Wallington vs Ocean Grove

Ocean Grove is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 48 in Wallington. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Wallington, most households are couple families. In Ocean Grove, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Wallington: a median of $1.74 million, against $940,000 in Ocean Grove, though rent is higher in Ocean Grove. On these figures, Wallington tends to suit couples, while Ocean Grove suits 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

Ocean Grove

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (10 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (16 vs 3)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 1)
  • But Wallington is already more of a family suburb (77% vs 62%)

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

First-home buyers

Ocean Grove

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($827,500 vs $2,070,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($940,000 vs $1,735,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Wallington

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 23%)
  • has cheaper rent ($325/wk vs $420/wk)
  • But Ocean Grove has a bigger rental market to choose from (19% vs 8%)

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

Commuting to the city

Wallington

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (83 min vs 89 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (91.8 km vs 96.8 km)
  • But Ocean Grove is more walkable (75/100 vs 13/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Ocean Grove

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (6 vs 1)
  • is more walkable (75/100 vs 13/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 61/100)
  • But Wallington has more residents already 65 and over (27% vs 22%)

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

Investors

Ocean Grove

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (25.1% vs 11.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Wallington Ocean Grove
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.

Wallington Ocean Grove
Walkability 13 / 75
Wallington — Walkability: 13/100 Ocean Grove — Walkability: 75/100
Safety 39 / 74
Wallington — Safety: 39/100 Ocean Grove — Safety: 74/100
Low fire risk 68 / 64
Wallington — Low fire risk: 68/100 Ocean Grove — Low fire risk: 64/100
Low flood risk 12 / 35
Wallington — Low flood risk: 12/100 Ocean Grove — Low flood risk: 35/100

Demographics

Ocean Grove has more residents (17,714 vs 1,515); Wallington has higher household incomes ($125,320 vs $95,524).

Wallington Ocean Grove
Population 1,515 17,714
+1069% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +11.1% +25.1%
Median age 48 43
Median household income $125,320/yr
+24% vs other
 $95,524/yr
Median weekly rent $325/wk $420/wk
+29% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Wallington Ocean Grove
0-4 3.4% / 5.7%
Wallington — 0-4: 3.4% Ocean Grove — 0-4: 5.7%
5-14 13.0% / 14.4%
Wallington — 5-14: 13.0% Ocean Grove — 5-14: 14.4%
15-19 7.0% / 5.3%
Wallington — 15-19: 7.0% Ocean Grove — 15-19: 5.3%
20-24 5.3% / 3.8%
Wallington — 20-24: 5.3% Ocean Grove — 20-24: 3.8%
25-34 5.7% / 8.9%
Wallington — 25-34: 5.7% Ocean Grove — 25-34: 8.9%
35-44 9.6% / 13.6%
Wallington — 35-44: 9.6% Ocean Grove — 35-44: 13.6%
45-54 14.8% / 12.9%
Wallington — 45-54: 14.8% Ocean Grove — 45-54: 12.9%
55-64 14.3% / 13.2%
Wallington — 55-64: 14.3% Ocean Grove — 55-64: 13.2%
65-74 14.0% / 13.7%
Wallington — 65-74: 14.0% Ocean Grove — 65-74: 13.7%
75-84 7.5% / 6.2%
Wallington — 75-84: 7.5% Ocean Grove — 75-84: 6.2%
85+ 5.8% / 2.4%
Wallington — 85+: 5.8% Ocean Grove — 85+: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Wallington 66.0% couple families
Wallington — Couple Families: 66.0% Wallington — Lone Person: 19.9% Wallington — One Parent Families: 11.1% Wallington — Group Household: 2.9% Wallington — Other Families: 0.0%
Ocean Grove 48.2% couple families
Ocean Grove — Couple Families: 48.2% Ocean Grove — Lone Person: 34.2% Ocean Grove — One Parent Families: 13.6% Ocean Grove — Group Household: 3.3% Ocean Grove — Other Families: 0.7%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Wallington 7.5% renting
Wallington — Owned Outright: 50.1% Wallington — Mortgage: 42.4% Wallington — Renting: 7.5%
Ocean Grove 19.1% renting
Ocean Grove — Owned Outright: 42.4% Ocean Grove — Mortgage: 38.6% Ocean Grove — Renting: 19.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Wallington Ocean Grove
Bachelor Degree 12.2% / 15.8%
Wallington — Bachelor Degree: 12.2% Ocean Grove — Bachelor Degree: 15.8%
Certificate III & IV 14.2% / 13.6%
Wallington — Certificate III & IV: 14.2% Ocean Grove — Certificate III & IV: 13.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.3% / 10.0%
Wallington — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.3% Ocean Grove — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.0%
Postgraduate Degree 4.5% / 4.7%
Wallington — Postgraduate Degree: 4.5% Ocean Grove — Postgraduate Degree: 4.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.6% / 3.7%
Wallington — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6% Ocean Grove — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.8%).

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.

