Freshwater Creek VIC 3217
Freshwater Creek is a rural locality in Victoria, 96 km from Melbourne CBD, around 1 hour 15 minutes by car. Population is 454; the median age is 45 and the median household income is $108,524 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 20% nationally. Population grew 9.7% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $300 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,145. The area shows no recorded bushfire exposure. 1 school sits within the locality boundary, and 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 454. 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.
How do you rate the liveability in Freshwater Creek?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
Not enough data to score this locality.
Residents say
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Rental Market
Rental affordability
June quarter 202593 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 32% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3217.
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
10 active Airbnb listings: 10 whole homes and 0 rooms. Whole homes are about 6.1% 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 Freshwater Creek safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Freshwater Creek sits in the moderate band, with 42 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 121% on the prior year.
42 offences
121.1% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202510 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
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.
Schools
One school serve Freshwater Creek, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 144 students in one school (avg 144)
Primary
Walkability
Freshwater Creek is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.
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 Freshwater Creek.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 183
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
Surf Coast: council population
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
Freshwater Creek is home to 454 residents, with a median age of 45, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $109,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.7%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
454
Median Age
45
Median Household Income
$108,524/yr
Census Median Rent
$300/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,145/mo
Avg Household Size
2.9
Median Personal Income
$43,420/yr
Unemployment Rate
2.7%
Unoccupied Dwellings
7.7%
Total Dwellings
156
Owner-Occupier Rate
85.2%
Houses
94.2%
Rental Stress
14.4%
Mortgage Stress
23.7%
Work From Home
33.3%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 85.7%
- English Spoken at Home
- 91.9%
- Employment Rate
- 66%
- Completed Year 12
- 48.7%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
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 (8 of 248).
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.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,314 a year through Surf Coast based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 99%
- Zones under 1% 1%
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: Surf Coast
In the year to August 2026, 300 new dwellings were approved across Surf Coast. That mix is 270 houses and 30 units. Approvals are up 56.8% 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, 15.1 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Aireys Inlet, 25.2 kmModerate rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 52 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 9.3 km
- Annual rainfall
- 599 mm
- 93 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 23.2°C
- 6 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 7.6°C
- 0 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
In postcode 3217, 244 of 20,693 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.4% (713 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 4.6%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3217, 3,937 rooftop-solar systems totalling 25.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 7,367 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 960 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.
241 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3217 in 2025-26, rank 8 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 902, in 2020-21.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Federal Electorate
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
Currently held by Darren Cheeseman Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Darren Cheeseman ALP | 59.8% | 59.8% | 40.2% |
| 2018 | Darren Cheeseman ALP | 54.6% | 54.6% | 45.4% |
| 2014 | Andrew Katos LP | 52.9% | 47.1% | 52.9% |
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 Freshwater Creek?
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.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 454 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
Torquay VIC 3228
Mount Duneed VIC 3217
Waurn Ponds VIC 3216
Bellbrae VIC 3228
Moriac VIC 3240
Mount Moriac VIC 3240
Compare Freshwater Creek 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 Freshwater Creek
Is Freshwater Creek a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Freshwater Creek is moderate (57/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Freshwater Creek?
Freshwater Creek has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (53/100). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Freshwater Creek?
Freshwater Creek, VIC had a population of 454 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Freshwater Creek, VIC?
The postcode for Freshwater Creek, VIC is 3217.
How far is Freshwater Creek from Melbourne?
Freshwater Creek is 96 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 75 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Freshwater Creek?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Freshwater Creek was $108,524 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 Freshwater Creek?
There are too few current rental listings in Freshwater Creek for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $300, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Freshwater Creek?
The median age of residents in Freshwater Creek was 45 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Freshwater Creek?
There is 1 school inside the Freshwater Creek boundary: 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
What is the air quality in Freshwater Creek?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Freshwater Creek (Geelong South) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.0 µg/m³ and PM10 of 20.5 µg/m³. That puts Freshwater Creek below the WHO annual guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Freshwater Creek?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Freshwater Creek, Aireys Inlet (25.2 km away), summer days average 23.2°C, winter nights 7.6°C, 599 mm of rain a year over 93 rainy days, and 6 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Freshwater Creek?
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 Freshwater Creek belong to?
Freshwater Creek sits within the Surf Coast local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Freshwater Creek?
The average residential rates bill through Surf Coast is $2,314 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Freshwater Creek?
Across Surf Coast, 300 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 56.8% 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 Freshwater Creek in?
Freshwater Creek sits within the federal Division of Wannon, currently held by Dan Tehan (Liberal).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- 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.