suburb.guide

VIC · Greater Geelong Council

Manifold Heights, 3218

Current weather

10°CMainly clear

84% humidity · 24.7 km/h wind · 13.6° / 9.5° today · 9.7 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

34.1/100
Below average

844th in VIC

89% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Education hub
  • High desirability
  • Green suburb
  • Café precinct
What Manifold Heights is known for: Education hub, High desirability, Green suburb, Café precinct

Suburb profile

Set among the hills of Greater Geelong, Manifold Heights is a mid-sized suburb with bushland views and a cooler, leafier feel. The metro area remains accessible without feeling caught up in the inner-city rush. Elevated streets and bushland backdrops bring a sense of fresh country air to daily life.

Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with family life visible on every street. Local shops and services cover the basics well, with more choice a short trip into neighbouring suburbs. Reasonable public transport access helps with commuting and getting around locally.

Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment. Light infill development is updating a few streets while the wider area stays largely unchanged.

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

Population

Population
2,681
Median age
39
Median household income / week
$1,820
Dwelling vacancy
7.7%
Unoccupied private dwellings
89 of 1,154
Median monthly mortgage
$1,990
Employment rate
66.4%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
55 / 147 / 127

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)
167
Against the person
13
Against property
96
Rate per 1,000 residents
62.3
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 206 residents
State safety percentile
56.5th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate)
+63.7%

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglary11
  • B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle13
  • B49 Other Theft28
  • B53 Obtain Benefit By Deception11
  • E21 Breach Family Violence Order34

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

Schools & preschools

Schools & preschools
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
1,075
  • Holy Spirit Parish SchoolPrimary
  • Manifold Heights Primary SchoolPrimary

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

17 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Central Ave/Autumn St
  • Douglass St/Shannon Ave
  • Lascelles Ave/Shannon Ave
  • Narmbool St/Shannon Ave
  • Roxby St/Shannon Ave

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).

15 planning-related records

2021· 10 proposals

  • August 2021

  • Partial Demolition and an Extension to a Dwelling in a Heritage Overlay
    3 GIRTON CRESCENT MANIFOLD HEIGHTS 3218Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Partial Demolition and the Construction of an Extension to a Dwelling
    8 GIRTON CRESCENT MANIFOLD HEIGHTS 3218Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • July 2021

  • Partial Demolition and Alterations and Additions to a Dwelling in a Heritage Overlay
    26 GIRTON CRESCENT MANIFOLD HEIGHTS 3218Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • June 2021

  • Construction of Two (2) Dwellings
    46 LASCELLES AVENUE MANIFOLD HEIGHTS 3218NOD issued by a delegate
  • Construction of a Double Storey Dwelling and Three (3) Lot Subdivision
    3 WIMMERA AVENUE MANIFOLD HEIGHTS 3218Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • May 2021

  • Display of business identification signage and internally illuminated signage
    4/127 SHANNON AVENUE MANIFOLD HEIGHTS 3218Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • March 2021

  • Construction of a Shed in an Heritage Overlay
    15 Girton CrescentPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Partial Demolition and Buildings and Works Associated with the Construction of a Garage in a Heritage Overlay
    9 Longview AvenuePermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • February 2021

  • Partial Demolition and the Construction of an Extension to a Dwelling
    8 Girton CrescentNOD issued by a delegate

  • January 2021

  • Demolition of a Fence and Construction of a Fence and External Painting
    13 Girton CrescentPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 5 proposals

  • August 2020

  • Two Lot Subdivision of Existing Dwellings
    12B Calder StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • June 2020

  • Partial Demolition, Alterations and Additions to an Existing Dwelling within a Heritage Overlay
    24 Airey AvenuePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Construction of Two (2) Dwellings Greater than 7.5m in Height and Two (2) Lot Subdivision
    6 Central AvenueLapsed

  • May 2020

  • Buildings and Works Associated with Alterations to an Existing Dwelling and Construction of a Second Dwelling, Two (2) Lot Subdivision and Alterations to Vehicle Access to a Road in a Road Zone Category 1
    65 Shannon AvenuePermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • February 2020

  • Construction of Three (3) Dwellings and Three (3) Lot Subdivision
    64 Wimmera AvenueNOD issued by a delegate

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

Parks & reserves

1 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • George Harvey ReservePark

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics
1
Emergency department
Not in suburb
  • West Geelong ChiropracticShannon Avenuealternative

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
9/10
IRSD decile (2021)
8/10

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

Heritage

1 state heritage place

  • HOLY SPIRIT CHURCHNH1110

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site

Childcare

1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap

  • Guardian Childcare & Education Manifold Heightskindergarten

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

Childcare centre count

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid

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)
1
Parks (OSM)
1

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
34.1/100 — Below average
National rank
4451st in Australia
State rank
844th in VIC
Peer rank
#188 among Metro Melbourne · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#363 among Metro Melbourne suburbs
Data confidence
89%

Data sources & freshness

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

Recent changes

  • B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglarycrime11
  • B42 Steal From A Motor Vehiclecrime13
  • B49 Other Theftcrime28
  • B53 Obtain Benefit By Deceptioncrime11
  • E21 Breach Family Violence Ordercrime34
  • Guardian Childcare & Education Manifold Heightschildcarekindergarten
  • HOLY SPIRIT CHURCHheritageNH1110
  • West Geelong ChiropractichealthShannon Avenuealternative
  • George Harvey Reservegovernmentpark
  • Buildings and Works Associated with Alterations to an Existing Dwelling and Construction of a Second Dwelling, Two (2) Lot Subdivision and Alterations to Vehicle Access to a Road in a Road Zone Category 1planning65 Shannon AvenueLodged 26 May 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

Data sources & freshness

More in Greater Geelong Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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