Inverloch VIC 3996

Located in Victoria, Inverloch sits 146 km from Melbourne CBD, around 1 hour 55 minutes by car. The town has 6,526 residents, a median age of 54, and a median household income of $66,872 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 40% nationally. The town grew 20.0% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $346 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,700. Inverloch is characterised by high coastal erosion risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. 1 school sits within the town boundary, and walkability is low.

Is Inverloch a good town?

Inverloch scores a B (50/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on community, weaker on transit and prices.

Schools

Mixed results

1 school

Transit

Car-dependent

Walkability 0/100 · 145.5 km · 114 min drive to Melbourne

Prices

Above the state median

Median $845K · Less affordable than 83% of VIC

Safety

Moderate crime risk

Fire 0/100 · Crime 50/100 · Flood 47/100

Community

Advantaged

SEIFA decile 7/10 · median age 54 · 6,526 residents

B

Liveability Rating

50 / 100 · Ranked #428 in VIC

Each bar is Inverloch'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.

Schools quality no data
too few schools to rate
Safety
78
Bushfire None · Crime Moderate · Flood Moderate
Socio-economic
54
Advantaged
Walkability
9
Very car-dependent
CBD access
27
145.5 km · 114 min drive to Melbourne
How it's calculated: Safety rank 78 × 25% + Socio-economic rank 54 × 25% + Walkability rank 9 × 15% + CBD access rank 27 × 10% = 50 / 100. Missing components rebalance the remaining weights.
Additional risks: Coastal erosion High

How do you rate the liveability in Inverloch?

Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.

Our score

50 / 100

From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.

Residents say

…

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What applies here? (optional)

One rating per person. You can change yours at any time.

Median House Price

Public listings data

Inverloch's house market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $845,000, about 10% below where it sat a year earlier.

Houses

$845,000

last 7 quarters
↓ −9.6% year-on-year

Based on 181 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 77 days — median across 65 sales that recorded a listing period

By bedrooms

  • 2 bed 17 sales $699K
  • 3 bed 79 sales $795K
  • 4 bed 68 sales $884K
  • 5 bed 11 sales $1.15M

Land

$600,000

last 3 quarters
↓ −17.4% year-on-year

Based on 19 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 77 days — median across 5 sales that recorded a listing period

Currently for Sale

Last 6 months

Houses in Inverloch are currently listed at around $885,000 on average. Based on 169 houses listed in the past six months.

Houses

$885K

last 6 months
↓ −1.1% vs previous 6 months from $895K
Since 2021: $1.04M → $886K (-15%)

169 houses listed in the last 6 months.

Units

$672K

last 2 months
↑ +44.6% vs previous 6 months from $465K

14 units listed in the last 6 months.

183 of the suburb's 2,661 dwellings (6.9%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.

Rental Market

Advertised rents · last 6 months

Houses in Inverloch rent for around $535 a week on average, based on 39 houses listed for rent in the past six months.

$535/wk

last 6 months
↓ −7.4% vs previous 6 months from $578/wk
Since 2021: $457/wk → $552/wk (+21%)

39 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.

40 rentals advertised against an estimated 487 rented homes (8.2%) in the last 6 months.

Rental affordability

June quarter 2025

93 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 32% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3996.

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
House
3.1% around the typical range
Bottom 19% in VIC

$535/week ($28,000 a year) on a $885,000 median

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.

Is Inverloch safe? Crime statistics

2026

Crime in Inverloch sits in the moderate band, with 230 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 33% on the prior year.

230 offences

32.9% since 2025
Theft 107 (46.5%)
Break & Enter 32 (13.9%)
Assault 27 (11.7%)
Property Damage 26 (11.3%)
Fraud & Deception 11 (4.8%)
Drug Offences 11 (4.8%)
Harassment & Stalking 5 (2.2%)
Weapons Offences 5 (2.2%)
Disorderly Conduct 4 (1.7%)
Arson 2 (0.9%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

16 crashes

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital

Where they happened

Bass Highway 7 (43.8%)

Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the town 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
55
actively eroding
> 0.1 m/yr retreat
-4.47
worst rate (m/yr)
Significant
2.3 km
nearest coastline
monitoring point

Shoreline Change Summary

1988–2025
Stable or accreting 48 (48%)
Moderate erosion (0.1–0.3 m/yr) 5 (5%)
Significant erosion (> 0.3 m/yr) 47 (47%)

Nearest Eroding Coastline

Distance
2.3 km
Rate
-3.61 m/yr
Net Movement
-106.1 m
Certainty
good

Data Quality

High certainty: 84 of 100 points (84%)

Schools

One school serve Inverloch, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.

