Toolamba vs Kialla West
Toolamba is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 43 in Kialla West. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Toolamba has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- Kialla West carries lower crime risk (29/100 vs 55/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
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
Kialla West
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (120 min vs 126 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Kialla West
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (29/100 vs 55/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Toolamba
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (6.9% vs -3.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Toolamba and Kialla West 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
Toolamba has more residents (822 vs 415); Kialla West skews older (43 vs 40).
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 822 +50% vs other | 415 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.9% | -3.7% |
| Median age | 40 | 43 |
| Median household income | $101,920/yr | $104,884/yr +3% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk | $261/wk +4% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.8%).
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 (1.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $625,000 | $630,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $600,000 | — |
Zoning mix
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 75% | 76% |
| Parks and recreation | 14% | 16% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 8% | 2% |
| Residential | 2% | 5% |
| 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
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 649 across Greater Shepparton same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -23% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 75% of VIC | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 62% of VIC | Higher than 75% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 41% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 71% of VIC | Higher than 77% of VIC |
Liveability
Kialla West is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 27/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Toolamba carries more crime risk (55 vs 29).
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 23/100 | Low 28/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 55/100 | Low 29/100 |
| Flood | High 94/100 | High 99/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 1 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Toolamba
- Toolamba Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Kialla West
- Kialla West Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 0 |
| Childcare | 2 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 | 2 |
Mobility
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 13/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 179 km | 178.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 126 min | 120 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 3614 | 0.4% postcode 3631 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 78 postcode 3614 | 70 postcode 3631 |
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 (78.4%).
Setting
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 115 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 117 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 66/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 331 premises | 49% 161 premises |
Climate
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 453 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.6°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,449/yr same for both | |
| Council | Greater Shepparton same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Nicholls same for both | |
| Member | Sam Birrell same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Toolamba | Kialla West | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Toolamba
Other comparisons with Kialla West
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.