Kilsyth vs Mooroolbark: $137,758 buys 382 sqm of land and a school catchment
Kilsyth or Mooroolbark — which is the better outer-eastern buy?
Short answer: Mooroolbark if you can reach $701,660, Kilsyth if you cannot — and both columns rest on 2 settlements each
Take the caveat first: we hold 2 settlements in Kilsyth and 2 in Mooroolbark, so neither column is a market characterisation. Within that, the picture is consistent. Kilsyth is the cheaper entry at a median $563,903 against $701,660, and it produced the higher median gross yield after works — 5.95% against 5.55%, on a median lot 382 sqm smaller (524 sqm against 906 sqm). Mooroolbark's case is land and catchment: nearly twice the median lot, 10 indexed schools against 4, Rolling Hills Primary School at #242 of 1,285 against St Richard's Primary School at #713, and a ranked secondary (Billanook College, #104 of 607) where our indexed set holds none for Kilsyth. Both of our settlements in each suburb were second-dwelling additions, so the strategy is held constant across the comparison.
The answer changes with your situation — here is each one, decided
You want the lowest entry price
Kilsyth, at a median $563,903 against $701,660 — $137,758 less. Median works spend was $110,350 against $105,100, so the total-capital gap is close to the entry-price gap.
You want the most buildable land
Mooroolbark, decisively — median lot 906 sqm against 524 sqm, a difference of 382 sqm. That is nearly twice the land, and it is the single largest structural difference between the two.
You care about the school catchment
Mooroolbark. 10 indexed schools against 4, Rolling Hills Primary School at #242 of 1,285 against St Richard's Primary School at #713, and Billanook College at #104 of 607 where our indexed set holds no ranked secondary for Kilsyth.
Your tenant needs a train
Mooroolbark, with Mooroolbark station, Lilydale line. Kilsyth has no station in the suburb; Croydon and Mooroolbark stations, Lilydale line, so a car is assumed — a real constraint this far out from the city.
The rule this comparison is an instance of
Across 144 granny-flat additions in Cranbourne, Cranbourne North, Hampton Park, Narre Warren (January 2023 – September 2025), the median gross yield after works — weekly rent x 52 divided by purchase price plus works spend — landed between 5.82% and 5.86% in every one of those four suburbs, a 0.04 percentage-point spread, while inside each of those same suburbs the gap between a granny-flat addition and a cosmetic renovation was 0.51 to 1.03 points, across 48 cosmetic-only settlements. In our own record, what the block let us build moved the gross yield more than which suburb we bought in.
On this pair the rule mostly serves as a warning about the page itself. Both sides ran the same strategy — 2 and 2 second-dwelling additions — so the strategy variable is held constant, and what is left is a 0.40%-point difference across 4 settlements. That is well inside the noise of two-property samples. The land difference of 382 sqm is the only signal here large enough to act on.
Kilsyth vs Mooroolbark: what our own settlements record
| Kilsyth | Mooroolbark | |
|---|---|---|
| PremiumRea settlements on record | 2 | 2 |
| Settlement window | July 2023 – July 2024 | January 2023 – June 2024 |
| Median purchase price | $563,903 | $701,660 |
| Median weekly rent after works | $768 | $860 |
| Median land size | 524 sqm | 906 sqm |
| Median works spend | $110,350 | $105,100 |
| Median total capital deployedpurchase price + works spend — this is the yield denominator | $674,253 | $806,760 |
| Median gross yield after worksweekly rent × 52 ÷ (purchase price + works spend); gross — excludes land tax, management, insurance, maintenance, vacancy and interest | 5.95% | 5.55% |
| Median purchase price to Nov 2025 valuationa dollar observation against one valuation round over 1–3 year holds, not a growth rate | $136,448 | $185,340 |
| Granny-flat additions (median gross yield after works) | 2 · 5.95% | 2 · 5.55% |
| Rooming-house conversions (median gross yield after works) | none on record | none on record |
| Cosmetic renovation only (median gross yield after works) | none on record | none on record |
Every figure in the settlement columns is recomputed at build time from PremiumRea's published transaction dataset — 345 anonymised settlements, January 2023 – September 2025, CC-BY-4.0, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20095886. DENOMINATOR: the settlement gross yield is weekly rent × 52 ÷ (purchase price + works spend), verified against all 345 rows — so it is a return on total capital deployed, and dividing the median rent by the median price will not reproduce it. Research-profile columns are market estimates, not settlements, and their implied gross yield is recalculated as weekly rent × 52 ÷ purchase price rather than quoted.
