Apollo Bay vs Skenes Creek

Apollo Bay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 52 against 55 in Skenes Creek. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone.

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

Skenes Creek

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (40/100 vs 67/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (97% vs 83%)
  • But Apollo Bay has more parks and reserves (8 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Skenes Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (27% vs 34%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Apollo Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (29% vs 18%)

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

Commuting to the city

Skenes Creek

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (154 min vs 192 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (188.6 km vs 207.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Apollo Bay

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (17% vs 3%)
  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • But Skenes Creek carries lower crime risk (40/100 vs 67/100)

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

Investors

Skenes Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (51.8% vs 12.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Apollo Bay and Skenes Creek drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
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.

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Walkability 4 / 0
Apollo Bay — Walkability: 4/100 Skenes Creek — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 33 / 60
Apollo Bay — Safety: 33/100 Skenes Creek — Safety: 60/100
Low fire risk 37 / 14
Apollo Bay — Low fire risk: 37/100 Skenes Creek — Low fire risk: 14/100
Low flood risk 65 / 64
Apollo Bay — Low flood risk: 65/100 Skenes Creek — Low flood risk: 64/100

Demographics

Apollo Bay has more residents (1,790 vs 249); Skenes Creek has higher household incomes ($65,520 vs $59,488).

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Population 1,790
+86% vs other
 249
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +12.0% +51.8%
Median age 52 55
Median household income $59,488/yr $65,520/yr
+10% vs other
Median weekly rent $300/wk
+2% vs other
 $295/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
0-4 4.1% / 5.2%
Apollo Bay — 0-4: 4.1% Skenes Creek — 0-4: 5.2%
5-14 9.4% / 6.4%
Apollo Bay — 5-14: 9.4% Skenes Creek — 5-14: 6.4%
15-19 4.1% / 4.0%
Apollo Bay — 15-19: 4.1% Skenes Creek — 15-19: 4.0%
20-24 2.5% / 1.6%
Apollo Bay — 20-24: 2.5% Skenes Creek — 20-24: 1.6%
25-34 9.9% / 11.2%
Apollo Bay — 25-34: 9.9% Skenes Creek — 25-34: 11.2%
35-44 10.1% / 7.6%
Apollo Bay — 35-44: 10.1% Skenes Creek — 35-44: 7.6%
45-54 13.3% / 15.3%
Apollo Bay — 45-54: 13.3% Skenes Creek — 45-54: 15.3%
55-64 17.3% / 18.9%
Apollo Bay — 55-64: 17.3% Skenes Creek — 55-64: 18.9%
65-74 17.8% / 18.1%
Apollo Bay — 65-74: 17.8% Skenes Creek — 65-74: 18.1%
75-84 8.0% / 12.4%
Apollo Bay — 75-84: 8.0% Skenes Creek — 75-84: 12.4%
85+ 3.0% / 3.2%
Apollo Bay — 85+: 3.0% Skenes Creek — 85+: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Apollo Bay 55.2% lone person
Apollo Bay — Lone Person: 55.2% Apollo Bay — Couple Families: 26.2% Apollo Bay — One Parent Families: 12.6% Apollo Bay — Group Household: 4.8% Apollo Bay — Other Families: 1.2%
Skenes Creek 55.9% lone person
Skenes Creek — Lone Person: 55.9% Skenes Creek — Couple Families: 25.4% Skenes Creek — One Parent Families: 13.6% Skenes Creek — Group Household: 5.1% Skenes Creek — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Apollo Bay 29.1% renting
Apollo Bay — Owned Outright: 47.4% Apollo Bay — Mortgage: 23.5% Apollo Bay — Renting: 29.1%
Skenes Creek 17.6% renting
Skenes Creek — Owned Outright: 61.8% Skenes Creek — Mortgage: 20.6% Skenes Creek — Renting: 17.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Bachelor Degree 11.1% / 23.7%
Apollo Bay — Bachelor Degree: 11.1% Skenes Creek — Bachelor Degree: 23.7%
Certificate III & IV 14.5% / 10.0%
Apollo Bay — Certificate III & IV: 14.5% Skenes Creek — Certificate III & IV: 10.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.9% / 8.0%
Apollo Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9% Skenes Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0%
Postgraduate Degree 4.5% / 4.0%
Apollo Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 4.5% Skenes Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 4.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.8% / 5.2%
Apollo Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.8% Skenes Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.7%).

