Swan Bay is a suburb in Victoria, 104 km from Melbourne CBD, around 1 hour 35 minutes by car. Population is 103; the median age is 61 and the median household income is $40,768 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 40% nationally. The suburb grew 74.6% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $250 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,296. Swan Bay is characterised by high flood risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. Walkability is low.
This suburb is too small to rate.
The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 103. 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 Swan Bay?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
Not enough data to score this suburb.
Residents say
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Rental Market
Rental affordability
June quarter 202585 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 35% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3225.
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.
Short-Stay Rentals
1 active Airbnb listing: 1 whole home and 0 rooms.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months.
Is Swan Bay safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Swan Bay sits in the moderate band, with 3 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 50% on the prior year.
3 offences
50.0% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–2025No crash in Swan Bay killed anyone or put anyone in hospital in 2021–2025.
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
1990–2025Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 1.7 km
- Rate
- -0.02 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -4.9 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
Walkability
Swan Bay is very car-dependent on foot — at 10/100, nearly all errands require a car.
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.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Swan Bay.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 6%
- Premises covered
- 36
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
Swan Bay is home to 103 residents, with a median age of 61 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $41,000 a year, with unemployment at 0.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
103
Median Age
61
Median Household Income
$40,768/yr
Census Median Rent
$250/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,296/mo
Avg Household Size
2.0
Median Personal Income
$32,344/yr
Unemployment Rate
0.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
12.2%
Total Dwellings
49
Owner-Occupier Rate
77.8%
Houses
38.8%
Rental Stress
31.9%
Mortgage Stress
67.6%
Work From Home
40.5%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 87.4%
- English Spoken at Home
- 95.1%
- Employment Rate
- 53.3%
- Completed Year 12
- 44.7%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
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 81%
- Environmental 10%
- Parks and recreation 9%
- Zones under 1% 1%
Rezoned since Oct 2025
- Transport Zone 2 → Protected Settlement Boundary · VC245, Feb 2026 0.8 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.
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, 25.2 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Point Wilson, 17.7 kmwarm summers — mild winters.
- Elevation
- 3 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 155 m
- 4.7 km to a named beach
- 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.
EV adoption
In postcode 3225, 104 of 5,359 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.3% (175 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 5.2%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3225, 1,503 rooftop-solar systems totalling 9.3 MW have been installed since 2001, against 3,878 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 107 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.
0 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3225 in 2025-26. The most was 12, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
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 Alison Marchant Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Alison Marchant ALP | 58.5% | 58.5% | 41.5% |
| 2018 | Lisa Neville ALP | 50.2% | 61.5% | 38.5% |
| 2014 | Lisa Neville ALP | 54.8% | 54.8% | 45.2% |
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 Swan Bay?
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 103 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 Swan Bay to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other VIC suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Swan Bay
Is Swan Bay a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Swan Bay is moderate (42/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Swan Bay?
Swan Bay has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a high share of it (76/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Swan Bay?
Swan Bay, VIC had a population of 103 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Swan Bay, VIC?
The postcode for Swan Bay, VIC is 3225.
How far is Swan Bay from Melbourne?
Swan Bay is 104 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 96 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Swan Bay?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Swan Bay was $40,768 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 Swan Bay?
There are too few current rental listings in Swan Bay for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $250, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Swan Bay?
The median age of residents in Swan Bay was 61 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Swan Bay walkable?
Swan Bay scores 10/100 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 Swan Bay?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Swan Bay (Geelong South) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.0 µg/m³ and PM10 of 20.5 µg/m³. That puts Swan Bay below the WHO annual guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Swan Bay?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Swan Bay, Point Wilson (17.7 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 Swan 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 Swan Bay belong to?
Swan Bay 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 Swan Bay?
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 Swan Bay?
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 Swan Bay in?
Swan Bay sits within the federal Division of Corangamite, currently held by Libby Coker (Australian Labor Party).
Search another suburb or address
Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- 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.