Geelong West vs Newtown

Geelong West is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 40 in Newtown. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Geelong West, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Newtown: a median of $1.1 million, against $860,000 in Geelong West. On these figures, Geelong West tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Newtown

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (10 vs 2)
  • has more parks and reserves (18 vs 6)
  • has more childcare (15 vs 5)

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

First-home buyers

Geelong West

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($430,000 vs $552,500)
  • has cheaper houses ($860,000 vs $1,100,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Geelong West

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (41% vs 30%)

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

Commuting to the city

Geelong West

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (93/100 vs 81/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (73.4 km vs 77.8 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Geelong West is more walkable (93/100 vs 81/100)
  • Newtown carries lower crime risk (49/100 vs 84/100)

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

Investors

Geelong West

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.1% vs 3.9%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.1% vs 2.4%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

Geelong West and Newtown drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Geelong West Newtown
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.

Geelong West Newtown
Walkability 93 / 81
Geelong West — Walkability: 93/100 Newtown — Walkability: 81/100
Safety 16 / 51
Geelong West — Safety: 16/100 Newtown — Safety: 51/100
Low fire risk 100 / 16
Geelong West — Low fire risk: 100/100 Newtown — Low fire risk: 16/100
Low flood risk 62 / 21
Geelong West — Low flood risk: 62/100 Newtown — Low flood risk: 21/100

Demographics

Newtown has more residents (10,445 vs 7,345); Newtown has higher household incomes ($108,784 vs $93,444).

Geelong West Newtown
Population 7,345 10,445
+42% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.4% +2.9%
Median age 36 40
Median household income $93,444/yr $108,784/yr
+16% vs other
Median weekly rent $350/wk $360/wk
+3% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Geelong West Newtown
0-4 6.8% / 5.0%
Geelong West — 0-4: 6.8% Newtown — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 10.3% / 14.2%
Geelong West — 5-14: 10.3% Newtown — 5-14: 14.2%
15-19 4.1% / 6.5%
Geelong West — 15-19: 4.1% Newtown — 15-19: 6.5%
20-24 6.8% / 5.9%
Geelong West — 20-24: 6.8% Newtown — 20-24: 5.9%
25-34 18.1% / 11.0%
Geelong West — 25-34: 18.1% Newtown — 25-34: 11.0%
35-44 16.0% / 12.9%
Geelong West — 35-44: 16.0% Newtown — 35-44: 12.9%
45-54 13.1% / 14.0%
Geelong West — 45-54: 13.1% Newtown — 45-54: 14.0%
55-64 10.8% / 12.9%
Geelong West — 55-64: 10.8% Newtown — 55-64: 12.9%
65-74 8.6% / 10.1%
Geelong West — 65-74: 8.6% Newtown — 65-74: 10.1%
75-84 3.9% / 5.6%
Geelong West — 75-84: 3.9% Newtown — 75-84: 5.6%
85+ 1.3% / 1.9%
Geelong West — 85+: 1.3% Newtown — 85+: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Geelong West 45.5% lone person
Geelong West — Lone Person: 45.5% Geelong West — Couple Families: 32.3% Geelong West — One Parent Families: 12.9% Geelong West — Group Household: 7.9% Geelong West — Other Families: 1.4%
Newtown 38.7% lone person
Newtown — Lone Person: 38.7% Newtown — Couple Families: 44.0% Newtown — One Parent Families: 11.7% Newtown — Group Household: 4.9% Newtown — Other Families: 0.6%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Geelong West 41.2% renting
Geelong West — Owned Outright: 28.1% Geelong West — Mortgage: 30.6% Geelong West — Renting: 41.2%
Newtown 29.7% renting
Newtown — Owned Outright: 38.1% Newtown — Mortgage: 32.1% Newtown — Renting: 29.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Geelong West Newtown
Bachelor Degree 19.1% / 21.3%
Geelong West — Bachelor Degree: 19.1% Newtown — Bachelor Degree: 21.3%
Certificate III & IV 11.9% / 9.7%
Geelong West — Certificate III & IV: 11.9% Newtown — Certificate III & IV: 9.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.5% / 8.6%
Geelong West — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5% Newtown — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6%
Postgraduate Degree 8.1% / 7.7%
Geelong West — Postgraduate Degree: 8.1% Newtown — Postgraduate Degree: 7.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.0% / 3.8%
Geelong West — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.0% Newtown — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.3%).

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.

Geelong West Newtown
England 3.0% / 2.8%
Geelong West — England: 3.0% Newtown — England: 2.8%
India 2.0% / 1.3%
Geelong West — India: 2.0% Newtown — India: 1.3%
China 1.5% / 1.1%
Geelong West — China: 1.5% Newtown — China: 1.1%
New Zealand 1.3% / 0.9%
Geelong West — New Zealand: 1.3% Newtown — New Zealand: 0.9%
Italy 1.5% / 0.5%
Geelong West — Italy: 1.5% Newtown — Italy: 0.5%
Netherlands — / 0.5%
Geelong West — Netherlands: not among its largest Newtown — Netherlands: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Geelong West 73.7% houses
Geelong West — Houses: 73.7% Geelong West — Townhouses: 9.0% Geelong West — Flats / Apartments: 17.2%
Newtown 77.0% houses
Newtown — Houses: 77.0% Newtown — Townhouses: 20.5% Newtown — Flats / Apartments: 2.5%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Geelong West Newtown
Median house price $860,000 $1,100,000
Median unit price $430,000 $552,500
Median land price $725,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 71 sales
 31 days
from 93 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Geelong West Newtown
1 bed $305K / $360K
Geelong West — 1 bed: $305K (17 sales) Newtown — 1 bed: $360K (9 sales)

