Lara VIC 3212
Lara sits 62 km from Melbourne CBD in Victoria, around 1 hour 5 minutes by car. Census data records 19,014 residents with a median age of 37 and a median household income of $102,388 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the middle range nationally. Population grew 16.3% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $370 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,733. The area shows high aircraft noise risk and high flood risk. Of 4 schools within the suburb boundary, 1 ranks above the state average, and walkability is low.
Is Lara a good suburb?
Lara scores a C (40/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on prices, weaker on transit.
Mixed results
4 schools · 1 above peer schools
Car-dependent
Walkability 23/100 · 61.5 km · 64 min drive to Melbourne
More affordable than most
Median $695K · More affordable than 88% of VIC
Moderate bushfire risk
Fire 59/100 · Crime 60/100 · Flood 61/100
Mid-range socio-economic
SEIFA decile 6/10 · median age 37 · 19,014 residents
Liveability Rating
40 / 100 · Ranked #574 in VICEach bar is Lara's rank among VIC suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
How do you rate the liveability in Lara?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
40 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataLara's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $695,000, roughly 15% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$695,000
24% above its 4 neighbours (median $560,000)
Based on 647 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 31 days — median across 278 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 24 sales $516K
- 3 bed 228 sales $645K
- 4 bed 372 sales $738K
- 5 bed 10 sales $914K
Land
$387,900
Based on 207 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 45 days — median across 47 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Lara are currently listed at around $750,000 on average. Based on 230 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$750K
230 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$528K
6 units listed in the last 6 months.
236 of the suburb's 6,358 dwellings (3.7%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Lara rent for around $595 a week on average, based on 269 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$595/wk
269 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$450/wk
10 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
279 rentals advertised against an estimated 1,405 rented homes (19.9%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 202589 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 34% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3212.
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$595/week ($31,000 a year) on a $750,000 median
$450/week ($23,000 a year) on a $528,000 median
Based on a small sample (6 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
15 active Airbnb listings: 13 whole homes and 2 rooms. Whole homes are about 0.2% of the suburb'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 Lara safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Lara sits in the moderate band, with 951 incidents recorded in 2026 — down about 4% on the prior year.
951 offences
4.5% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202570 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 2 of them fatal
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.
Aircraft Noise
ANEF Contour Details
Significant impact — conditional building
Moderate impact — noise insulation required
Noticeable aircraft noise
Schools
Four schools serve Lara, and results are mixed — some outperforming peer-suburb schools, some below. St Anthony's School leads the pack.
- • 2,462 students across 4 schools (avg 616)
- • Sectors: 3 Government, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 975-1040, median 1009 (around the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Lara Lake Primary School (888 students)
Primary
Secondary
Walkability
Lara is very car-dependent on foot — at 23/100, nearly all errands require a car. Within the suburb there are 3 supermarkets, 16 parks and 10 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
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 Lara.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 158.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 68.0 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 52.1 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 21.1 hours
- Direct to CBD (peak)
- 16 min wait
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 Lara.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 55%
- Premises covered
- 7,737
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
The ABS scores 41 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 7 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Lara is home to about 19,000 residents, with a median age of 37, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $102,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.1%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
19,014
Median Age
37
Median Household Income
$102,388/yr
Census Median Rent
$370/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,733/mo
Avg Household Size
2.7
Median Personal Income
$43,368/yr
Unemployment Rate
4.1%
Unoccupied Dwellings
4.7%
Total Dwellings
6,358
Owner-Occupier Rate
77.9%
Houses
89.5%
Rental Stress
18.8%
Mortgage Stress
20.3%
Work From Home
20.8%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
28 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 43 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 1,372 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 79.5%
- English Spoken at Home
- 80.2%
- Employment Rate
- 59.3%
- Completed Year 12
- 38.1%
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.
360 residents (1.9%) 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.
10.5% of residents (1,873) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (1,707).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 17,808 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
8% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (759 of 9,097).
