eildon

Eildon vs Marysville Eildon vs Jamieson Eildon vs Taylor Bay
Full data on Thornton Full data on Eildon
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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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