Upper Plenty vs Whittlesea

In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Upper Plenty: a median of $1.37 million, against $794,000 in Whittlesea, though rent is higher in Whittlesea. On these figures, Upper Plenty tends to suit families with children, while Whittlesea suits 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

Whittlesea

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (15 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (6 vs 1)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 1)
  • But Upper Plenty 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

Whittlesea

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($794,000 vs $1,370,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Upper Plenty has cheaper rent ($310/wk vs $347/wk)
  • Whittlesea has a bigger rental market to choose from (19% vs 4%)

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

Commuting to the city

Upper Plenty

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (20/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (58 min vs 71 min)
  • But Whittlesea sits closer to the CBD (61.7 km vs 66.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Upper Plenty is more walkable (20/100 vs 0/100)
  • Whittlesea has more GPs (4 vs 0)

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

Investors

Upper Plenty

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (23.9% vs 9.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
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.

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Walkability 20 / 0
Upper Plenty — Walkability: 20/100 Whittlesea — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 40 / 44
Upper Plenty — Safety: 40/100 Whittlesea — Safety: 44/100
Low fire risk 12 / 4
Upper Plenty — Low fire risk: 12/100 Whittlesea — Low fire risk: 4/100
Low flood risk 100 / 62
Upper Plenty — Low flood risk: 100/100 Whittlesea — Low flood risk: 62/100

Demographics

Whittlesea has more residents (6,117 vs 415); Whittlesea rents higher ($347/wk vs $310/wk).

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Population 415 6,117
+1374% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +23.9% +9.0%
Median age 43 41
Median household income $87,724/yr
+3% vs other
 $84,656/yr
Median weekly rent $310/wk $347/wk
+12% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
0-4 8.2% / 5.6%
Upper Plenty — 0-4: 8.2% Whittlesea — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 15.2% / 13.3%
Upper Plenty — 5-14: 15.2% Whittlesea — 5-14: 13.3%
15-19 5.5% / 7.1%
Upper Plenty — 15-19: 5.5% Whittlesea — 15-19: 7.1%
20-24 5.3% / 6.3%
Upper Plenty — 20-24: 5.3% Whittlesea — 20-24: 6.3%
25-34 6.5% / 11.1%
Upper Plenty — 25-34: 6.5% Whittlesea — 25-34: 11.1%
35-44 11.8% / 11.5%
Upper Plenty — 35-44: 11.8% Whittlesea — 35-44: 11.5%
45-54 13.7% / 14.1%
Upper Plenty — 45-54: 13.7% Whittlesea — 45-54: 14.1%
55-64 15.4% / 10.8%
Upper Plenty — 55-64: 15.4% Whittlesea — 55-64: 10.8%
65-74 10.4% / 10.8%
Upper Plenty — 65-74: 10.4% Whittlesea — 65-74: 10.8%
75-84 6.5% / 6.2%
Upper Plenty — 75-84: 6.5% Whittlesea — 75-84: 6.2%
85+ — / 3.5%
Upper Plenty — 85+: not among its largest Whittlesea — 85+: 3.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Upper Plenty 51.7% couple families
Upper Plenty — Couple Families: 51.7% Upper Plenty — Lone Person: 33.3% Upper Plenty — One Parent Families: 14.9% Upper Plenty — Group Household: 0.0% Upper Plenty — Other Families: 0.0%
Whittlesea 45.8% couple families
Whittlesea — Couple Families: 45.8% Whittlesea — Lone Person: 31.3% Whittlesea — One Parent Families: 19.2% Whittlesea — Group Household: 2.3% Whittlesea — Other Families: 1.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Upper Plenty 3.9% renting
Upper Plenty — Owned Outright: 51.6% Upper Plenty — Mortgage: 44.5% Upper Plenty — Renting: 3.9%
Whittlesea 18.7% renting
Whittlesea — Owned Outright: 36.1% Whittlesea — Mortgage: 45.2% Whittlesea — Renting: 18.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Certificate III & IV 14.7% / 19.1%
Upper Plenty — Certificate III & IV: 14.7% Whittlesea — Certificate III & IV: 19.1%
Bachelor Degree 9.9% / 6.9%
Upper Plenty — Bachelor Degree: 9.9% Whittlesea — Bachelor Degree: 6.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.0% / 7.8%
Upper Plenty — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.0% Whittlesea — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.0% / 1.6%
Upper Plenty — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0% Whittlesea — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%
Postgraduate Degree 0.7% / 1.8%
Upper Plenty — Postgraduate Degree: 0.7% Whittlesea — Postgraduate Degree: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).

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.