The market-level profile, for context
These are market estimates of typical investor stock, not settlements. The gross yield is recalculated from each profile's own rent and price rather than quoted, so it cannot contradict the two numbers beside it.
| Kilsyth | Mooroolbark | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical investor purchase price | $780,000 | $740,000 |
| Typical weekly rent | $800 | $880 |
| Implied gross yieldrecalculated as weekly rent × 52 ÷ purchase price, never quoted | 5.33% | 6.18% |
| Typical land size | 800 sqm | 906 sqm |
Two settlements each, and what that permits
Kilsyth: 2 settlements between July 2023 – July 2024, median purchase $563,903, median land 524 sqm, median works spend $110,350, median rent after works $768 a week, median gross yield after works 5.95%, median difference between purchase price and the November 2025 valuation $136,448. Both were second-dwelling additions.
Mooroolbark: 2 settlements between January 2023 – June 2024, median purchase $701,660, median land 906 sqm, median works spend $105,100, median rent $860 a week, median gross yield after works 5.55%, median valuation difference $185,340. Both were second-dwelling additions. Two properties describe two properties. We publish them because they are real and dated, not because they characterise the suburbs.
The land gap is the only thing large enough to decide on
382 sqm between median lots — 524 sqm against 906 sqm — is close to a doubling, and it changes what is possible rather than what is likely. Kilsyth's median lot clears the 300 m² Victorian threshold but leaves a modest working margin once the existing dwelling footprint, private open space and vehicle access are subtracted. Mooroolbark's leaves a great deal.
Both research profiles point the same way at the suburb level: 800 sqm for Kilsyth against 906 sqm for Mooroolbark, at $780,000 and $740,000 respectively. Those profile prices sit above our settled medians in Kilsyth and near it in Mooroolbark, which is a reminder that a profile describes the general stock and our median describes what an investment brief selected.
Catchment, and what an outer-eastern tenant is actually buying
Mooroolbark carries 10 indexed schools with Rolling Hills Primary School at #242 of 1,285 and Billanook College at #104 of 607. Kilsyth carries 4, with St Richard's Primary School at #713 and no ranked secondary in our indexed set.
At 33 km and 35 km from the CBD respectively, both in the Shire of Yarra Ranges, these are family-household markets rather than commuter ones. The catchment is closer to a rent-relevant variable here than it is in a rooming-house suburb, because the tenant is more likely to be a household choosing on schooling.
Location, council and the second-dwelling pathway
| Kilsyth | Mooroolbark | |
|---|---|---|
| Postcode | 3137 | 3138 |
| Distance from CBD | 33 km | 35 km |
| Council | Shire of Yarra Ranges | Shire of Yarra Ranges |
| Rail access | no station in the suburb; Croydon and Mooroolbark stations, Lilydale line | Mooroolbark station, Lilydale line |
| Second-dwelling pathway | Victorian Amendment VC253 applies | Victorian Amendment VC253 applies |
Schools: Kilsyth vs Mooroolbark
Primary ranks are 2025 NAPLAN, secondary ranks are 2025 VCE. Our indexed school set covers Victorian schools only, so a NSW column is shown as blank rather than partial.
| Kilsyth | Mooroolbark | |
|---|---|---|
| Schools in our indexed set | 4 | 10 |
| Strongest primary (NAPLAN rank) | St Richard's Primary School · #713/1,285 | Rolling Hills Primary School · #242/1,285 |
| Strongest secondary (VCE rank) | — | Billanook College · #104/607 |
Limits of this comparison
2 settlements each. Nothing on this page should be read as a suburb-level yield finding, and the 0.40%-point difference between the two medians is well inside the noise of samples that size. The most recent settlement in either column dates from January 2023 – June 2024, so both are the least current records in the series. Gross yields are gross: they exclude land tax, management, insurance, maintenance, vacancy and interest. We do not publish days-on-market, vendor-discount or auction-clearance series for any suburb — those come from licensed providers whose terms do not permit redistribution, and we would rather carry a visible gap than an unlicensed number.
