Cape Bridgewater VIC 3305

Cape Bridgewater is a rural locality in Victoria, 370 km from Melbourne CBD, around 4 hours 40 minutes by car. Population is 151; the median age is 58 and the median household income is $100,724 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 40% nationally. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $283 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,890. The area shows high bushfire risk and high coastal erosion risk. Walkability is low.

This locality is too small to rate.

The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 151. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.

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Median House Price

Public listings data

The median house sale price in Cape Bridgewater sits at $950,000, broadly flat year-on-year. That said, only four sales settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level.

$950,000

Based on only 4 sales — small sample, take as indicative.

Rental Market

Rental affordability

June quarter 2025

114 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 26% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3305.

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.

Short-Stay Rentals

19 active Airbnb listings: 19 whole homes and 0 rooms. Whole homes are about 18.6% of the locality's homes.

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 Cape Bridgewater safe? Crime statistics

2026

Crime in Cape Bridgewater sits in the moderate band, with 5 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 25% on the prior year.

5 offences

25.0% since 2025
Break & Enter 2 (40.0%)
Assault 1 (20.0%)
Theft 1 (20.0%)
Disorderly Conduct 1 (20.0%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

1 crash

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital

Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the locality carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.

Coastal Erosion

100
monitoring points
within 5 km
99
actively eroding
> 0.1 m/yr retreat
-2.73
worst rate (m/yr)
Significant
1.6 km
nearest coastline
monitoring point

Shoreline Change Summary

1988–2025
Stable or accreting 6 (6%)
Moderate erosion (0.1–0.3 m/yr) 16 (16%)
Significant erosion (> 0.3 m/yr) 78 (78%)

Nearest Eroding Coastline

Distance
1.6 km
Rate
-1.57 m/yr
Net Movement
-60.1 m
Certainty
good

Data Quality

High certainty: 94 of 100 points (94%)

Schools

No schools in this locality boundary.

Walkability

Cape Bridgewater is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.

0
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Public Transport within 1 km not measured
Schools within 1.5 km 0
Parks within 800 m 0
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 0
Hospitals within 5 km 0

We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.

NBN connectivity

The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Cape Bridgewater.

25
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
88
Technology mix
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 66%
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 34%

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

Supermarkets
None
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
1 in locality
Parks & Reserves
1 in locality
Sport & Recreation
None
Beaches
1 in locality
Waterways
1 in locality
Childcare
None
GPs
None
Pharmacies
None
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
None
Fuel Stations
None
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
None
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
None

Glenelg: council population

The whole council area, not just Cape Bridgewater · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
19,908
Change
0
people since 2024
Density
3.2
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
-7
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
-28
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+35
arrivals minus departures

The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.

Socio-economic profile

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
7/10
7/10 within VIC
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
9/10
9/10 within VIC
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
8/10
7/10 within VIC
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Cape Bridgewater is home to 151 residents, with a median age of 58 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $101,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.3%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

151

0.7% since 2016

Median Age

58

7.4% since 2016

Median Household Income

$100,724/yr

25.7% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$283/wk

4.8% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,890/mo

63.4% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.2

8.3% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$45,760/yr

32.3% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

3.3%

35.3% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

68.9%

31.1% since 2016

Total Dwellings

61

17.3% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

85.2%

11.1% since 2016

Houses

96.7%

0.5% since 2016

Rental Stress

14.6%

16.6% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

22.5%

30.1% since 2016

Work From Home

23.6%

29.0% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 59 (96.7%)
Flats / Apartments 2 (3.3%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 36 (59.0%)
Mortgage 16 (26.2%)
Renting 9 (14.8%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
80.1%
English Spoken at Home
94.7%
Employment Rate
64.5%
21.5% since 2016
Completed Year 12
44.4%

Occupations

Managers 21 (23.9%)
Professionals 18 (20.5%)
Technicians & Trades 12 (13.6%)
Clerical & Administrative 11 (12.5%)
Community & Personal Service 11 (12.5%)
Sales 6 (6.8%)
Labourers 3 (3.4%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 3 (3.4%)

Religion

No Religion 77 (51.0%)
Christianity 54 (35.8%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 10 (6.6%)
New Zealand 5 (3.3%)
Scotland 3 (2.0%)

Age Distribution

0-4 3 (2.0%)
5-14 10 (6.6%)
15-19 8 (5.3%)
20-24 4 (2.6%)
25-34 5 (3.3%)
35-44 12 (7.9%)
45-54 19 (12.6%)
55-64 49 (32.5%)
65-74 25 (16.6%)
75-84 10 (6.6%)

Family & Household Composition

Lone Person 16 (51.6%)
Couple Families 15 (48.4%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 49 (68.1%)
Worked from Home 17 (23.6%)
Car (passenger) 6 (8.3%)

