Pioneer Bay VIC 3984
Pioneer Bay is a rural locality in Victoria, 99 km from Melbourne CBD, around 1 hour 20 minutes by car. Population is 365; the median age is 41 and the median household income is $49,972 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. Population grew 3.7% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $280 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,170. The area shows high flood risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. 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 365. 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 Pioneer Bay?
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Our score
Not enough data to score this locality.
Residents say
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Median House Price
Public listings dataPioneer Bay's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $500,000, about 9% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$500,000
Based on 15 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 7 sales $456K
- 3 bed 7 sales $528K
Land
$520,000
Based on 10 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Pioneer Bay are currently listed at around $514,000 on average. Based on 4 houses listed in the past six months.
$514K
4 houses listed in the last 6 months.
4 of the suburb's 175 dwellings (2.3%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Rental affordability
June quarter 202598 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 31% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3984.
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.
Is Pioneer Bay safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Pioneer Bay sits in the moderate band, with 9 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 57% on the prior year.
9 offences
57.1% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–2025No crash in Pioneer Bay killed anyone or put anyone in hospital in 2021–2025.
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
Walkability
Pioneer Bay is very car-dependent on foot — at 13/100, nearly all errands require a car.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Pioneer Bay.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 48%
- Premises covered
- 229
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
Bass 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
Pioneer Bay is home to 365 residents, with a median age of 41, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $50,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.7%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
365
Median Age
41
Median Household Income
$49,972/yr
Census Median Rent
$280/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,170/mo
Avg Household Size
2.0
Median Personal Income
$31,408/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.7%
Unoccupied Dwellings
16.6%
Total Dwellings
175
Owner-Occupier Rate
79.3%
Houses
100.0%
Rental Stress
29.1%
Mortgage Stress
28.1%
Work From Home
10.9%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 75.9%
- English Spoken at Home
- 91.5%
- Employment Rate
- 52.5%
- Completed Year 12
- 26.3%
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.
0 residents (0.0%) 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.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
4% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (6 of 156).
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 $1,727 a year through Bass Coast based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 83%
- Infrastructure and transport 8%
- Parks and recreation 8%
- 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: Bass Coast
In the year to August 2026, 393 new dwellings were approved across Bass Coast. That mix is 369 houses and 24 units.
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 Rhyll, 22.7 kmModerate rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 13 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 477 m
- Annual rainfall
- 704 mm
- 106 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 24.1°C
- 3 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 8.6°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.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
2 facilities within 5 km- 3.1 kmGravel and Sand QuarryingTop reported: Manganese & compounds · Fluoride compounds
- 5.0 kmWaste Treatment and Disposal ServicesTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen
EV adoption
In postcode 3984, 54 of 7,628 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.4% (104 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.1%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3984, 1,848 rooftop-solar systems totalling 11.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 3,800 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 126 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.
7 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3984 in 2025-26, rank 108 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 91, in 2020-21.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
1 mortgage broker is registered in postcode 3984.
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 $500,000 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 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 locality's voters across time.
State Electorate
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 locality's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.
Looking at a specific address in Pioneer Bay?
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 365 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
Compare Pioneer Bay 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 Pioneer Bay
Is Pioneer Bay a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Pioneer Bay is moderate (51/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Pioneer Bay?
Pioneer Bay has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a high share of it (78/100). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Pioneer Bay?
Pioneer Bay, VIC had a population of 365 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Pioneer Bay, VIC?
The postcode for Pioneer Bay, VIC is 3984.
How far is Pioneer Bay from Melbourne?
Pioneer Bay is 99 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 78 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Pioneer Bay?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Pioneer Bay was $49,972 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 Pioneer Bay?
There are too few current rental listings in Pioneer Bay for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $280, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Pioneer Bay?
The median age of residents in Pioneer Bay was 41 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Pioneer Bay walkable?
Pioneer Bay scores 13/100 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 weather like in Pioneer Bay?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Pioneer Bay, Rhyll (22.7 km away), summer days average 24.1°C, winter nights 8.6°C, 704 mm of rain a year over 106 rainy days, and 3 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Pioneer Bay?
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 Pioneer Bay belong to?
Pioneer Bay 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 Pioneer Bay?
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 Pioneer Bay?
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 Pioneer Bay in?
Pioneer Bay sits within the federal Division of Monash, currently held by Mary Aldred (Liberal).
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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
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2026
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- 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.