suburb.guide

VIC · Colac Otway Council

Apollo Bay, 3233

Current weather

9.2°CClear sky

76% humidity · 28.5 km/h wind · 12.1° / 7.5° today · 4.6 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

28.7/100
Below average

1043rd in VIC

82% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Coastal
  • Transport
  • Green space
  • Established
  • Residential
What Apollo Bay is known for: Coastal, Transport, Green space, Established, Residential

Suburb profile

Apollo Bay is a coastal smaller community where beach life and relaxed outdoor living shape the local character. Set on the coast at a distance from the capital, it trades city proximity for a slower, beach-led rhythm. Sea breezes and coastal air are part of everyday life, especially on warmer evenings.

An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. Green space is a real strength, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb. Reasonable public transport access helps with commuting and getting around locally.

The market sits in a sensible middle ground: not cheap, but fair value for the area. Steady development is bringing new homes and gradual renewal to parts of the suburb.

On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and housing affordability lag similar coastal suburbs, despite relative strength in parks and green space. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

Population

Population
1,790
Median age
52
Median household income / week
$1,144
Dwelling vacancy
56.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
927 of 1,652
Median monthly mortgage
$1,700
Employment rate
51%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
67 / 72 / 31

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Total offences (2026)
123
Against the person
23
Against property
76
Rate per 1,000 residents
68.7
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 78 residents
State safety percentile
60.7th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate)
+35.2%

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • B21 Criminal Damage8
  • B49 Other Theft24
  • B53 Obtain Benefit By Deception30
  • E21 Breach Family Violence Order16
  • Other Crimes Against The Person6

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

Schools & preschools

Schools & preschools
1
Median school ICSEA
1,043
  • Apollo Bay P-12 CollegeCombined

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

8 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Pisces Holiday Park/Great Ocean Rd
  • Pisces Holiday Park/Great Ocean Rd
  • Pisces Holiday Park/Great Ocean Rd
  • Pisces Holiday Park/Great Ocean Rd
  • Visitor Information Centre/Great Ocean Rd

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Public transport stop coverage

Data sources & freshness

Planning & development

Development applications from PPARS statewide register (lodged 2020–2022). Free public PPARS MapServer — applications through ~2022 (service last updated Feb 2024).

22 planning-related records

2021· 11 proposals

  • June 2021

  • Use and Development of the Land for an Interpretive Native Wildlife Pa rk Incorporating Walking Track, and Ancillary Buildings (‘Visitor Entry’ Building and ‘Field Base’), Use of Land for a Restaurant and the Sale and Consumption of Liquor (Restaurant and Café Licence), Construction of Fence, Removal of Native Vegetation, Earthworks, Display of One Business Identification Sign, Creation and Alteration of Accesses to a Road in a Road Zone Category 1 with Associated
    475 GREAT OCEAN ROAD APOLLO BAY 3233Permit issued by the RA
  • Construction of Eight (8) Units & Extension & Renovation to Existing Dwelling and Nine (9) Lot Subdivision
    24-26 GREAT OCEAN ROAD APOLLO BAY 3233Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Buildings and Works Comprising Construction of Dwelling
    33 SEEBERG COURT APOLLO BAY 3233Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Use and Development of the Land for a Dwelling, Earthworks, Construction of a Vehicle Access over Crown Land and Native Vegetation Removal
    6180 GREAT OCEAN ROAD APOLLO BAY 3233Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • May 2021

  • Subdivision of the Land into Two (2) Lots and Creation of Access to a
    217-219 GREAT OCEAN ROAD APOLLO BAY 3233Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • March 2021

  • Development of a Storage Shed
    11 ARTHUR COURT APOLLO BAY 3233Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Subdivision of the Land into Two (2) Lots
    57 Noel StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Building and Works Comprising Construction of Outbuilding and Agricult ural Building
    1145 BARHAM RIVER ROAD APOLLO BAY 3233Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Buildings and Works Comprising Construction of Five (5) Glamping Buildings, Main Building and Fire Pit
    311 GREAT OCEAN ROAD APOLLO BAY 3233Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • February 2021