Education

Certificate III & IV 30 (19.9%)
Bachelor Degree 17 (11.3%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 15 (9.9%)
Postgraduate Degree 12 (7.9%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 7 (4.6%)

Cars per Dwelling

1 car 17 (28.3%)
2 cars 14 (23.3%)
3 cars 16 (26.7%)
4+ cars 11 (18.3%)

Council Rates

Glenelg
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,852 a year through Glenelg based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,852/yr
4% below the VIC average of $1,937 · median of 79 councils
Rate in the dollar
0.327¢ / $
of property valuation
Valuation basis
Capital Improved Value
land + buildings

How this land is zoned

Share of Cape Bridgewater's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Environmental 44%
  • Parks and recreation 29%
  • Rural and farming 27%

Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the locality around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.

Building Approvals: Glenelg

The whole council area, not just Cape Bridgewater · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 60 new dwellings were approved across Glenelg. That mix is 35 houses and 25 units. Approvals are down 65.0% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
60dwellings
-65.0% YoY
Houses
35
detached dwellings
Units
25
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage

The Registered Aboriginal Party for this area is Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (appointed 2007).

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.

Climate & Setting

from Portland Airport, 5.0 km

Moderate rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.

Elevation
76 m
above sea level, at the locality centre
Distance to the ocean
1.6 km
3.0 km to a named beach
Annual rainfall
860 mm
132 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
22.2°C
4 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
6.6°C
1 frost days ≤ 0°C

Elevation is the ground at the locality 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.

EV adoption

0.2%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021
+0.1 points this year
Bottom 6% in VIC

In postcode 3305, 19 of 12,613 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.1% (144 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.3%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.02%
2023
0.06%
2024
0.07%
2025
0.15%

Rooftop solar

33
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 6.1 kW each

In postcode 3305, 2,008 rooftop-solar systems totalling 12.3 MW have been installed since 2001, against 6,137 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 71 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.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
139
2020
226
2021
142
2022
100
2023
130
2024
86
2025
68
2026
38

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.

2 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3305 in 2025-26, rank 176 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 120, in 2001-02.

2000-01 to 2025-26

Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.

Verify eligibility with State Revenue Office Victoria

Mortgage repayments

I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$4,955
Loan amount
$760,000
Total interest over 30 years
$1,023,667
Deposit
$190,000
Stamp duty
$52,070
Cash needed at settlement
$242,070

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.

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 2026-10-26 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.

Federal Electorate

Division of Wannon

Currently held by Dan Tehan Liberal

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Dan Tehan 39.1% 60.9% -2.3
2022 Dan Tehan 40.9% 59.1% -1.1
2019 Dan Tehan 39.6% 60.4% +1.2

Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact locality's voters across time.

State Electorate

South-West Coast District

Currently held by Roma Britnell Liberal

Next state election: 28 November 2026.

Year Winner Won with 2PP ALP 2PP LNP
2022 Roma Britnell LP 58.0% 42.0% 58.0%
2018 Roma Britnell LP 52.3% 47.7% 52.3%
2014 Denis Napthine LP 57.0% 39.0% 61.0%

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.

Looking at a specific address in Cape Bridgewater?

Every figure above is a locality 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.

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Nearby suburbs

Compare Cape Bridgewater to another suburb

Side-by-side stats for any other VIC suburb — type a name and pick one.

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Common questions about Cape Bridgewater

Is Cape Bridgewater a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Cape Bridgewater is moderate (44/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Cape Bridgewater?

Cape Bridgewater has a high recorded bushfire history (90/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). No mapped flood overlay applies. These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

What is the population of Cape Bridgewater?

Cape Bridgewater, VIC had a population of 151 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Cape Bridgewater, VIC?

The postcode for Cape Bridgewater, VIC is 3305.

How far is Cape Bridgewater from Melbourne?

Cape Bridgewater is 370 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 278 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Cape Bridgewater?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Cape Bridgewater was $100,724 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 Cape Bridgewater?

There are too few current rental listings in Cape Bridgewater for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $283, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Cape Bridgewater?

The median age of residents in Cape Bridgewater was 58 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Cape Bridgewater at risk of bushfire?

Cape Bridgewater has a high recorded bushfire history (90/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the locality relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.

What is the weather like in Cape Bridgewater?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Cape Bridgewater, Portland Airport (5 km away), summer days average 22.2°C, winter nights 6.6°C, 860 mm of rain a year over 132 rainy days, and 4 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Cape Bridgewater?

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 Cape Bridgewater belong to?

Cape Bridgewater sits within the Glenelg local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Cape Bridgewater?

The average residential rates bill through Glenelg is $1,852 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Cape Bridgewater?

Across Glenelg, 60 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 65.0% 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 Cape Bridgewater in?

Cape Bridgewater sits within the federal Division of Wannon, currently held by Dan Tehan (Liberal).

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