Moolap is a suburb in Victoria, 81 km from Melbourne CBD, around 1 hour 10 minutes by car. Population is 1,825; the median age is 59 and the median household income is $66,508 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The suburb grew 32.9% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $290 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,907. Moolap is characterised by high flood risk and high crime risk. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Moolap a good suburb?
Moolap scores a D (26/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit and safety.
Mixed results
1 school
Car-dependent
Walkability 25/100 · 81.2 km · 72 min drive to Melbourne
Median available
Median $975K
High crime risk
Fire 39/100 · Crime 81/100 · Flood 94/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 4/10 · median age 59 · 1,825 residents
Liveability Rating
26 / 100 · Ranked #771 in VICEach bar is Moolap'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 Moolap?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
26 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataMoolap's house market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $975,000, roughly 47% below where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$975,000
47% above its 7 neighbours (median $663,750)
Based on 26 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 90 days — median across 8 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 11 sales $570K
- 4 bed 6 sales $1.05M
Units
$514,000
Based on only 6 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Moolap are currently listed at around $1.41 million on average. Based on 9 houses listed in the past six months.
$1.41M
9 houses listed in the last 6 months.
9 of the suburb's 677 dwellings (1.3%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Moolap rent for around $600 a week on average, based on 3 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$600/wk
3 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
3 rentals advertised against an estimated 95 rented homes (3.2%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 202597 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 31% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3224.
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$600/week ($31,000 a year) on a $1.41 million median
Based on a small sample (3 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
2 active Airbnb listings: 2 whole homes and 0 rooms. Whole homes are about 0.3% 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 Moolap safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Moolap sits in the high band, with 173 incidents recorded in 2026 — up 0.6% on the prior year.
173 offences
0.6% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202541 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.
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1988–2025Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 2.8 km
- Rate
- -0.03 m/yr
- Net Movement
- 3.4 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
One school serve Moolap, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 197 students in one school (avg 197)
Primary
Universities nearby
- 6.4 kmDeakin University, Geelong Waterfront CampusDeakin University · 55 courses
- 6.4 kmDeakin University, Geelong Waurn Ponds CampusDeakin University · 93 courses
0.5% 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
Moolap is car-dependent on foot — at 25/100, most errands require a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Moolap.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 58.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 58.1 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 33.0 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 15.7 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 Moolap.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 36%
- Premises covered
- 1,327
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 4 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 3 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the suburb closely.
Moolap is home to about 1,800 residents, with a median age of 59 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $67,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,825
Median Age
59
Median Household Income
$66,508/yr
Census Median Rent
$290/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,907/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$32,760/yr
Unemployment Rate
4.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
7.8%
Total Dwellings
677
Owner-Occupier Rate
86.0%
Houses
90.1%
Rental Stress
22.7%
Mortgage Stress
34.4%
Work From Home
18.9%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 78.6%
- English Spoken at Home
- 83.3%
- Employment Rate
- 39.1%
- Completed Year 12
- 33.8%
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.
3 residents (0.2%) 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.
5.3% of residents (93) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (89).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,762 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
2% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (11 of 631).
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 2,700 people work here; 631 employed residents live here.
A jobs hub: 4.3 jobs for every working resident. At least 76% 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
- Rural and farming 44%
- Parks and recreation 28%
- Industrial 12%
- Other and special use 11%
- Residential 3%
- Infrastructure and transport 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, 4.8 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Point Wilson, 13.5 kmwarm summers — mild winters.
- Elevation
- 10 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 2.8 km
- Near high-voltage lines
- 2.9% of addresses
- 51 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- 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
7 facilities within 5 km- 1.3 kmBasic Organic Chemical ManufacturingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 2.0 kmOther Petroleum and Coal Product ManufacturingTop reported: Manganese & compounds · Fluoride compounds · Mercury & compounds
- 3.2 kmPaint and Coatings ManufacturingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Styrene (ethenylbenzene) · Methyl methacrylate
- 4.3 kmPoultry ProcessingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 4.4 kmScientific Research ServicesTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
EV adoption
In postcode 3224, 70 of 12,618 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.6% (198 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.1%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3224, 2,428 rooftop-solar systems totalling 14.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 5,998 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 168 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.
28 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3224 in 2025-26, rank 45 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 138, in 2012-13.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
2 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 3224.
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 $975,000 this is $225,000 above 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 Libby Coker Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Libby Coker | 58.0% | 42.0% | +0.2 |
| 2022 | Libby Coker | 57.6% | 42.4% | -6.5 |
| 2019 | Libby Coker | 51.1% | 48.9% | -1.0 |
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 Moolap?
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 1,825 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
Nearby suburbs
Leopold VIC 3224
Armstrong Creek VIC 3217
St Albans Park VIC 3219
Newcomb VIC 3219
Whittington VIC 3219
Charlemont VIC 3217
Compare Moolap 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 Moolap
Is Moolap a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Moolap is high (81/100, 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 Moolap?
Moolap has a low recorded bushfire history (39/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a high share of it (94/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Moolap a good place to live?
Moolap has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (26/100), 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 Moolap?
Moolap, VIC had a population of 1,825 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Moolap, VIC?
The postcode for Moolap, VIC is 3224.
How far is Moolap from Melbourne?
Moolap is 81 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 Moolap?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Moolap was $66,508 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 Moolap?
The median advertised rent in Moolap is $600 a week for houses (3 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Moolap?
The median age of residents in Moolap was 59 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Moolap at risk of bushfire?
Moolap has a low recorded bushfire history (39/100). 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 Moolap?
There is 1 school inside the Moolap boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Moolap walkable?
Moolap scores 25/100 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 Moolap?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Moolap (Geelong South) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.0 µg/m³ and PM10 of 20.5 µg/m³. That puts Moolap below the WHO annual guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Moolap?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Moolap, Point Wilson (13.5 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 Moolap?
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 Moolap belong to?
Moolap 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 Moolap?
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 Moolap?
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 Moolap in?
Moolap sits within the federal Division of Corangamite, currently held by Libby Coker (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.