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 5,616 people work here; 9,097 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.6 jobs per working resident. At least 34% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
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
- Rural and farming 73%
- Residential 12%
- Parks and recreation 5%
- Infrastructure and transport 4%
- Industrial 3%
- Other and special use 2%
Proposed rezonings
- Farming Zone → Industrial 1 Zone · C453ggee, exhibited Oct 2025 43.8 ha
- Farming Zone → General Residential Zone · C444ggee, exhibited Oct 2025 37.6 ha
- Farming Zone → Industrial 3 Zone · C453ggee, exhibited Oct 2025 32.8 ha
- Farming Zone → Industrial 3 Zone · C444ggee, exhibited Oct 2025 3.4 ha
Land in this suburb moved from one zone to another by a planning scheme amendment (Vicmap Planning, CC BY 4.0). Exhibited amendments are proposals and can change or lapse.
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.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this suburb: 20,884 homes
- Lots in approved subdivisions, not yet titled 1,396 homes
- Land zoned for housing, not yet subdivided 1,578 homes
- Land set aside, awaiting a precinct structure plan 17,910 homes
From the Victorian Government's Urban Development Program: growth-area land and approved lots (metropolitan 2025, regional June 2024) and projects of 10 or more homes in Melbourne (2025), by stage. Lots and homes are counted as published; a lot usually becomes one home.
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, 19.0 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Avalon Airport, 7.2 kmDry climate — hot summers, cold winters with occasional frost.
- Elevation
- 18 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 6.5 km
- Near high-voltage lines
- 3.6% of addresses
- 432 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 454 mm
- 74 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 26.1°C
- 11 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 5.5°C
- 6 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
3 facilities within 5 km- 3.8 kmPrepared Animal and Bird Feed ManufacturingTop reported: Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10) · Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide
- 4.1 km
- 4.3 km
EV adoption
In postcode 3212, 110 of 16,488 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.4% (390 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.0%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3212, 3,636 rooftop-solar systems totalling 21.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 6,751 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 473 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.
141 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3212 in 2025-26, rank 15 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 214, in 2020-21.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
8 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb.
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 $695,000 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 Ella George Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Ella George ALP | 50.3% | 66.2% | 33.9% |
| 2018 | John Eren ALP | 57.9% | 69.1% | 30.9% |
| 2014 | John Eren ALP | 55.9% | 67.1% | 32.9% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.
Looking at a specific address in Lara?
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 19,014 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.
Featured in
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- #8 in Highest-yielding Geelong suburbs (houses)
- #8 in Highest-yielding Geelong suburbs (units)
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- #9 in Best Geelong suburbs to rent in
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- #9 in Where the Macedonian community lives in Geelong
- #10 in Geelong suburbs with the highest EV adoption today
- #10 in Geelong suburbs where young families live
- #12 in Geelong's highest-income suburbs
- #13 in Best Geelong suburbs for first-home buyers (units)
- #13 in Geelong suburbs where the most Italian is spoken at home
- #14 in Best Geelong suburbs for good public primary schools
- #15 in Geelong suburbs with the largest Muslim community
Nearby suburbs
Compare Lara 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 Lara
Is Lara a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Lara is moderate (60/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Lara?
Lara has a moderate recorded bushfire history (59/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (61/100). Part of it sits inside an aircraft noise contour. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Lara a good place to live?
Lara has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (40/100), 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 Lara?
Lara, VIC had a population of 19,014 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Lara, VIC?
The postcode for Lara, VIC is 3212.
How far is Lara from Melbourne?
Lara is 62 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 64 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Lara?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Lara was $102,388 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 Lara?
The median advertised rent in Lara is $595 a week for houses (269 listings) and $450 a week for units (10 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Lara?
The median age of residents in Lara was 37 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Lara at risk of bushfire?
Lara has a moderate recorded bushfire history (59/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb 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.
How are the schools in Lara?
There are 4 schools inside the Lara boundary: 1 above, 1 at, and 2 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Lara walkable?
Lara scores 23/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very 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 Lara?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Lara (Geelong South) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.0 µg/m³ and PM10 of 20.5 µg/m³. That puts Lara below the WHO annual guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Lara?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Lara, Avalon Airport (7.2 km away), summer days average 26.1°C, winter nights 5.5°C, 454 mm of rain a year over 74 rainy days, and 11 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Lara?
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 Lara belong to?
Lara 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 Lara?
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 Lara?
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 Lara in?
Lara 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.