Breakwater VIC 3219
Breakwater is a suburb in Victoria, 80 km from Melbourne CBD, around 1 hour 10 minutes by car. Population is 1,060; the median age is 40 and the median household income is $56,004 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The suburb grew 4.5% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $300 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,213. Breakwater is characterised by high crime risk and high flood risk. Walkability is moderate.
Is Breakwater a good suburb?
Breakwater scores a D (24/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on safety and community.
Some car dependence
Walkability 48/100 · 80.3 km · 72 min drive to Melbourne
Around the state median
Median $565K · Cheaper than 81% of VIC
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 90/100 · Flood 85/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 40 · 1,060 residents
Liveability Rating
24 / 100 · Ranked #789 in VICEach bar is Breakwater's rank among VIC suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
How do you rate the liveability in Breakwater?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
24 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataBreakwater's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $565,000, 0.7% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$565,000
18% below its 7 neighbours (median $691,250)
Based on 51 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 25 days — median across 3 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 41 sales $566K
Units
$705,000
40% above its 5 neighbours (median $503,000)
Based on 10 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Breakwater are currently listed at around $622,000 on average. Based on 4 houses listed in the past six months.
$622K
4 houses listed in the last 6 months.
6 of the suburb's 453 dwellings (1.3%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Breakwater rent for around $478 a week on average, based on 6 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$478/wk
6 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
7 rentals advertised against an estimated 177 rented homes (4.0%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025104 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 29% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3219.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$478/week ($25,000 a year) on a $622,000 median
Based on a small sample (4 listings) — indicative only.
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Short-Stay Rentals
No active Airbnb listings.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Is Breakwater safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Breakwater sits in the high band, with 193 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 13% on the prior year.
193 offences
12.9% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202518 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Schools
Universities nearby
- 3.8 kmDeakin University, Geelong Waterfront CampusDeakin University · 55 courses
- 3.8 kmDeakin University, Geelong Waurn Ponds CampusDeakin University · 93 courses
0.9% of residents here are full-time university students aged 15–24.
Distance is measured to the suburb centre. A campus nearby does not by itself mean a student rental market — most suburbs within a few kilometres of one have a student share close to the national norm, and the figure above is what tells them apart.
Walkability
Breakwater is car-dependent on foot — at 48/100, most errands require a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Breakwater.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 19.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 12.7 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 2.1 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 15.6 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Breakwater.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 46%
- Premises covered
- 1,052
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Greater Geelong: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Breakwater is home to about 1,100 residents, with a median age of 40, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $56,000 a year, with unemployment at 6.2%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,060
Median Age
40
Median Household Income
$56,004/yr
Census Median Rent
$300/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,213/mo
Avg Household Size
2.1
Median Personal Income
$34,060/yr
Unemployment Rate
6.2%
Unoccupied Dwellings
7.5%
Total Dwellings
453
Owner-Occupier Rate
60.9%
Houses
76.4%
Rental Stress
27.9%
Mortgage Stress
26.0%
Work From Home
10.8%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
28 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 3 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 174 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 73.9%
- English Spoken at Home
- 78.3%
- Employment Rate
- 49.8%
- Completed Year 12
- 35.0%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
30 residents (2.8%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
3.2% of residents (33) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (30).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,017 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
3% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (13 of 450).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 3,203 people work here; 450 employed residents live here.
A jobs hub: 7.1 jobs for every working resident. At least 86% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,802 a year through Greater Geelong based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Industrial 33%
- Parks and recreation 26%
- Other and special use 22%
- Residential 13%
- Infrastructure and transport 5%
- Rural and farming 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 — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Greater Geelong
In the year to August 2026, 3,468 new dwellings were approved across Greater Geelong. That mix is 2,749 houses and 719 units. Approvals are up 55.5% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Registered Aboriginal Party for this area is Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (appointed 2009).
Registered Aboriginal Parties are appointed by the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 as the primary guardians, keepers and knowledge holders of Aboriginal cultural heritage for their area. They are the body to contact about cultural heritage here.
Air Quality
CLEANPM2.5 averaged 5 µg/m³ in 2025 — below the WHO 2021 annual guideline (5 µg/m³).
PM10 averaged 20.5 µg/m³. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 3 · ozone 0.
From the Geelong South monitoring station, 1.0 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Point Wilson, 17.2 kmwarm summers — mild winters.
- Elevation
- 11 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 3.9 km
- 4.0 km to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- —
- Summer max (Jan)
- 22.8°C
- 3 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 7.8°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
8 facilities within 5 km- 1.0 kmPoultry ProcessingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 1.6 km
- 1.9 kmTextile Floor Covering ManufacturingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Carbon monoxide
- 2.1 kmBeer ManufacturingTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Ethanol
- 2.4 kmFuneral, Crematorium and Cemetery ServicesTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
EV adoption
In postcode 3219, 70 of 15,259 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.7% (265 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.2%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3219, 2,599 rooftop-solar systems totalling 14.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 9,209 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 110 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$10,000 for new homes priced up to $750,000.
The separate First Home Buyer Duty Reduction (stamp-duty concession) runs alongside this grant.
1 first-home grant was paid in postcode 3219 in 2025-26, rank 213 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 266, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
3 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 3219.
Land transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with State Revenue Office Victoria
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $750,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with State Revenue Office Victoria.
At $565,000 this is under the $750,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with State Revenue Office Victoria.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Richard Marles Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Richard Marles | 63.2% | 36.8% | +0.7 |
| 2022 | Richard Marles | 62.8% | 37.2% | -2.5 |
| 2019 | Richard Marles | 60.3% | 39.7% | -2.1 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Christine Couzens Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Christine Couzens ALP | 64.7% | 64.7% | 35.3% |
| 2018 | Christine Couzens ALP | 50.4% | 60.1% | 39.9% |
| 2014 | Christine Couzens ALP | 56.0% | 56.0% | 44.0% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.
Looking at a specific address in Breakwater?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 1,060 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Nearby suburbs
Belmont VIC 3216
St Albans Park VIC 3219
East Geelong VIC 3219
Whittington VIC 3219
Charlemont VIC 3217
Thomson VIC 3219
Compare Breakwater to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other VIC suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Breakwater
Is Breakwater a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Breakwater is high (90/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Breakwater?
Breakwater has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a high share of it (85/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Breakwater a good place to live?
Breakwater has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (24/100), ranked against other VIC suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Breakwater?
Breakwater, VIC had a population of 1,060 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Breakwater, VIC?
The postcode for Breakwater, VIC is 3219.
How far is Breakwater from Melbourne?
Breakwater is 80 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 72 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Breakwater?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Breakwater was $56,004 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Breakwater?
The median advertised rent in Breakwater is $478 a week for houses (6 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Breakwater?
The median age of residents in Breakwater was 40 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Breakwater walkable?
Breakwater scores 48/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it car-dependent. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the air quality in Breakwater?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Breakwater (Geelong South) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.0 µg/m³ and PM10 of 20.5 µg/m³. That puts Breakwater below the WHO annual guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Breakwater?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Breakwater, Point Wilson (17.2 km away), summer days average 22.8°C, winter nights 7.8°C, and 3 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Breakwater?
First-home buyers in VIC may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $750,000. The grant is administered by State Revenue Office Victoria; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Breakwater belong to?
Breakwater sits within the Greater Geelong local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Breakwater?
The average residential rates bill through Greater Geelong is $1,802 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Breakwater?
Across Greater Geelong, 3,468 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 55.5% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Breakwater in?
Breakwater sits within the federal Division of Corio, currently held by Richard Marles (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2026
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- State electorate · 2022
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.