  • Buildings and Works Comprising Construction of Bridge and Road
    80 GREAT OCEAN ROAD APOLLO BAY 3233Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Construction of Two-Storey Dwelling and Alteration of Access to a Road in a Road Zone Category 1
    207 GREAT OCEAN ROAD APOLLO BAY 3233Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 11 proposals

  • December 2020

  • Two Lot Re-subdivision of Land (Boundary Realignment)
    185 BUSTY ROAD APOLLO BAY 3233Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Development of a Dwelling
    13 Beach View CourtNo permit required

  • November 2020

  • Use as Indoor Recreation Facility (Yoga Studio)
    4/157 Great Ocean RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Building and Works Comprising Extensions to Storage Sheds
    22 Arthur CourtPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • September 2020

  • Buildings and Works Comprising Deck and Verandah Extensions, Store, Ex ternal Alterations and Display of Business Identification Signage (Part Retrospective), and Use of the Land for the Sale and Consumption of Liquor (General Liquor Licence)
    23-27 Great Ocean RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • August 2020

  • Use and Development of Replacement Dwelling, Re-Subdivision of Land in to Two Lots, Removal of Native Vegetation, and Alteration of Access to Road in a Road Zone Category 1
    535 Great Ocean RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Buildings and Works Comprising Extension to Dwelling, Installation of Private Bushfire Shelter and Removal of Native Vegetation
    50 JANSIL COURT APOLLO BAY 3233Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • July 2020

  • Use and Development of the Land for a Dwelling Including Outbuilding a nd Associated Works, and Temporary Retention of Building for Use Associated with Construction Works
    40 Alice CourtPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • April 2020

  • Staged Multi-Lot Subdivision of Land, Associated Earthworks and Constr uction of Retaining Walls, and Creation/Removal/Variation of Easements
    45 Marriners Lookout RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • February 2020

  • Subdivision of Land into Two (2) Lots
    67 Noel StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • January 2020

  • Change of Use from Vacant Land to Caravan Park
    25 Conns LaneLapsed

Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)

Development and planning activity

Data sources & freshness

  • PPARS planning permit activity (statewide) — Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria) · Period: 2020–2022 · Updated on site · Public MapServer last updated Feb 2024 — applications through FY 2022–23 only; newer PPARS data requires council/API access

Amenities

1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • Picnic Table

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Parks & reserves

5 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Apollo Bay Recreation ReservePark
  • Foreshore ReservePark
  • Park Avenue ReservePark
  • Unnamed P0176 Private Nature ReserveNature reserve
  • Wild Dog Bushland ReserveNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics
2
Emergency department
On site
  • Apollo Bay Pharmacypharmacy
  • Otway Health & Community Services Apollo BayMcLachlan Streethospital

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
4/10
IRSD decile (2021)
4/10

SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Victorian Bushfire Management Overlay mapping.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Bushfire hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
45
Parks (OSM)
4

OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)

Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Desirability Index

Desirability score
28.7/100 — Below average
National rank
5459th in Australia
State rank
1043rd in VIC
Peer rank
#64 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#107 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data confidence
82%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • B21 Criminal Damagecrime8
  • B49 Other Theftcrime24
  • B53 Obtain Benefit By Deceptioncrime30
  • E21 Breach Family Violence Ordercrime16
  • Other Crimes Against The Personcrime6
  • Apollo Bay Pharmacyhealthpharmacy
  • Otway Health & Community Services Apollo BayhealthMcLachlan Streethospital
  • Apollo Bay Recreation Reservegovernmentpark
  • Foreshore Reservegovernmentpark
  • Park Avenue Reservegovernmentpark

Data sources & freshness

More in Colac Otway Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Victoria.