Drysdale vs Swan Bay
Drysdale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 52 against 61 in Swan Bay. In both, the large majority of households own their home. In Drysdale, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Swan Bay, most homes are flats or apartments and most households are people living alone. On these figures, Swan Bay tends to suit 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
Drysdale
ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more childcare (7 vs 0)
- has more parks and reserves (6 vs 1)
- has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Drysdale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (31% vs 68%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Drysdale leaves renters under less rental stress (27% vs 32%)
- Swan Bay has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $340/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Drysdale
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (86 min vs 96 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (96.5 km vs 104.3 km)
- But Swan Bay is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Swan Bay
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (61% vs 11%)
- But Drysdale has more GPs (4 vs 0)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Swan Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (74.6% vs 16.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Drysdale and Swan Bay drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Drysdale has more residents (4,976 vs 103); Drysdale has higher household incomes ($66,196 vs $40,768).
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,976 +98% vs other | 103 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +16.4% | +74.6% |
| Median age | 52 | 61 |
| Median household income | $66,196/yr +38% vs other | $40,768/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $340/wk +26% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $745,000 | — |
| Median unit price | $540,000 | — |
| Median land price | $1,175,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 33 days from 59 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 87% | 81% |
| Environmental | 0% | 10% |
| Parks and recreation | 2% | 9% |
| Residential | 8% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 1% |
| 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
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 3,468 across Greater Geelong same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +56% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3.7% $590/wk on $830K | — |
| Units | 4.3% $450/wk on $550K | — |
Ranking within VIC
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 44% of VIC | — |
| Income | Higher than 26% of VIC | Higher than 4% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 32% of VIC | Higher than 71% of VIC |
| Affordability | Higher than 33% of VIC | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 61% of VIC | Higher than 94% of VIC |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 78% of VIC | Higher than 72% of VIC |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 46% of VIC | — |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 18% of VIC | — |
Liveability
Swan Bay is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 53/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Swan Bay carries more flood risk (76 vs 0).
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 44/100 | Moderate 42/100 |
| Flood | None 0/100 | High 76/100 |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 63/100 | Low 14/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 2 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Drysdale
- Drysdale Primary School Government · Primary below peers
- Christian College Geelong - Bellarine Campus Independent · Combined
Schools in Swan Bay
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 3 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 6 | 1 |
| Childcare | 7 | 0 |
| GPs | 4 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 2 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 | 3 |
Mobility
Swan Bay sits further from the CBD (104.3 km vs 96.5 km).
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 96.5 km | 104.3 km +8% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 86 min | 96 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 3222 | 1.9% postcode 3225 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 44 postcode 3222 | 39 postcode 3225 |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (71.9%).
Setting
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 99 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 3 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 4.0 km | 155 m 4.7 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 68/100 | 33/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 43% 2,672 premises | 6% 36 premises |
Climate
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | — same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 22.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.8°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 20.5 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,802/yr same for both | |
| Council | Greater Geelong same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Corangamite same for both | |
| Member | Libby Coker same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Drysdale | Swan Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Drysdale
Other comparisons with Swan Bay
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.