Lovely Banks vs Norlane

In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lovely Banks, the large majority of households own their home and most households are couple families. In Norlane, most households rent and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Lovely Banks: a median of $780,000, against $535,000 in Norlane, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Lovely Banks tends to suit couples, while Norlane suits renters, people living alone, and 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

Norlane

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (6 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (10 vs 2)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 1)
  • But Lovely Banks is already more of a family suburb (73% vs 43%)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Lovely Banks leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 30%)
  • Norlane has cheaper land ($425,000 vs $758,750)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Norlane

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (57% vs 14%)
  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $350/wk)
  • But Lovely Banks leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 28%)

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

Commuting to the city

Norlane

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (76/100 vs 13/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (67.5 km vs 72.4 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Norlane

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (76/100 vs 13/100)
  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (18% vs 12%)
  • But Lovely Banks carries lower crime risk (67/100 vs 95/100)

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

Investors

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Lovely Banks is growing faster (20.9% vs 4.5%)
  • Norlane returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.3% vs 3.3%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Lovely Banks Norlane
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.

Lovely Banks Norlane
Walkability 13 / 76
Lovely Banks — Walkability: 13/100 Norlane — Walkability: 76/100
Safety 33 / 5
Lovely Banks — Safety: 33/100 Norlane — Safety: 5/100
Low fire risk 22 / 100
Lovely Banks — Low fire risk: 22/100 Norlane — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 100 / 76
Lovely Banks — Low flood risk: 100/100 Norlane — Low flood risk: 76/100

Demographics

Norlane has more residents (8,682 vs 2,782); Lovely Banks has higher household incomes ($103,532 vs $47,268).

Lovely Banks Norlane
Population 2,782 8,682
+212% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +20.9% +4.5%
Median age 37
same for both
Median household income $103,532/yr
+54% vs other
 $47,268/yr
Median weekly rent $350/wk
+29% vs other
 $250/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Lovely Banks Norlane
0-4 4.9% / 5.6%
Lovely Banks — 0-4: 4.9% Norlane — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 12.6% / 10.4%
Lovely Banks — 5-14: 12.6% Norlane — 5-14: 10.4%
15-19 6.6% / 5.4%
Lovely Banks — 15-19: 6.6% Norlane — 15-19: 5.4%
20-24 9.0% / 7.5%
Lovely Banks — 20-24: 9.0% Norlane — 20-24: 7.5%
25-34 14.3% / 17.3%
Lovely Banks — 25-34: 14.3% Norlane — 25-34: 17.3%
35-44 10.8% / 11.6%
Lovely Banks — 35-44: 10.8% Norlane — 35-44: 11.6%
45-54 15.4% / 12.0%
Lovely Banks — 45-54: 15.4% Norlane — 45-54: 12.0%
55-64 14.6% / 12.0%
Lovely Banks — 55-64: 14.6% Norlane — 55-64: 12.0%
65-74 6.8% / 10.0%
Lovely Banks — 65-74: 6.8% Norlane — 65-74: 10.0%
75-84 4.3% / 5.7%
Lovely Banks — 75-84: 4.3% Norlane — 75-84: 5.7%
85+ 1.0% / 2.7%
Lovely Banks — 85+: 1.0% Norlane — 85+: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Lovely Banks 56.1% couple families
Lovely Banks — Couple Families: 56.1% Lovely Banks — Lone Person: 22.8% Lovely Banks — One Parent Families: 17.1% Lovely Banks — Group Household: 2.9% Lovely Banks — Other Families: 1.2%
Norlane 18.9% couple families
Norlane — Couple Families: 18.9% Norlane — Lone Person: 47.2% Norlane — One Parent Families: 24.4% Norlane — Group Household: 6.6% Norlane — Other Families: 2.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Lovely Banks 13.6% renting
Lovely Banks — Owned Outright: 35.9% Lovely Banks — Mortgage: 50.4% Lovely Banks — Renting: 13.6%
Norlane 56.7% renting
Norlane — Owned Outright: 24.3% Norlane — Mortgage: 19.0% Norlane — Renting: 56.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Lovely Banks Norlane
Certificate III & IV 17.9% / 14.2%
Lovely Banks — Certificate III & IV: 17.9% Norlane — Certificate III & IV: 14.2%
Bachelor Degree 8.6% / 5.0%
Lovely Banks — Bachelor Degree: 8.6% Norlane — Bachelor Degree: 5.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 5.1%
Lovely Banks — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Norlane — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.1%
Postgraduate Degree 2.5% / 2.3%
Lovely Banks — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5% Norlane — Postgraduate Degree: 2.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.1% / 0.8%
Lovely Banks — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1% Norlane — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).

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.

Lovely Banks Norlane
India 2.7% / 3.5%
Lovely Banks — India: 2.7% Norlane — India: 3.5%
England 1.7% / 1.7%
Lovely Banks — England: 1.7% Norlane — England: 1.7%
Afghanistan 0.7% / 1.5%
Lovely Banks — Afghanistan: 0.7% Norlane — Afghanistan: 1.5%
New Zealand 0.8% / 0.9%
Lovely Banks — New Zealand: 0.8% Norlane — New Zealand: 0.9%
Philippines — / 1.5%
Lovely Banks — Philippines: not among its largest Norlane — Philippines: 1.5%
Italy 1.4% / —
Lovely Banks — Italy: 1.4% Norlane — Italy: not among its largest
Pakistan — / 1.0%
Lovely Banks — Pakistan: not among its largest Norlane — Pakistan: 1.0%
Vietnam 0.8% / —
Lovely Banks — Vietnam: 0.8% Norlane — Vietnam: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Lovely Banks 91.6% houses
Lovely Banks — Houses: 91.6% Lovely Banks — Townhouses: 4.0% Lovely Banks — Flats / Apartments: 4.4%
Norlane 84.8% houses
Norlane — Houses: 84.8% Norlane — Townhouses: 13.6% Norlane — Flats / Apartments: 1.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Lovely Banks Norlane
Median house price $780,000 $535,000
Median unit price $371,500 $432,500
Median land price $758,750 $425,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 31 days
from 29 sales
 25 days
from 83 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.

