Toolern Vale vs Gisborne South
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Gisborne South tends to suit couples.
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
- Toolern Vale has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
- Gisborne South carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 81/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Gisborne South
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 26%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Toolern Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($385/wk vs $462/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Toolern Vale
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (30/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (46.5 km vs 48.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Toolern Vale is more walkable (30/100 vs 0/100)
- Gisborne South carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 81/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Toolern Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (13.0% vs 6.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Toolern Vale and Gisborne South 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
Gisborne South has higher household incomes ($145,548 vs $99,216); Gisborne South rents higher ($462/wk vs $385/wk).
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 818 | 854 +4% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +13.0% | +6.9% |
| Median age | 44 | 46 |
| Median household income | $99,216/yr | $145,548/yr +47% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $385/wk | $462/wk +20% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).
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 (18.1%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,735,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $1,630,000 |
Zoning mix
Gisborne South has more rural and farming land (91% vs 56%); Toolern Vale has more land zoned for conservation (30% vs 5%).
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 56% | 91% |
| Environmental | 30% | 5% |
| Parks and recreation | 8% | 2% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 4% | 3% |
| Other and special use | 1% | 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
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 4,602 across Melton | 331 across Macedon Ranges |
| Approvals change year on year | +5% | +80% |
Ranking within VIC
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 71% of VIC | Higher than 98% of VIC |
| Schools | Higher than 27% of VIC | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 83% of VIC | Higher than 45% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 45% of VIC | Higher than 84% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 46% of VIC | Higher than 44% of VIC |
Liveability
Toolern Vale is more walkable (30 vs 0); Gisborne South scores higher overall (62 vs 36).
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | B |
| Score | 36/100 | 62/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
Toolern Vale carries more crime risk (81 vs 23); Gisborne South carries more bushfire risk (86 vs 75).
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 75/100 | High 86/100 |
| Crime | High 81/100 | Low 23/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 3 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Toolern Vale
- Toolern Vale and District Primary School Government · Primary at peers
- Melton Christian College - Online Campus Independent · Combined
- Melton Christian College - Toolern Vale Campus Independent · Combined
Schools in Gisborne South
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 2 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 5 | 3 |
Mobility
Gisborne South sits further from the CBD (48.7 km vs 46.5 km).
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 30/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 46.5 km | 48.7 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 44 min | 42 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 3337 | 1.3% postcode 3437 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 42 postcode 3337 | 51 postcode 3437 |
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 (62.7%).
Setting
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 233 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 446 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 36.0 km | 39.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 283 premises | 0% 272 premises |
Climate
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 778 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 4.4 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | — same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,779/yr | $2,065/yr |
| Council | Melton | Macedon Ranges |
Federal electorate
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Hawke | Mcewen |
| Member | Sam Rae | Rob Mitchell |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Toolern Vale | Gisborne South | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Toolern Vale
Other comparisons with Gisborne South
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.