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
England 4.6% / 2.9%
Upper Plenty — England: 4.6% Whittlesea — England: 2.9%
South Africa 2.7% / 0.5%
Upper Plenty — South Africa: 2.7% Whittlesea — South Africa: 0.5%
Italy 0.7% / 1.2%
Upper Plenty — Italy: 0.7% Whittlesea — Italy: 1.2%
Thailand 1.2% / —
Upper Plenty — Thailand: 1.2% Whittlesea — Thailand: not among its largest
New Zealand — / 0.8%
Upper Plenty — New Zealand: not among its largest Whittlesea — New Zealand: 0.8%
Greece — / 0.4%
Upper Plenty — Greece: not among its largest Whittlesea — Greece: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Upper Plenty 100.0% houses
Upper Plenty — Houses: 100.0% Upper Plenty — Townhouses: 0.0% Upper Plenty — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Whittlesea 87.0% houses
Whittlesea — Houses: 87.0% Whittlesea — Townhouses: 11.4% Whittlesea — Flats / Apartments: 1.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Median house price $1,370,000 $794,000
Median unit price — $450,000
Median land price — $735,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 24 days
from 64 sales

Zoning mix

Upper Plenty has more rural and farming land (99% vs 40%).

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Rural and farming 99% 40%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 35%
Parks and recreation 0% 16%
Environmental 0% 5%
Residential 0% 4%
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

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
New dwellings approved 1,074
across Mitchell
 2,632
across Whittlesea
Approvals change year on year +70% -28%

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.

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Houses — 3.5%
$580/wk on $855K
Units — 5.8%
$520/wk on $470K

Ranking within VIC

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
House price — Higher than 47% of VIC
Income Higher than 58% of VIC Higher than 55% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 13% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 79% of VIC Higher than 32% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 57% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 54% of VIC Higher than 70% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 27% of VIC Higher than 80% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 38% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 87% of VIC

Liveability

Upper Plenty is more walkable (20 vs 0).

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Grade — D
Score — 22/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Whittlesea carries more flood risk (38 vs 0).

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Bushfire High
88/100
 High
96/100
Crime Moderate
60/100
 Moderate
56/100
Flood None
0/100
 Low
38/100
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

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Inside the suburb 1 4
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0 2

Schools in Upper Plenty

  • Upper Plenty Primary School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Whittlesea

  • Whittlesea Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Mary's School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • Whittlesea Secondary College Government · Secondary below peers
  • Diamond Valley Special Developmental School - Whittlesea Campus Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Supermarkets 0 1
Parks & reserves 0 15
Childcare 1 6
GPs 0 4
Pharmacies 0 2
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 0 2
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 7 37

Mobility

Upper Plenty sits further from the CBD (66.3 km vs 61.7 km).

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Walkability score 20/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 66.3 km
+7% vs other
 61.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 58 min 71 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 3756
 0.8%
postcode 3757
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 53
postcode 3756
 46
postcode 3757

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.

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Car (driver) 59.6% / 72.2%
Upper Plenty — Car (driver): 59.6% Whittlesea — Car (driver): 72.2%
Worked from Home 30.7% / 18.8%
Upper Plenty — Worked from Home: 30.7% Whittlesea — Worked from Home: 18.8%
Car (passenger) 4.8% / 4.4%
Upper Plenty — Car (passenger): 4.8% Whittlesea — Car (passenger): 4.4%
Walked Only 4.8% / 2.2%
Upper Plenty — Walked Only: 4.8% Whittlesea — Walked Only: 2.2%
Train — / 2.2%
Upper Plenty — Train: not among its largest Whittlesea — Train: 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.2%).

Setting

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Elevation 313 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 297 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 48.1 km 45.3 km

NBN connectivity

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Connectivity score 26/100 71/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
92 premises
 49%
2,710 premises

Climate

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Annual rainfall 518 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 6.0°C
same for both

Council rates

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Average residential rate $1,947/yr $1,899/yr
Council Mitchell Whittlesea

Federal electorate

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Division Mcewen
same for both
Member Rob Mitchell
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Upper Plenty Whittlesea
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Upper Plenty

Family Outer River

Whittlesea

Acreage Outer

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Upper Plenty

Upper Plenty vs Wallan Upper Plenty vs Beveridge Upper Plenty vs Eden Park Upper Plenty vs Heathcote Junction Upper Plenty vs Clonbinane

Other comparisons with Whittlesea

Whittlesea vs Eden Park Whittlesea vs Humevale Whittlesea vs Clonbinane Whittlesea vs Yan Yean Whittlesea vs Woodstock
Full data on Upper Plenty Full data on Whittlesea
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or