Lovely Banks Norlane
3 bed $700K / $555K
Lovely Banks — 3 bed: $700K (25 sales) Norlane — 3 bed: $555K (148 sales)

25 vs 148 sales

4 bed $800K / $629K
Lovely Banks — 4 bed: $800K (27 sales) Norlane — 4 bed: $629K (32 sales)

27 vs 32 sales

Zoning mix

Lovely Banks has more rural and farming land (46% vs 0%); Norlane has more industrially zoned land (14% vs 0%).

Lovely Banks Norlane
Residential 51% 65%
Rural and farming 46% 0%
Industrial 0% 14%
Parks and recreation 0% 9%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 8%
Commercial 0% 3%
Other and special use 0% 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

Lovely Banks Norlane
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.

Lovely Banks Norlane
Houses 3.3%
$728/wk on $1.14M
 4.3%
$450/wk on $550K
Units — 4.5%
$410/wk on $479K

Ranking within VIC

Lovely Banks Norlane
House price Higher than 41% of VIC Higher than 14% of VIC
Income Higher than 76% of VIC Higher than 8% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 32% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 76% of VIC Higher than 92% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 85% of VIC Higher than 37% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 71% of VIC Higher than 18% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 77% of VIC Higher than 89% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 28% of VIC Higher than 83% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 29% of VIC

Liveability

Norlane is more walkable (76 vs 13).

Lovely Banks Norlane
Grade C
same for both
Score 36/100 35/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 high-need area
decile 1/10

Risk profile

Lovely Banks carries more bushfire risk (78 vs 0); Norlane carries more flood risk (24 vs 0).

Lovely Banks Norlane
Bushfire High
78/100
 None
0/100
Crime Moderate
67/100
 High
95/100
Flood None
0/100
 Low
24/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 5
within 5 km
 17
within 5 km

Schools

Lovely Banks Norlane
Inside the suburb 1 4
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 1 0
Universities within 10 km None 2
Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus, 6.5 km

Schools in Lovely Banks

  • Geelong Baptist College Independent · Combined below peers

Schools in Norlane

  • St Thomas Aquinas School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Northern Bay P-12 College-Peacock Avenue P-8 Campus Government · Combined
  • Northern Bay P-12 College-Tallis Street P-8 Campus Government · Combined
  • Sirius College - Geelong Campus Independent · Combined

Amenities in the suburb

Lovely Banks Norlane
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 1 4
Parks & reserves 2 10
Childcare 1 6
GPs 0 3
Pharmacies 0 3
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 1 3
Waterways 2 3

Mobility

Lovely Banks sits further from the CBD (72.4 km vs 67.5 km).

Lovely Banks Norlane
Walkability score 13/100 76/100
Distance to Melbourne 72.4 km
+7% vs other
 67.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 58 min 56 min
Public transport score 52/100 76/100
Peak arrivals per hour 12.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 167.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.8%
postcode 3213
 0.3%
postcode 3214
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 47
postcode 3213
 30
postcode 3214

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.

Lovely Banks Norlane
Car (driver) 76.6% / 77.2%
Lovely Banks — Car (driver): 76.6% Norlane — Car (driver): 77.2%
Worked from Home 13.4% / 9.2%
Lovely Banks — Worked from Home: 13.4% Norlane — Worked from Home: 9.2%
Car (passenger) 7.3% / 7.1%
Lovely Banks — Car (passenger): 7.3% Norlane — Car (passenger): 7.1%
Bus 0.7% / 2.8%
Lovely Banks — Bus: 0.7% Norlane — Bus: 2.8%
Train 1.1% / 1.6%
Lovely Banks — Train: 1.1% Norlane — Train: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.2%).

Setting

Lovely Banks Norlane
Elevation 91 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 20 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 7.1 km 1.7 km
4.9 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Lovely Banks Norlane
Connectivity score 65/100 78/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 45%
1,128 premises
 59%
5,146 premises

Climate

Lovely Banks Norlane
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)

Lovely Banks Norlane
PM2.5 5.0 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 20.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Lovely Banks Norlane
Average residential rate $1,802/yr
same for both
Council Greater Geelong
same for both

Federal electorate

Lovely Banks Norlane
Division Corio
same for both
Member Richard Marles
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Lovely Banks Norlane
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Lovely Banks

Acreage

Norlane

Affordable Coastal Parks Regional Centre

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Lovely Banks

Lovely Banks vs Lara Lovely Banks vs Corio Lovely Banks vs Bell Post Hill Lovely Banks vs Anakie Lovely Banks vs Moorabool

Other comparisons with Norlane

Norlane vs Corio Norlane vs Bell Park Norlane vs Bell Post Hill Norlane vs North Geelong Norlane vs North Shore
Full data on Lovely Banks Full data on Norlane
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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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