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.

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
England 3.6% / 5.6%
Apollo Bay — England: 3.6% Skenes Creek — England: 5.6%
Ireland 0.9% / 1.6%
Apollo Bay — Ireland: 0.9% Skenes Creek — Ireland: 1.6%
Netherlands 0.7% / 1.6%
Apollo Bay — Netherlands: 0.7% Skenes Creek — Netherlands: 1.6%
New Zealand 1.3% / —
Apollo Bay — New Zealand: 1.3% Skenes Creek — New Zealand: not among its largest
Greece — / 1.2%
Apollo Bay — Greece: not among its largest Skenes Creek — Greece: 1.2%
India 0.8% / —
Apollo Bay — India: 0.8% Skenes Creek — India: not among its largest
China 0.8% / —
Apollo Bay — China: 0.8% Skenes Creek — China: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Apollo Bay 82.8% houses
Apollo Bay — Houses: 82.8% Apollo Bay — Flats / Apartments: 7.2% Apollo Bay — Townhouses: 10.0%
Skenes Creek 97.1% houses
Skenes Creek — Houses: 97.1% Skenes Creek — Flats / Apartments: 2.9% Skenes Creek — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Median house price $780,000 $800,000
Median unit price $653,500 —
Median land price $407,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 62 days
from 23 sales
 30 days
from 3 sales

Zoning mix

Skenes Creek has more land zoned for conservation (82% vs 58%).

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Environmental 58% 82%
Parks and recreation 35% 8%
Residential 2% 5%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 5%
Rural and farming 3% 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

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
New dwellings approved 226
across Colac Otway
same for both
Approvals change year on year +64%
same for both

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.

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Houses 3.0%
$598/wk on $1.05M
 —
Units 3.6%
$550/wk on $795K
 —

Ranking within VIC

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
House price Higher than 54% of VIC —
Income Higher than 20% of VIC Higher than 26% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 66% of VIC Higher than 64% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 16% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 73% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 73% of VIC Higher than 72% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 12% of VIC —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 3% of VIC —

Liveability

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Grade D —
Score 24/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Apollo Bay carries more crime risk (67 vs 40); Skenes Creek carries more bushfire risk (86 vs 63).

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Bushfire Moderate
63/100
 High
86/100
Crime Moderate
67/100
 Moderate
40/100
Flood Low
35/100
 Low
36/100
Coastal erosion Moderate
66/100
 Moderate
42/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Apollo Bay

  • Apollo Bay P-12 College Government · Combined at peers

Schools in Skenes Creek

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Supermarkets 3 0
Cafes & restaurants 15 1
Parks & reserves 8 0
Childcare 2 0
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 1 0
EV chargers 1 0
Beaches 1 0
Waterways 27 1

Mobility

Apollo Bay sits further from the CBD (207.6 km vs 188.6 km).

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Walkability score 4/100 0/100
Distance to Melbourne 207.6 km
+9% vs other
 188.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 192 min 154 min
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 3233
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 26
postcode 3233
same for both

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.

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Car (driver) 55.1% / 57.1%
Apollo Bay — Car (driver): 55.1% Skenes Creek — Car (driver): 57.1%
Worked from Home 20.4% / 39.0%
Apollo Bay — Worked from Home: 20.4% Skenes Creek — Worked from Home: 39.0%
Walked Only 17.1% / 3.9%
Apollo Bay — Walked Only: 17.1% Skenes Creek — Walked Only: 3.9%
Car (passenger) 4.5% / —
Apollo Bay — Car (passenger): 4.5% Skenes Creek — Car (passenger): not among its largest
Bicycle 2.3% / —
Apollo Bay — Bicycle: 2.3% Skenes Creek — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (57.1%).

Setting

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Elevation 278 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 163 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 3.4 km 1.4 km

NBN connectivity

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Connectivity score 50/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 13%
2,189 premises
 0%
346 premises

Climate

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Annual rainfall 1,070 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Average residential rate $2,023/yr
same for both
Council Colac Otway
same for both

Federal electorate

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Division Wannon
same for both
Member Dan Tehan
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Apollo Bay Skenes Creek
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Apollo Bay

Retirees River Rural

Skenes Creek

Acreage Coastal Quiet Retirees
Full data on Apollo Bay Full data on Skenes Creek
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.

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