Wallington Ocean Grove
England 5.5% / 4.2%
Wallington — England: 5.5% Ocean Grove — England: 4.2%
New Zealand 0.6% / 0.9%
Wallington — New Zealand: 0.6% Ocean Grove — New Zealand: 0.9%
Germany 0.9% / 0.5%
Wallington — Germany: 0.9% Ocean Grove — Germany: 0.5%
Italy 0.8% / 0.4%
Wallington — Italy: 0.8% Ocean Grove — Italy: 0.4%
Scotland 0.5% / 0.5%
Wallington — Scotland: 0.5% Ocean Grove — Scotland: 0.5%
Netherlands 0.5% / 0.5%
Wallington — Netherlands: 0.5% Ocean Grove — Netherlands: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Wallington 100.5% houses
Wallington — Houses: 100.5% Wallington — Townhouses: 0.0% Wallington — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Ocean Grove 93.4% houses
Ocean Grove — Houses: 93.4% Ocean Grove — Townhouses: 6.0% Ocean Grove — Flats / Apartments: 0.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Wallington Ocean Grove
Median house price $1,735,000 $940,000
Median unit price — $685,000
Median land price $2,070,000 $827,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 85 days
from 5 sales
 49 days
from 230 sales

Zoning mix

Wallington has more rural and farming land (77% vs 11%).

Wallington Ocean Grove
Rural and farming 77% 11%
Residential 0% 56%
Parks and recreation 14% 19%
Other and special use 2% 4%
Environmental 4%
same for both
Infrastructure and transport 3%
same for both
Commercial 0% 2%
Industrial 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

Wallington Ocean Grove
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.

Wallington Ocean Grove
Houses — 3.7%
$750/wk on $1.05M
Units — 4.0%
$550/wk on $722K

Ranking within VIC

Wallington Ocean Grove
House price — Higher than 65% of VIC
Income Higher than 93% of VIC Higher than 66% of VIC
Schools — Higher than 56% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 75% of VIC Higher than 91% of VIC
Affordability — Higher than 44% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 61% of VIC Higher than 87% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 58% of VIC Higher than 84% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 48% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 9% of VIC

Liveability

Ocean Grove is more walkable (75 vs 13); Ocean Grove scores higher overall (60 vs 42).

Wallington Ocean Grove
Grade C B
Score 42/100 60/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
same for both

Risk profile

Wallington carries more crime risk (61 vs 26); Wallington carries more flood risk (88 vs 65).

Wallington Ocean Grove
Bushfire Low
32/100
 Low
36/100
Crime Moderate
61/100
 Low
26/100
Flood High
88/100
 Moderate
65/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Low
28/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Wallington Ocean Grove
Inside the suburb 1 4
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Wallington

  • Wallington Primary School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Ocean Grove

  • Ocean Grove Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Our Lady Star of the Sea School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Surfside Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Bellarine Secondary College-Ocean Grove Campus Government · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

Wallington Ocean Grove
Supermarkets 0 4
Cafes & restaurants 4 15
Parks & reserves 3 16
Childcare 0 10
GPs 1 6
Pharmacies 0 3
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 6
Fuel stations 2 4
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 0 2

Mobility

Ocean Grove sits further from the CBD (96.8 km vs 91.8 km).

Wallington Ocean Grove
Walkability score 13/100 75/100
Distance to Melbourne 91.8 km 96.8 km
+5% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 83 min 89 min
Public transport score 44/100 76/100
Peak arrivals per hour 7.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 55.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 3222
 1.4%
postcode 3226
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 44
postcode 3222
 42
postcode 3226

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.

Wallington Ocean Grove
Car (driver) 59.3% / 63.9%
Wallington — Car (driver): 59.3% Ocean Grove — Car (driver): 63.9%
Worked from Home 31.6% / 28.8%
Wallington — Worked from Home: 31.6% Ocean Grove — Worked from Home: 28.8%
Car (passenger) 4.5% / 3.6%
Wallington — Car (passenger): 4.5% Ocean Grove — Car (passenger): 3.6%
Walked Only 2.9% / 2.2%
Wallington — Walked Only: 2.9% Ocean Grove — Walked Only: 2.2%
Train 1.0% / 0.4%
Wallington — Train: 1.0% Ocean Grove — Train: 0.4%
Bicycle — / 0.7%
Wallington — Bicycle: not among its largest Ocean Grove — Bicycle: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (63.9%).

Setting

Wallington Ocean Grove
Elevation 39 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 28 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 5.1 km 1.3 km
3.8 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Wallington Ocean Grove
Connectivity score 30/100 76/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
446 premises
 57%
10,378 premises

Climate

Wallington Ocean Grove
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)

Wallington Ocean Grove
PM2.5 5.0 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 20.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Wallington Ocean Grove
Average residential rate $1,802/yr
same for both
Council Greater Geelong
same for both

Federal electorate

Wallington Ocean Grove
Division Corangamite
same for both
Member Libby Coker
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Wallington Ocean Grove
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Wallington

Acreage Retirees

Ocean Grove

Coastal Large Blocks Parks Regional Centre

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Wallington

Wallington vs Leopold Wallington vs Drysdale Wallington vs Barwon Heads Wallington vs Curlewis Wallington vs Connewarre Wallington vs Marcus Hill

Other comparisons with Ocean Grove

Ocean Grove vs Barwon Heads Ocean Grove vs Point Lonsdale Ocean Grove vs Marcus Hill
Full data on Wallington Full data on Ocean Grove
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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