Toolern Vale vs Gisborne

Gisborne is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 44 in Toolern Vale. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Toolern Vale is closer to the city centre: 46.5 km, against 55.2 km. On these figures, Gisborne tends to suit families with children.

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

Gisborne

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (11 vs 2)
  • has more parks and reserves (12 vs 3)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Toolern Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($385/wk vs $423/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 7/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (46.5 km vs 55.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Gisborne

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 81/100)
  • But Toolern Vale is more walkable (30/100 vs 7/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Toolern Vale Gisborne
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.

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Walkability 30 / 7
Toolern Vale — Walkability: 30/100 Gisborne — Walkability: 7/100
Safety 19 / 42
Toolern Vale — Safety: 19/100 Gisborne — Safety: 42/100
Low fire risk 25 / 23
Toolern Vale — Low fire risk: 25/100 Gisborne — Low fire risk: 23/100
Low flood risk 100 / 63
Toolern Vale — Low flood risk: 100/100 Gisborne — Low flood risk: 63/100

Demographics

Gisborne has more residents (10,142 vs 818); Gisborne has higher household incomes ($119,288 vs $99,216).

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Population 818 10,142
+1140% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +13.0% +12.7%
Median age 44 39
Median household income $99,216/yr $119,288/yr
+20% vs other
Median weekly rent $385/wk $423/wk
+10% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Toolern Vale Gisborne
0-4 4.9% / 6.7%
Toolern Vale — 0-4: 4.9% Gisborne — 0-4: 6.7%
5-14 11.6% / 16.6%
Toolern Vale — 5-14: 11.6% Gisborne — 5-14: 16.6%
15-19 6.5% / 6.9%
Toolern Vale — 15-19: 6.5% Gisborne — 15-19: 6.9%
20-24 6.8% / 4.2%
Toolern Vale — 20-24: 6.8% Gisborne — 20-24: 4.2%
25-34 7.1% / 8.3%
Toolern Vale — 25-34: 7.1% Gisborne — 25-34: 8.3%
35-44 12.6% / 15.3%
Toolern Vale — 35-44: 12.6% Gisborne — 35-44: 15.3%
45-54 15.8% / 14.5%
Toolern Vale — 45-54: 15.8% Gisborne — 45-54: 14.5%
55-64 14.1% / 11.9%
Toolern Vale — 55-64: 14.1% Gisborne — 55-64: 11.9%
65-74 12.1% / 9.0%
Toolern Vale — 65-74: 12.1% Gisborne — 65-74: 9.0%
75-84 6.7% / 5.0%
Toolern Vale — 75-84: 6.7% Gisborne — 75-84: 5.0%
85+ 1.2% / 1.6%
Toolern Vale — 85+: 1.2% Gisborne — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Toolern Vale 59.7% couple families
Toolern Vale — Couple Families: 59.7% Toolern Vale — Lone Person: 25.8% Toolern Vale — One Parent Families: 14.5% Toolern Vale — Group Household: 0.0% Toolern Vale — Other Families: 0.0%
Gisborne 59.2% couple families
Gisborne — Couple Families: 59.2% Gisborne — Lone Person: 25.3% Gisborne — One Parent Families: 13.4% Gisborne — Group Household: 1.5% Gisborne — Other Families: 0.6%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Toolern Vale 8.1% renting
Toolern Vale — Owned Outright: 46.8% Toolern Vale — Mortgage: 45.2% Toolern Vale — Renting: 8.1%
Gisborne 16.2% renting
Gisborne — Owned Outright: 35.2% Gisborne — Mortgage: 48.7% Gisborne — Renting: 16.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Certificate III & IV 17.4% / 14.0%
Toolern Vale — Certificate III & IV: 17.4% Gisborne — Certificate III & IV: 14.0%
Bachelor Degree 8.7% / 13.5%
Toolern Vale — Bachelor Degree: 8.7% Gisborne — Bachelor Degree: 13.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 9.1%
Toolern Vale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Gisborne — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1%
Postgraduate Degree 2.3% / 3.8%
Toolern Vale — Postgraduate Degree: 2.3% Gisborne — Postgraduate Degree: 3.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 3.3%
Toolern Vale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Gisborne — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.4%).

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.

