Thornton vs Taylor Bay
Thornton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 55 against 62 in Taylor Bay. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. On these figures, Taylor Bay 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
Taylor Bay
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 48/100)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 84%)
- But Thornton is already more of a family suburb (35% vs 21%)
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 30%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Thornton
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($258/wk vs $320/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (25% vs 30%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Thornton
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (124 min vs 138 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (129 km vs 143.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Taylor Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 48/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Taylor Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (100.0% vs 4.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Thornton and Taylor Bay 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 76); Taylor Bay rents higher ($320/wk vs $258/wk).
| Thornton | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 311 +76% vs other | 76 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.0% | +100.0% |
| Median age | 55 | 62 |
| Median household income | $54,496/yr | $55,900/yr +3% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $258/wk | $320/wk +24% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.7%).
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 (9.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Thornton | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $742,500 | $695,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Thornton has more rural and farming land (94% vs 63%); Taylor Bay has more land zoned for conservation (20% vs 0%).
| Thornton | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 94% | 63% |
| Environmental | 0% | 20% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 18% |
| Parks and recreation | 4% | 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
| Thornton | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 82 across Murrindindi same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +83% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Thornton | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 13% of VIC | Higher than 14% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 3% of VIC | Higher than 22% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 25% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 48% of VIC | Higher than 19% of VIC |
Liveability
| Thornton | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Thornton carries more bushfire risk (97 vs 0); Thornton carries more crime risk (48 vs 37).
| Thornton | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 97/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 48/100 | Low 37/100 |
| Flood | High 89/100 | High 80/100 |
| 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 | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 29 | 0 |
Mobility
Taylor Bay sits further from the CBD (143.1 km vs 129 km).
| Thornton | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Melbourne | 129 km | 143.1 km +11% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 124 min | 138 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.7%).
Setting
| Thornton | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 207 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 312 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Thornton | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 21/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 211 premises | 0% 76 premises |
Climate
| Thornton | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,973/yr same for both | |
| Council | Murrindindi same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Thornton | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Thornton | Taylor Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Taylor Bay
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.