50
out of 100
Average
1 school in this town
1 at similar
  • • 461 students in one school (avg 461)

Primary

Government · Prep-6 · 461 students
ICSEA 1061 (higher than 72% of Australian schools) · 27% top-SEA students
At similar

Walkability

Inverloch is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car. Within the town there are 1 supermarket, 11 parks and 7 cafes to anchor that walking radius.

0
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Bottom 7% in VIC
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.

Public transport

Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Inverloch.

34
out of 100
Bottom 14% in VIC
Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
6.0 arrivals/hr
Off-peak weekday
3.0 arrivals/hr
Saturday
2.6 arrivals/hr
Median peak wait
1 min
Span of service
18.5 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 Inverloch.

70
connectivity score / 100
Top 21% in VIC
Most common
Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
48%
Premises covered
5,292
Technology mix
Fibre to the premises (FTTP) 48%
Fibre to the node (FTTN) 46%
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 6%
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 0%

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

Bass Coast: council population

The whole council area, not just Inverloch · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
44,377
+2.1% in a year
Change
+909
people since 2024
Density
51
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
-15
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+812
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+112
arrivals minus departures

The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this town alone — this town'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
6/10 within VIC
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
5/10
4/10 within VIC
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
8/10
7/10 within VIC
qualifications and job type, income excluded
How evenly that is spread

The ABS scores 16 small areas inside this town and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 7 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this town rank well above the average and parts well below it.

Inverloch is home to about 6,500 residents, with a median age of 54 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $67,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.7%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

6,526

20.0% since 2016

Median Age

54

3.8% since 2016

Median Household Income

$66,872/yr

24.0% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$346/wk

30.6% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,700/mo

no change since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.2

no change since 2016

Median Personal Income

$36,556/yr

26.4% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

2.7%

44.9% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

68.9%

24.2% since 2016

Total Dwellings

2,661

24.5% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

81.7%

9.7% since 2016

Houses

91.1%

1.0% since 2016

Rental Stress

26.9%

5.1% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

30.5%

19.3% since 2016

Work From Home

23.1%

159.6% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 2,423 (91.1%)
Townhouses 227 (8.5%)
Flats / Apartments 11 (0.4%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 1,463 (56.5%)
Mortgage 653 (25.2%)
Renting 474 (18.3%)
Of those rentals, social housing 53 (11.2%)

37 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 16 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 474 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.

Demographics

Born in Australia
81.4%
English Spoken at Home
91.8%
Employment Rate
47%
6.1% since 2016
Completed Year 12
42.1%

Occupations

Professionals 686 (26.5%)
Managers 432 (16.7%)
Technicians & Trades 361 (14.0%)
Community & Personal Service 297 (11.5%)
Clerical & Administrative 286 (11.1%)
Sales 217 (8.4%)
Labourers 198 (7.7%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 72 (2.8%)

Religion

No Religion 3,311 (50.7%)
Christianity 2,675 (41.0%)
Buddhism 41 (0.6%)
Islam 22 (0.3%)
Other Religions 15 (0.2%)
Hinduism 10 (0.2%)
Sikhism 9 (0.1%)
Judaism 8 (0.1%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 309 (4.7%)
New Zealand 73 (1.1%)
Netherlands 73 (1.1%)
Scotland 41 (0.6%)
Italy 38 (0.6%)
Germany 37 (0.6%)
Ireland 25 (0.4%)
India 19 (0.3%)

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.

2016-2021 42 (0.6%)
2011-2015 63 (1.0%)
2001-2010 104 (1.6%)
1991-2000 57 (0.9%)
1981-1990 82 (1.3%)
Before 1981 477 (7.3%)

42 residents (0.6%) 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.

18.1% of residents (1,124) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (1,074).

Melbourne - Outer East 249 (4.0%)
Melbourne - South East 200 (3.2%)
Melbourne - Inner 173 (2.8%)

Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 6,220 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.

Italian 26 (0.4%)
German 10 (0.2%)
Mandarin 8 (0.1%)
Thai 8 (0.1%)
Spanish 7 (0.1%)
French 6 (0.1%)
Arabic 5 (0.1%)
Greek 5 (0.1%)

Age Distribution

0-4 306 (4.7%)
5-14 708 (10.8%)
15-19 288 (4.4%)
20-24 196 (3.0%)
25-34 451 (6.9%)
35-44 661 (10.1%)
45-54 680 (10.4%)
55-64 989 (15.2%)
65-74 1,279 (19.6%)
75-84 733 (11.2%)
85+ 245 (3.8%)

Family & Household Composition

Lone Person 796 (49.2%)
Couple Families 588 (36.3%)
One Parent Families 170 (10.5%)
Group Household 42 (2.6%)
Other Families 22 (1.4%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 1,501 (69.0%)
Worked from Home 503 (23.1%)
Car (passenger) 90 (4.1%)
Walked Only 68 (3.1%)
Bicycle 9 (0.4%)
Train 5 (0.2%)

3% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (76 of 2,585).

