Surf Beach VIC 3922
Surf Beach sits 131 km from Melbourne CBD in Victoria, around 1 hour 45 minutes by car. Census data records 670 residents with a median age of 46 and a median household income of $73,528 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 40% nationally. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $316 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,433. Surf Beach is characterised by high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. All 1 school within the locality boundary rank above the state average, and walkability is low.
Is Surf Beach a good place to live?
Surf Beach scores a B (55/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on community, weaker on transit and safety.
Mixed results
1 school · 1 above peer schools
Car-dependent
Walkability 20/100 · 131.1 km · 104 min drive to Melbourne
Around the state median
Median $712K
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 76/100 · Flood 18/100
Advantaged
SEIFA decile 7/10 · median age 46 · 670 residents
Liveability Rating
55 / 100 · Ranked #365 in VICEach bar is Surf Beach'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 Surf Beach?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
55 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataSurf Beach's house market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $712,000, about 4% below where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$712,500
Based on 30 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 50 days — median across 13 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 13 sales $645K
- 4 bed 11 sales $825K
Land
$399,000
Based on only 7 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Surf Beach are currently listed at around $670,000 on average. Based on 3 houses listed in the past six months.
$670K
3 houses listed in the last 6 months.
3 of the suburb's 261 dwellings (1.1%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025102 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 29% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3922.
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 Surf Beach safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Surf Beach sits in the high band, with 43 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 139% on the prior year.
43 offences
138.9% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20252 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
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 Surf Beach, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance.
Walkability
Surf Beach is very car-dependent on foot — at 20/100, nearly all errands require a car.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Surf Beach.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 70%
- Premises covered
- 690
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
Surf Beach is home to 670 residents, with a median age of 46, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $74,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
670
Median Age
46
Median Household Income
$73,528/yr
Census Median Rent
$316/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,433/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$39,468/yr
Unemployment Rate
4.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
133.3%
Total Dwellings
261
Owner-Occupier Rate
82.7%
Houses
99.2%
Rental Stress
22.3%
Mortgage Stress
23.4%
Work From Home
25.9%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 76.4%
- English Spoken at Home
- 87.3%
- Employment Rate
- 56.3%
- Completed Year 12
- 42.8%
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.
6 residents (0.9%) 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.
24.7% of residents (158) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (158).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 640 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
4% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (14 of 314).
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 74%
- Parks and recreation 22%
- Infrastructure and transport 4%
- Not zoned 1%
Planning zones cover 99% of the locality'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 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, 5.4 kmModerate rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 9 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 307 m
- 3.3 km to a named beach
- 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.
EV adoption
In postcode 3922, 80 of 9,815 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.6% (259 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.5%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3922, 2,719 rooftop-solar systems totalling 18.0 MW have been installed since 2001, against 9,345 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 158 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.
2 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3922 in 2025-26, rank 176 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 76, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
1 mortgage broker is registered in postcode 3922.
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 $712,500 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 Surf Beach?
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 670 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 Surf Beach 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 Surf Beach
Is Surf Beach a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Surf Beach is high (76/100, 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 Surf Beach?
Surf Beach has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a low share of it (18/100). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Surf Beach a good place to live?
Surf Beach has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (55/100), 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 Surf Beach?
Surf Beach, VIC had a population of 670 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Surf Beach, VIC?
The postcode for Surf Beach, VIC is 3922.
How far is Surf Beach from Melbourne?
Surf Beach is 131 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 104 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Surf Beach?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Surf Beach was $73,528 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 Surf Beach?
There are too few current rental listings in Surf Beach for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $316, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Surf Beach?
The median age of residents in Surf Beach was 46 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Surf Beach?
There is 1 school inside the Surf Beach boundary: 1 above similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Surf Beach walkable?
Surf Beach scores 20/100 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 Surf Beach?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Surf Beach, Rhyll (5.4 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 Surf Beach?
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 Surf Beach belong to?
Surf Beach 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 Surf Beach?
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 Surf Beach?
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 Surf Beach in?
Surf Beach 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.