suburb.guide

VIC · Bass Coast Council

Pioneer Bay, 3984

Current weather

10°CModerate drizzle

97% humidity · 30 km/h wind · 11.5° / 8.9° today · 25.5 mm rain

Desirability score

27.2/100

5629th in Australia

70% data confidence

How this score is calculated

Suburb snapshot

Pioneer Bay is a small locality in the Bass Coast area, home to around 365 residents (2021 Census). Available data shows 20 offences in 2026 with falling year-on-year trends (-63%), roughly 54.8 offences per 1,000 residents, limited but present public transport access, fewer mapped amenities than nearby suburbs, and some planning and development activity on record. See the sections below for population, safety, schools and local activity.

Population

Population
365
Median age
41
Median household income / week
$961
Dwelling vacancy
14.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
29 of 206
Median monthly mortgage
$1,170
Employment rate
52.5%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
22 / 0 / 0

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)
20
Against the person
11
Against property
7
Rate per 1,000 residents
54.8
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 33 residents
State safety percentile
50.8th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate)
-63%

Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • A211 Fv Serious Assault4
  • A231 Fv Common Assault2
  • B21 Criminal Damage2
  • B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle2
  • Other Crimes Against The Person4

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

2 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Pioneer Bay/Bass Hwy
  • Pioneer Bay/Bass Hwy

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).

2 planning-related records

2021· 1 proposal

  • August 2021

  • Development of land for a dwelling in excess of 7m in the DDO1, BMO2 and LSIO
    11 BEACH BOULEVARD PIONEER BAY 3984Refusal issued by a delegate
2020· 1 proposal

  • August 2020

  • Remove native vegetation for construction of water diversion
    1 Short StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

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

2 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • Bench
  • Pioneer Bay/Bass HwyBus stop

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

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
1/10
IRSD decile (2021)
1/10

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
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
27.2/100
National rank
5629th in Australia
State rank
1091st in VIC
Peer rank
#42 among Coastal & beach · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#115 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data confidence
70%

Data sources & freshness

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

Recent changes

  • A211 Fv Serious Assaultcrime4
  • A231 Fv Common Assaultcrime2
  • B21 Criminal Damagecrime2
  • B42 Steal From A Motor Vehiclecrime2
  • Other Crimes Against The Personcrime4
  • Development of land for a dwelling in excess of 7m in the DDO1, BMO2 and LSIOplanning11 BEACH BOULEVARD PIONEER BAY 3984Lodged 12 Aug 2021 · Refusal issued by a delegate
  • Remove native vegetation for construction of water diversionplanning1 Short StreetLodged 03 Aug 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Pioneer Bay/Bass Hwytransport
  • Pioneer Bay/Bass Hwytransport
  • Benchamenitiesbench

Data sources & freshness

Similar suburbs

Suburbs with a similar population, SEIFA decile and location.