Queenscliff vs Swan Bay

In both, the large majority of households own their home. In Queenscliff, the large majority of homes are detached houses and about half of households are people living alone. In Swan Bay, most homes are flats or apartments and most households are people living alone. On these figures, Queenscliff tends to suit older residents, while Swan Bay suits 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

Queenscliff

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (91% vs 39%)
  • carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 42/100)

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

First-home buyers

Queenscliff

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (35% vs 68%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Queenscliff leaves renters under less rental stress (25% vs 32%)
  • Swan Bay has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $369/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Queenscliff

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (35/100 vs 10/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Queenscliff

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (35/100 vs 10/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 42/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (43% vs 30%)
  • But Swan Bay has more units and townhouses to downsize into (61% vs 9%)

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 15.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Queenscliff 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.

Queenscliff Swan Bay
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.

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Walkability 35 / 10
Queenscliff — Walkability: 35/100 Swan Bay — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 79 / 58
Queenscliff — Safety: 79/100 Swan Bay — Safety: 58/100
Low fire risk 82 / 100
Queenscliff — Low fire risk: 82/100 Swan Bay — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 89 / 24
Queenscliff — Low flood risk: 89/100 Swan Bay — Low flood risk: 24/100

Demographics

Queenscliff has more residents (1,516 vs 103); Queenscliff has higher household incomes ($76,596 vs $40,768).

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Population 1,516
+93% vs other
 103
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +15.3% +74.6%
Median age 62 61
Median household income $76,596/yr
+47% vs other
 $40,768/yr
Median weekly rent $369/wk
+32% vs other
 $250/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Queenscliff Swan Bay
0-4 2.0% / —
Queenscliff — 0-4: 2.0% Swan Bay — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 7.3% / 14.6%
Queenscliff — 5-14: 7.3% Swan Bay — 5-14: 14.6%
15-19 3.6% / 7.8%
Queenscliff — 15-19: 3.6% Swan Bay — 15-19: 7.8%
20-24 2.8% / 3.9%
Queenscliff — 20-24: 2.8% Swan Bay — 20-24: 3.9%
25-34 4.9% / 3.9%
Queenscliff — 25-34: 4.9% Swan Bay — 25-34: 3.9%
35-44 6.8% / 6.8%
Queenscliff — 35-44: 6.8% Swan Bay — 35-44: 6.8%
45-54 9.8% / 12.6%
Queenscliff — 45-54: 9.8% Swan Bay — 45-54: 12.6%
55-64 19.3% / 23.3%
Queenscliff — 55-64: 19.3% Swan Bay — 55-64: 23.3%
65-74 25.7% / 22.3%
Queenscliff — 65-74: 25.7% Swan Bay — 65-74: 22.3%
75-84 13.3% / 7.8%
Queenscliff — 75-84: 13.3% Swan Bay — 75-84: 7.8%
85+ 4.2% / —
Queenscliff — 85+: 4.2% Swan Bay — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Queenscliff 52.4% lone person
Queenscliff — Lone Person: 52.4% Queenscliff — Couple Families: 32.6% Queenscliff — One Parent Families: 11.3% Queenscliff — Group Household: 2.6% Queenscliff — Other Families: 1.0%
Swan Bay 64.9% lone person
Swan Bay — Lone Person: 64.9% Swan Bay — Couple Families: 24.3% Swan Bay — One Parent Families: 10.8% Swan Bay — Group Household: 0.0% Swan Bay — 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.

Queenscliff 14.3% renting
Queenscliff — Owned Outright: 63.0% Queenscliff — Mortgage: 22.7% Queenscliff — Renting: 14.3%
Swan Bay 22.2% renting
Swan Bay — Owned Outright: 66.7% Swan Bay — Mortgage: 11.1% Swan Bay — Renting: 22.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Queenscliff Swan Bay
England 4.2% / 3.9%
Queenscliff — England: 4.2% Swan Bay — England: 3.9%
New Zealand 1.4% / 2.9%
Queenscliff — New Zealand: 1.4% Swan Bay — New Zealand: 2.9%
India 0.6% / —
Queenscliff — India: 0.6% Swan Bay — India: not among its largest
Italy 0.5% / —
Queenscliff — Italy: 0.5% Swan Bay — Italy: not among its largest
Scotland 0.5% / —
Queenscliff — Scotland: 0.5% Swan Bay — Scotland: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.2%).