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 town against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.

About 1,448 people work here; 2,585 employed residents live here.

Mostly a place people commute from: 0.6 jobs per working resident. At least 42% of employed residents must work outside the town.

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

Certificate III & IV 970 (14.9%)
Bachelor Degree 928 (14.2%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 589 (9.0%)
Postgraduate Degree 270 (4.1%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 238 (3.6%)

Cars per Dwelling

0 cars 61 (2.3%)
1 car 989 (37.6%)
2 cars 1,195 (45.5%)
3 cars 269 (10.2%)
4+ cars 109 (4.1%)

Council Rates

Bass Coast
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,727 a year through Bass Coast based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,727/yr
11% below the VIC average of $1,937 · median of 79 councils
Rate in the dollar
0.295¢ / $
of property valuation
Valuation basis
Capital Improved Value
land + buildings

How this land is zoned

Share of Inverloch's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 83%
  • Residential 5%
  • Infrastructure and transport 3%
  • Parks and recreation 2%
  • Not zoned 7%

Planning zones cover 93% of the town's area. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.

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

Building Approvals: Bass Coast

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

In the year to August 2026, 393 new dwellings were approved across Bass Coast. That mix is 369 houses and 24 units.

Trailing 12 months
393dwellings
Houses
369
detached dwellings
Units
24
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage

The Registered Aboriginal Party for this area is Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (appointed 2017).

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 Wonthaggi, 11.1 km

High rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.

Elevation
21 m
above sea level, at the town centre
Distance to the ocean
2.3 km
Annual rainfall
906 mm
119 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
24.6°C
6 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
6.9°C
0 frost days ≤ 0°C

Elevation is the ground at the town 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

1.1%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.09% in 2021
+0.4 points this year
Top 21% in VIC

In postcode 3996, 66 of 6,135 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.9% (180 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 4.0%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.09%
2022
0.22%
2023
0.42%
2024
0.65%
2025
1.08%

Rooftop solar

39
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 6.1 kW each

In postcode 3996, 1,760 rooftop-solar systems totalling 10.8 MW have been installed since 2001, against 4,557 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 109 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
110
2020
144
2021
118
2022
114
2023
131
2024
123
2025
98
2026
62

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.

0 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3996 in 2025-26. The most was 42, in 2009-10.

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
$4,407
Loan amount
$676,000
Total interest over 30 years
$910,525

1 mortgage broker is registered in this town.

Deposit
$169,000
Stamp duty
$45,770
Cash needed at settlement
$214,770

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 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.

Federal Electorate

Division of Monash

Currently held by Mary Aldred Liberal

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Mary Aldred 45.9% 54.1% -1.2
2022 Russell Broadbent 47.1% 52.9% -4.0
2019 Russell Broadbent 42.6% 57.4% -0.1

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

State Electorate

Bass District

Currently held by Jordan Crugnale Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch

Next state election: 28 November 2026.

Year Winner Won with 2PP ALP 2PP LNP
2022 Jordan Crugnale ALP 50.2% 50.2% 49.8%
2018 Jordan Crugnale ALP 52.4% 52.4% 47.6%
2014 Brian Paynter LP 54.5% 45.5% 54.5%

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

Looking at a specific address in Inverloch?

Every figure above is a town 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 Inverloch 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 Inverloch

Is Inverloch a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Inverloch is moderate (50/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Inverloch?

Inverloch has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (47/100). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

Is Inverloch a good place to live?

Inverloch has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (50/100), 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 Inverloch?

Inverloch, VIC had a population of 6,526 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Inverloch, VIC?

The postcode for Inverloch, VIC is 3996.

How far is Inverloch from Melbourne?

Inverloch is 146 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 114 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Inverloch?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Inverloch was $66,872 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 Inverloch?

The median advertised rent in Inverloch is $535 a week for houses (39 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.

What is the median age in Inverloch?

The median age of residents in Inverloch was 54 at the 2021 ABS Census.

How are the schools in Inverloch?

There is 1 school inside the Inverloch boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).

What is the weather like in Inverloch?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Inverloch, Wonthaggi (11.1 km away), summer days average 24.6°C, winter nights 6.9°C, 906 mm of rain a year over 119 rainy days, and 6 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Inverloch?

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 Inverloch belong to?

Inverloch sits within the Bass Coast local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Inverloch?

The average residential rates bill through Bass Coast is $1,727 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Inverloch?

Across Bass Coast, 393 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.

Which federal electorate is Inverloch in?

Inverloch sits within the federal Division of Monash, currently held by Mary Aldred (Liberal).

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