suburb.guide

VIC · Bass Coast Council

Surf Beach, 3922

Est. population · Jun 2025

694

Growth (1 yr)

+2.1%

Growth (5 yr)

+13.2%

Median age

46

Median income

$1,414/wk

Employment rate

56.3%

University qualified

25.3%

Work from home

20.4%

Median house price · 4th Quarter 2025

$720,000

Languages at home

6.4%non-English

Most common: Vietnamese, Greek, Italian

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

37.2/100
Below average

1096th in VIC

Verified 87% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Beach
What Surf Beach is known for: Beach

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Surf Beach, VIC suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Cite this suburb snapshot

Suburb Guide, “Surf Beach, VIC Suburb Guide”, updated 29 September 2026, https://suburb.guide/vic/surf-beach-vic

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Suburb profile

Surf Beach is a coastal town in Victoria, in Bass Coast Council. It is close to the Surf Beach and the Phillip Island.

Housing is relatively affordable, with median house prices 14% below the peer median. Recorded road-crash rates are lower than in comparable places, with recorded road crashes 73% below the peer median, and population has been growing faster than in comparable places, well above typical levels for coastal towns. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high. The main trade-offs are thinner park access and thinner mapped green cover within the suburb boundary, with park access 40% below the peer median.

Overall, Surf Beach suits people prioritising more affordable housing over open space.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Coastal town · compared with coastal towns in Victoria (105)

Strengths

  • Recorded road-crash rates are lower than in comparable places
  • Housing is relatively affordable
  • Population has been growing faster than in comparable places

Weaknesses

  • Park access is thinner than in comparable places
  • Mapped green cover within the suburb boundary is below comparable suburbs

What stands out

  • Surf Beach
  • Phillip Island
  • Sunderland Bay
  • Western Port Bay
  • Cape Woolamai
  • Space is a strength, but car dependence is high

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Surf Beach compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

$720k

-0.7% change

Median rent (Census)

$316/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

694

+2.1% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

56.2%

Census unoccupied dwellings

Livability profile

Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Desirability

#76

among Coastal & beach · Mature

Crime rate

69th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

88th

percentile in VIC

Rented dwellings

17%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

7/10

national SEIFA decile

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Desirability

Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
37.2/100 — Below average
National rank
5142nd in Australia
State rank
1096th in VIC
Peer rank
#76 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#120 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data confidence
87%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Housing

Median house price (4th Quarter 2025)
$720,000
Median price change
-0.7%

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

694(June 2025)

+2.1% annual · +13.2% over 5 years · 88th percentile in VIC

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+2.1%
5-year growth
+13.2%
Change in 1 year
+14
Change in 5 years
+81
Growth rank in VIC
88th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~800), extrapolated at +3.1% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
670
Median age
46
Median household income / week
$1,414
Dwelling vacancy
56.2%
Unoccupied private dwellings
348 of 619
Median monthly mortgage
$1,433
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$316
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
44% / 38.7% / 17.3%
Employment rate
56.3%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
20.4% / 0% / 57%
Walked or cycled to work
2.2%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
259 / 5 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

25.3% of adults have a university degree, compared with 29.2% across Victoria. 21.5% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified25.3% · 29.2% VIC
  • Diploma qualified10.6% · 9.8% VIC
  • Trade / vocational21.5% · 14.2% VIC
  • Year 12 or below42.6% · 46.8% VIC

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Education17.7%
  • Management and commerce17.1%
  • Society and culture13.9%
  • Architecture and building11.2%
  • Engineering and related technologies10.9%
  • Health9.7%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$44,874

13th percentile in VIC · -24% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$49,960

13th percentile in VIC · -23% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
14.0%

58th percentile in VIC · +1% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$92,763

67th percentile in VIC · +47% vs Australia

Residents with business income
14.0%

74th percentile in VIC · +35% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 3922 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
5,833
Taxpayers reporting net rent
819
Median net rent
$1,346
Taxpayers reporting business income
803
Taxable income vs state median
-16%
Salary / wages vs state median
-14%
Rental investment vs state median
+8%
Super vs state median
+15%
Business income vs state median
+27%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in VIC, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

6.4% speak a language other than English at home; 17.3% born overseas

Language at home
585 English only · 40 other
Non-English at home
6.4%
Born overseas
107 (17.3%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
6 (0.9%)
Australian citizens
594
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
4

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Vietnamese5 · 35.7%
  • Greek3 · 21.4%
  • Italian3 · 21.4%
  • Spanish3 · 21.4%