17 vs 9 sales

2 bed $515K / $560K
Geelong West — 2 bed: $515K (27 sales) Newtown — 2 bed: $560K (37 sales)

27 vs 37 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Geelong West Newtown
2 bed $685K / $685K
Geelong West — 2 bed: $685K (33 sales) Newtown — 2 bed: $685K (24 sales)

33 vs 24 sales

3 bed $860K / $995K
Geelong West — 3 bed: $860K (86 sales) Newtown — 3 bed: $995K (93 sales)

86 vs 93 sales

4 bed $1.05M / $1.4M
Geelong West — 4 bed: $1.05M (34 sales) Newtown — 4 bed: $1.4M (62 sales)

34 vs 62 sales

Zoning mix

Geelong West Newtown
Residential 78% 71%
Parks and recreation 3% 18%
Commercial 12% 3%
Infrastructure and transport 7% 6%
Industrial 0% 2%
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

Geelong West Newtown
New dwellings approved 3,468
across Greater Geelong
same for both
Approvals change year on year +56%
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.

Geelong West Newtown
Houses 3.1%
$558/wk on $925K
 2.4%
$625/wk on $1.33M
Units 5.1%
$460/wk on $472K
 3.9%
$435/wk on $585K

Ranking within VIC

Geelong West Newtown
House price Higher than 61% of VIC —
Income Higher than 63% of VIC Higher than 81% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 49% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 98% of VIC Higher than 93% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 49% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 84% of VIC Higher than 94% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 89% of VIC Higher than 91% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 19% of VIC Higher than 3% of VIC
Rental yield (units) Higher than 66% of VIC Higher than 7% of VIC

Liveability

Geelong West scores higher overall (66 vs 51); Geelong West is more walkable (93 vs 81).

Geelong West Newtown
Grade B
same for both
Score 66/100 51/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Newtown carries more bushfire risk (84 vs 0); Newtown carries more flood risk (79 vs 38).

Geelong West Newtown
Bushfire None
0/100
 High
84/100
Crime High
84/100
 Moderate
49/100
Flood Low
38/100
 High
79/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 14
within 5 km
 11
within 5 km

Schools

Geelong West Newtown
Inside the suburb 2 10
Rated above peers 1 2
Rated at peers 1 2
Rated below peers 0 3
Universities within 10 km 2
Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, 1.9 km
 2
Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, 2.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.4% 2.9%

Schools in Geelong West

  • St Patrick's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Ashby Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Newtown

  • Fyans Park Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Robert's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Chilwell Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Newtown Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Sacred Heart College Catholic · Secondary below peers
  • St Joseph's College Geelong Catholic · Secondary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Geelong West Newtown
Supermarkets 4 2
Cafes & restaurants 41 19
Parks & reserves 6 18
Childcare 5 15
GPs 2
same for both
Pharmacies 5 1
Banks & Bank@Post 7 2
Fuel stations 2 1
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Newtown sits further from the CBD (77.8 km vs 73.4 km).

Geelong West Newtown
Walkability score 93/100 81/100
Distance to Melbourne 73.4 km 77.8 km
+6% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 63 min 66 min
Public transport score 76/100 75/100
Peak arrivals per hour 129.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 98.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 1.3%
postcode 3218
 1.9%
postcode 3220
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 24
postcode 3218
 24
postcode 3220

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.

Geelong West Newtown
Car (driver) 56.8% / 58.6%
Geelong West — Car (driver): 56.8% Newtown — Car (driver): 58.6%
Worked from Home 30.1% / 29.2%
Geelong West — Worked from Home: 30.1% Newtown — Worked from Home: 29.2%
Walked Only 5.4% / 5.1%
Geelong West — Walked Only: 5.4% Newtown — Walked Only: 5.1%
Car (passenger) 3.6% / 4.0%
Geelong West — Car (passenger): 3.6% Newtown — Car (passenger): 4.0%
Bicycle 1.6% / 1.4%
Geelong West — Bicycle: 1.6% Newtown — Bicycle: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (58.6%).

Setting

Geelong West Newtown
Elevation 33 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 60 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 996 m
2.3 km to a named beach
 2.5 km
3.1 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Geelong West Newtown
Connectivity score 78/100 81/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 51%
4,462 premises
 53%
5,473 premises

Climate

Geelong West Newtown
Annual rainfall 454 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 5.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Geelong West Newtown
PM2.5 5.0 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 20.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Geelong West Newtown
Average residential rate $1,802/yr
same for both
Council Greater Geelong
same for both

Federal electorate

Geelong West Newtown
Division Corio
same for both
Member Richard Marles
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Geelong West Newtown
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Geelong West

Cafe Culture Coastal Parks Professionals Urban Village Feel

Newtown

Coastal Parks Professionals Regional Centre Townhouses Village Feel

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Geelong West

Geelong West vs Hamlyn Heights Geelong West vs Geelong Geelong West vs North Geelong Geelong West vs Manifold Heights Geelong West vs Drumcondra

Other comparisons with Newtown

Newtown vs Highton Newtown vs Belmont Newtown vs Geelong Newtown vs Herne Hill Newtown vs Manifold Heights Newtown vs Fyansford
Full data on Geelong West Full data on Newtown
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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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