Kilsyth vs Mooroolbark — frequently asked questions
Is Kilsyth or Mooroolbark better for an investment property?
Mooroolbark if your budget reaches $701,660, on land and catchment — median lot 906 sqm against Kilsyth's 524 sqm and 10 indexed schools against 4. Kilsyth is $137,758 cheaper and produced the higher median gross yield after works (5.95% against 5.55%), but across only 2 settlements each, so treat that yield difference as noise.
Which has bigger blocks, Kilsyth or Mooroolbark?
Mooroolbark, by 382 sqm — median land of 906 sqm against 524 sqm across our settlements, and 906 sqm against 800 sqm on the research profiles. It is close to a doubling and it is the clearest structural difference between the two.
Can I build a granny flat in Mooroolbark?
Both of our 2 Mooroolbark settlements were second-dwelling additions, at a median gross yield after works of 5.55% and a median build spend of $105,100, on a median lot of 906 sqm. Amendment VC253 removes the planning permit for a self-contained dwelling of 60 m² or less on a lot over 300 m² in the Residential Growth, General Residential and Neighbourhood Residential zones; a building permit is always required and an overlay can reinstate the planning permit.
How many properties has PremiumRea bought in Kilsyth?
2, settled July 2023 – July 2024, out of 345 published settlements (January 2023 – September 2025). Both were second-dwelling additions. Two settlements is a real record and not a sample.
Which suburb has better schools, Kilsyth or Mooroolbark?
Mooroolbark — 10 indexed schools against 4, with Rolling Hills Primary School at #242 of 1,285 on 2025 NAPLAN and Billanook College at #104 of 607 on 2025 VCE results. Our indexed set holds no ranked secondary for Kilsyth.
Does Kilsyth have a train station?
No. no station in the suburb; Croydon and Mooroolbark stations, Lilydale line. Mooroolbark has Mooroolbark station, Lilydale line. This far from the city that difference reaches the tenant pool directly.
What yield can I get in Kilsyth?
Our 2 Kilsyth settlements (July 2023 – July 2024) recorded a median gross yield after works of 5.95%, both second-dwelling additions with a median build spend of $110,350. Two settlements cannot establish a suburb yield. Gross yield excludes land tax, management, insurance, maintenance, vacancy and interest.
Are Kilsyth and Mooroolbark in the same council?
Both are in the Shire of Yarra Ranges. Kilsyth is about 33 km from the CBD and Mooroolbark about 35 km.
Is the outer east worth buying for an investor?
On land it is among the strongest we record — Mooroolbark's median lot of 906 sqm is one of the largest in the dataset, and lot size is what opens the second-dwelling pathway. On evidence it is our thinnest region: 4 settlements across these two suburbs against dozens in the south-east corridor.
Why does PremiumRea have so few settlements out here?
Our acquisition work concentrated in the south-east, where the second-dwelling economics were strongest in our record — 144 additions across Cranbourne, Cranbourne North, Hampton Park, Narre Warren alone. The outer east appears in the dataset but shallowly, and every page in this series says so where it applies rather than implying coverage we do not have.
What renovation budget should I allow in these suburbs?
Our median works spend was $110,350 in Kilsyth and $105,100 in Mooroolbark, both on second-dwelling additions (January 2023 – June 2024). Those are historical costs on four specific properties, not quotes for your site.
Should I buy the bigger block if the yield is lower?
In this pair the yield difference is 0.40% across 4 settlements, which is not a difference. The land difference is 382 sqm, which is real and permanent. When one variable is noise and the other is structural, buy the structural one.