Religion

53.6%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 53.6%, while Christianity accounts for 32.1%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion53.6%38.8%
Christianity32.1%40.9%
Buddhism2.2%3.1%
Other / not stated12.1%17.2%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic14%20.5%
Anglican7.6%6.5%
Uniting Church2.7%2.4%
Baptist2.1%1.3%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (2026)
57
Against the person
19
Against property
24
Rate per 1,000 residents
82.1
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 35 residents
State crime-rate percentile
68.8th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate)
+137.5%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
4
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
5.76

Most common offence types

  • A211 Fv Serious Assault3
  • A231 Fv Common Assault7
  • B21 Criminal Damage13
  • B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglary4
  • E21 Breach Family Violence Order11

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

School list
School catchments
  • Bass Coast CollegeGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Cowes Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Newhaven Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment

Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

  • Victorian designated neighbourhood zones — Victorian Department of Education · current · Updated · Open catchment polygons where published

Public transport

2 public transport stops in this suburb

  • General Store/Phillip Island Rd
  • General Store/Phillip Island Rd

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

17 mapped amenities

1 playgrounds · 2 beaches

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Decent local green space — 1 parks in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
Walkability proxy
3/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.49
Shopping(1)
  • The Bottle-OBottle shop
Sport & outdoors(5)
  • Beach (2)
  • Phillip Island Bike PathCycling route
  • Surf Beach Community ParkPark
  • Playground
Entertainment(4)
  • Surfies PointViewpoint
  • Viewpoint (3)
Transport(1)

1 bus stops

Other(3)
  • Parking (4)
  • Post Box
  • Shelter

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
0.2%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
1
Parks (OSM)
1
Typical summer maximum
24°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Nearest hospital
The Bays Hospital (24.5 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
16
Participants per 1,000 residents
23.1

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
24° / 13°
Rainfall
155 mm · ~19 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
20° / 11°
Rainfall
186 mm · ~23 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
14° / 6°
Rainfall
203 mm · ~25 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
18° / 9°
Rainfall
207 mm · ~26 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from PPARS statewide register (lodged 2020–2022). Free public PPARS MapServer — applications through ~2022 (service last updated Feb 2024).

9 planning-related records

2021· 3 proposals

  • September 2021

  • Development of the land for two dwellings and an outbuilding, and two lot subdivision in the GRZ1 and DDO1
    190 THE ESPLANADE SURF BEACH 3922NOD issued by a delegate

  • July 2021

  • Subdivision of land into two lots and removal of vegetation
    145 PHILLIP ISLAND ROAD SURF BEACH 3922Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • February 2021

  • Subdivide the land into two lots
    159 Phillip Island RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 6 proposals

  • November 2020

  • Extension to existing dwelling in DDO1
    94a The EsplanadeNOD issued by a delegate

  • September 2020

  • Subdivision of land into 2 Lots
    29 Seaview CrescentPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • August 2020

  • Boundary realignment of land between two (2) lots in the GRZ1 and DDO1
    2 and 4 Glen StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • March 2020

  • Development of land for second dwelling in GRZ1
    159 Phillip Island RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Development of land for second dwelling on lot
    21 Highview CrescentNOD issued by the Resp. Authority

  • January 2020

  • Buildings and works in PCRZ’ to ‘Buildings and works for the construction of a rabbit exclusion fence and associated vegetation removal
    Natural Interest Reserve -- DSE Tenure ID = 2001804, The EsplanadeWithdrawn

Data sources & freshness

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Victorian Bushfire Management Overlay mapping. Flood cover uses inundation overlay polygons against the suburb boundary where published.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Monash
Member of Parliament
Mary ALDRED (Liberal)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
116,463
Turnout (2025)
93.5%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-1.2 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 54.1%Labor 45.9%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 22.7 km away).

Coalition 45.5%Labor 54.5%

8.6 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +2.9 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • RhyllLabor 55.4% · Coalition 44.6% TPP (2025)5.4 km away
  • NewhavenLabor 64.2% · Coalition 35.8% TPP (2025)5.9 km away
  • San RemoLabor 40.4% · Coalition 59.6% TPP (2025)7.2 km away
  • CowesLabor 56.5% · Coalition 43.5% TPP (2025)7.8 km away
  • BassLabor 45.9% · Coalition 54.1% TPP (2025)15.6 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
7/10
IRSD decile (2021)
7/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

More in Bass Coast Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Victoria.