Qualifications

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

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Bachelor Degree 20.3% / 25.2%
Queenscliff — Bachelor Degree: 20.3% Swan Bay — Bachelor Degree: 25.2%
Certificate III & IV 10.9% / 11.7%
Queenscliff — Certificate III & IV: 10.9% Swan Bay — Certificate III & IV: 11.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 11.0% / 8.7%
Queenscliff — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 11.0% Swan Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7%
Postgraduate Degree 8.1% / —
Queenscliff — Postgraduate Degree: 8.1% Swan Bay — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 5.2% / 2.9%
Queenscliff — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.2% Swan Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Queenscliff 91.1% houses
Queenscliff — Houses: 91.1% Queenscliff — Flats / Apartments: 4.1% Queenscliff — Townhouses: 4.8%
Swan Bay 38.8% houses
Swan Bay — Houses: 38.8% Swan Bay — Flats / Apartments: 61.2% Swan Bay — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Median house price $1,230,000 —
Median unit price $655,000 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 108 days
from 22 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Swan Bay has more rural and farming land (81% vs 0%).

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Rural and farming 0% 81%
Parks and recreation 38% 9%
Residential 35% 0%
Environmental 15% 10%
Infrastructure and transport 6% 1%
Other and special use 5% 0%
Commercial 1% 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

Queenscliff Swan Bay
New dwellings approved 12
across Queenscliffe
 3,468
across Greater Geelong
Approvals change year on year -40% +56%

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.

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Houses 2.2%
$600/wk on $1.43M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Queenscliff Swan Bay
House price Higher than 81% of VIC —
Income Higher than 44% of VIC Higher than 4% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 84% of VIC Higher than 71% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 7% of VIC —
EV adoption Higher than 94% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 79% of VIC Higher than 72% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 1% of VIC —

Liveability

Queenscliff is more walkable (35 vs 10).

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Grade A —
Score 71/100 —
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Queenscliff carries more bushfire risk (18 vs 0); Swan Bay carries more flood risk (76 vs 11).

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Bushfire Low
18/100
 None
0/100
Crime Low
21/100
 Moderate
42/100
Flood Low
11/100
 High
76/100
Coastal erosion High
87/100
 Low
14/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Inside the suburb 2 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Queenscliff

  • Queenscliff Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • St Aloysius' School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Swan Bay

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

Amenities in the suburb

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 5 0
Parks & reserves 3 1
Childcare 1 0
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 0 3

Mobility

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Walkability score 35/100 10/100
Distance to Melbourne 103.7 km 104.3 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 94 min 96 min
Electric vehicle share 1.9%
postcode 3225
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 39
postcode 3225
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.

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Car (driver) 50.0% / 47.6%
Queenscliff — Car (driver): 50.0% Swan Bay — Car (driver): 47.6%
Worked from Home 38.2% / 40.5%
Queenscliff — Worked from Home: 38.2% Swan Bay — Worked from Home: 40.5%
Walked Only 6.4% / 11.9%
Queenscliff — Walked Only: 6.4% Swan Bay — Walked Only: 11.9%
Car (passenger) 2.0% / —
Queenscliff — Car (passenger): 2.0% Swan Bay — Car (passenger): not among its largest
Train 2.0% / —
Queenscliff — Train: 2.0% Swan Bay — Train: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (50.0%).

Setting

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Elevation 9 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 3 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 80 m
1.8 km to a named beach
 155 m
4.7 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Connectivity score 70/100 33/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 45%
1,369 premises
 6%
36 premises

Climate

Queenscliff 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)

Queenscliff 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

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Average residential rate $2,387/yr $1,802/yr
Council Queenscliffe Greater Geelong

Federal electorate

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Division Corangamite
same for both
Member Libby Coker
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Queenscliff Swan Bay
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Queenscliff

Acreage Coastal Premium Professionals Retirees

Swan Bay

Coastal Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Queenscliff

Queenscliff vs Point Lonsdale

Other comparisons with Swan Bay

Swan Bay vs Drysdale Swan Bay vs Point Lonsdale Swan Bay vs St Leonards Swan Bay vs Mannerim
Full data on Queenscliff Full data on Swan Bay
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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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