VIC · Murrindindi Council
Thornton, 3712
Current weather
9.5°CDense drizzle
95% humidity · 24.1 km/h wind · 9.7° / 8.1° today · 21.9 mm rain
Desirability score
Suburb snapshot
Thornton (Vic.) is a small locality in the Murrindindi area, home to around 311 residents (2021 Census). Available data shows 16 offences in 2026 with falling year-on-year trends (-33%), roughly 51.4 offences per 1,000 residents, 1 school and preschool site in the area, limited but present public transport access, fewer mapped amenities than nearby suburbs, and notable planning and development activity on record. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb.
Population
- Population
- 311
- Median age
- 55
- Median household income / week
- $1,048
- Dwelling vacancy
- 23.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 44 of 188
- Median monthly mortgage
- $867
- Employment rate
- 50.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 15 / 0 / 0
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (2026)
- 16
- Against the person
- 5
- Against property
- 5
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 51.4
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 62 residents
- State safety percentile
- 48.5th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -33.3%
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- A211 Fv Serious Assault1
- A231 Fv Common Assault2
- B21 Criminal Damage2
- C12 Drug Trafficking2
- C32 Drug Possession2
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Year ending March release
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Rubicon Outdoor SchoolSecondary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Public transport
4 public transport stops in this suburb
- Taggerty-Thornton Rd/Goulburn Valley Hwy
- Taggerty-Thornton Rd/Goulburn Valley Hwy
- Taggerty-Thornton Rd/Goulburn Valley Hwy
- Taggerty-Thornton Rd/Goulburn Valley Hwy
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Planning & development
Development applications from PPARS statewide register (lodged 2020–2022). Free public PPARS MapServer — applications through ~2022 (service last updated Feb 2024).
19 planning-related records
2021· 12 proposals
August 2021
- Liquor Licence Use of land for a Liquor Licence (General)3 BACK EILDON ROAD THORNTON 3712Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Place of Assembly/Worship Use and development of land for a Place of Assembly969 GOULBURN VALLEY HIGHWAY THORNTON 3712Refusal issued by the Resp. Authority
- Place of Assembly/Worship Use and development of land for a Place of Assembly969 GOULBURN VALLEY HIGHWAY THORNTON 3712Withdrawn
July 2021
- Place of Assembly/Worship (Alts & Adds) Development of Land for Storage Shed and Driving Range Stalls82 Rollasons RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Tourist Development Use and Development of land for group accommodation225 THOMS LANE THORNTON 3712Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
June 2021
- Liquor Licence and Place of Assembly/Worship Amend Permit Preamble to include Market (up to four per year) and amend conditions to allow increased hours of operation, visitors and to allow live music3 BACK EILDON ROAD THORNTON 3712NOD issued by the Resp. Authority
- Signs Installation of a Promotion Sign1 BACK EILDON ROAD THORNTON 3712Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
May 2021
- Farm Building Development of land for a Farm Shed837 Taggerty-Thornton RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Tourist Development Use and Development of Land for Group Accommodation3 BACK EILDON ROAD THORNTON 3712NOD issued by the Resp. Authority
March 2021
- Farm Building Development of land for a Shed360 Swamp Creek RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Garages/Carports/Outbuildings Development of land for a shed (container)1021 Taggerty-Thornton RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Tourist Development (Extensions) and Tourist Development (Alterations) Use and development of land for Group Accommodation, Function Centre, Restaurant, Day Spa and Liquor license, Extension to existing shed, Installation of business identification signage and alterations to land in a Road Zone1270 GOULBURN VALLEY HIGHWAY THORNTON 3712In progress
2020· 7 proposals
December 2020
- Single Dwelling Use and development of the land for a (replacement) dwelling349 Back Eildon RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
November 2020
- Single Dwelling and Garages/Carports/Outbuildings Construction and use of a dwelling and shed1 Back Eildon RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
July 2020
- Farm Building Construction of a farm shed1021 Taggerty-Thornton RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Change or extension of use Use of the land for a Cafe3 Back Eildon RoadPermit issued by the RA
April 2020
- Place of Assembly/Worship Use of land for the purpose of a place of assembly (music festival) annually for 5 years969 Goulburn Valley HighwayRefusal issued by the Resp. Authority
February 2020
- Farm Building Construction of a farm shed1680 Goulburn Valley HighwayPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
January 2020
- Creation or Removal of Easement Removal of Easement1093 Taggerty-Thornton RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- PPARS planning permit activity (statewide) — Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria) · Period: 2020–2022 · Updated on site · Public MapServer last updated Feb 2024 — applications through FY 2022–23 only; newer PPARS data requires council/API access
Amenities
2 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Public toilets
- Thornton Memorial HallTownhall
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
2 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Point Hill ReservePark
- Walnuts ReservePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 5/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Victorian Bushfire Management Overlay mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 7
- Parks (OSM)
- 3
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability index
- Desirability score
- 29.8/100
- National rank
- 5213th in Australia
- State rank
- 1030th in VIC
- Peer rank
- #265 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #543 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 78%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- A211 Fv Serious Assaultcrime1
- A231 Fv Common Assaultcrime2
- B21 Criminal Damagecrime2
- C12 Drug Traffickingcrime2
- C32 Drug Possessioncrime2
- Point Hill Reservegovernmentpark
- Walnuts Reservegovernmentpark
- Change or extension of use Use of the land for a Cafeplanning3 Back Eildon RoadLodged 02 Jul 2020 · Permit issued by the RA
- Creation or Removal of Easement Removal of Easementplanning1093 Taggerty-Thornton RoadLodged 17 Jan 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Farm Building Construction of a farm shedplanning1021 Taggerty-Thornton RoadLodged 14 Jul 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Data sources & freshness
- Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Updated on site · Year ending March release
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- PPARS planning permit activity (statewide) — Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria) · Updated on site · Public MapServer last updated Feb 2024 — applications through FY 2022–23 only; newer PPARS data requires council/API access
Similar suburbs
Suburbs with a similar population, SEIFA decile and location.