Toolern Vale Gisborne
England 2.9% / 3.8%
Toolern Vale — England: 2.9% Gisborne — England: 3.8%
New Zealand 1.0% / 1.5%
Toolern Vale — New Zealand: 1.0% Gisborne — New Zealand: 1.5%
Scotland 1.0% / 0.5%
Toolern Vale — Scotland: 1.0% Gisborne — Scotland: 0.5%
Germany 0.6% / 0.5%
Toolern Vale — Germany: 0.6% Gisborne — Germany: 0.5%
Italy 0.6% / 0.4%
Toolern Vale — Italy: 0.6% Gisborne — Italy: 0.4%
India — / 0.6%
Toolern Vale — India: not among its largest Gisborne — India: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Toolern Vale 97.7% houses
Toolern Vale — Houses: 97.7% Toolern Vale — Townhouses: 1.5% Toolern Vale — Flats / Apartments: 0.8%
Gisborne 88.6% houses
Gisborne — Houses: 88.6% Gisborne — Townhouses: 10.4% Gisborne — Flats / Apartments: 0.9%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Median house price — $960,000
Median unit price — $590,000
Median land price — $710,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 46 days
from 115 sales

Zoning mix

Toolern Vale has more rural and farming land (56% vs 24%).

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Rural and farming 56% 24%
Parks and recreation 8% 34%
Environmental 30% 26%
Residential 0% 9%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 7%
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
New dwellings approved 4,602
across Melton
 331
across Macedon Ranges
Approvals change year on year +5% +80%

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Houses — 3.5%
$700/wk on $1.05M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Toolern Vale Gisborne
House price — Higher than 68% of VIC
Income Higher than 71% of VIC Higher than 91% of VIC
Schools Higher than 27% of VIC Higher than 61% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 83% of VIC Higher than 68% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 67% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 45% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 46% of VIC Higher than 82% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 35% of VIC

Liveability

Toolern Vale is more walkable (30 vs 7); Gisborne scores higher overall (48 vs 36).

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Grade C
same for both
Score 36/100 48/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Gisborne carries more flood risk (37 vs 0); Toolern Vale carries more crime risk (81 vs 58).

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Bushfire High
75/100
 High
77/100
Crime High
81/100
 Moderate
58/100
Flood None
0/100
 Low
37/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Inside the suburb 3 4
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 1 2
Rated below peers 0 1

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

  • Gisborne Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Brigid's School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Willowbank Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Gisborne Secondary College Government · Secondary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Supermarkets 0 4
Cafes & restaurants 0 3
Parks & reserves 3 12
Childcare 2 11
GPs 0 5
Pharmacies 0 3
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 4
Fuel stations 0 2
Waterways 5 10

Mobility

Gisborne sits further from the CBD (55.2 km vs 46.5 km).

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Walkability score 30/100 7/100
Distance to Melbourne 46.5 km 55.2 km
+19% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 44 min 47 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.

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Car (driver) 62.7% / 62.8%
Toolern Vale — Car (driver): 62.7% Gisborne — Car (driver): 62.8%
Worked from Home 26.6% / 29.7%
Toolern Vale — Worked from Home: 26.6% Gisborne — Worked from Home: 29.7%
Car (passenger) 6.3% / 4.2%
Toolern Vale — Car (passenger): 6.3% Gisborne — Car (passenger): 4.2%
Walked Only 2.4% / 1.7%
Toolern Vale — Walked Only: 2.4% Gisborne — Walked Only: 1.7%
Train 2.1% / 1.3%
Toolern Vale — Train: 2.1% Gisborne — Train: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (62.8%).

Setting

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Elevation 233 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 478 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 36.0 km 45.9 km

NBN connectivity

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Connectivity score 29/100 73/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
283 premises
 54%
4,834 premises

Climate

Toolern Vale Gisborne
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
PM2.5 4.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Average residential rate $1,779/yr $2,065/yr
Council Melton Macedon Ranges

Federal electorate

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Division Hawke Mcewen
Member Sam Rae Rob Mitchell
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Toolern Vale Gisborne
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Toolern Vale

Outer River

Gisborne

Acreage Family Outer

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Toolern Vale

Toolern Vale vs Harkness Toolern Vale vs Kurunjang Toolern Vale vs Melton Toolern Vale vs Diggers Rest Toolern Vale vs Gisborne South Toolern Vale vs Coimadai

Other comparisons with Gisborne

Gisborne vs Sunbury Gisborne vs Riddells Creek Gisborne vs New Gisborne Gisborne vs Macedon Gisborne vs Gisborne South Gisborne vs Bullengarook
Full data on Toolern Vale Full data on Gisborne
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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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