VIC · Colac Otway Council
Skenes Creek, 3233
Current weather
10.5°CClear sky
73% humidity · 29.2 km/h wind · 13.5° / 8.9° today · 4.1 mm rain
Desirability score
Suburb snapshot
Skenes Creek is a small locality in the Colac Otway area, home to around 249 residents (2021 Census). Available data shows 17 offences in 2026 with rising year-on-year trends (+143%), roughly 68.3 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
- 249
- Median age
- 55
- Median household income / week
- $1,260
- Dwelling vacancy
- 68.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 226 of 330
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,450
- Employment rate
- 44.6%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 16 / 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)
- 17
- Against the person
- 2
- Against property
- 3
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 68.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 124 residents
- State safety percentile
- 60.5th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +142.9%
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- A731 Fv Threatening Behaviour1
- A81 Dangerous Driving1
- B21 Criminal Damage1
- E13 Resist Or Hinder Officer2
- E21 Breach Family Violence Order10
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Year ending March release
Public transport
4 public transport stops in this suburb
- Skenes Creek Valley Rd/Great Ocean Rd
- Skenes Creek Valley Rd/Great Ocean Rd
- Skenes Creek Valley Rd/Great Ocean Rd
- Skenes Creek Valley Rd/Great Ocean Rd
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Planning & development
Development applications from PPARS statewide register (lodged 2020–2022). Free public PPARS MapServer — applications through ~2022 (service last updated Feb 2024).
1 planning-related records
2021· 1 proposal
June 2021
- Buildings and Works Comprising Construction of a Dwelling14 OTWAY AVENUE SKENES CREEK 3233Permit 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
7 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bench (2)
- Skenes Creek Valley Rd/Great Ocean RdBus stop
- Australia PostPost Box
- Public toilets
- Chri's Beacon Point Restaurant & VillasRestaurant
280 Skenes Creek Road
- TelstraTelephone
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)
- 7/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 7/10
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
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
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)
- 2
- 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
- 14.8/100
- National rank
- 6831st in Australia
- State rank
- 1264th in VIC
- Peer rank
- #83 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #132 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
- A731 Fv Threatening Behaviourcrime1
- A81 Dangerous Drivingcrime1
- B21 Criminal Damagecrime1
- E13 Resist Or Hinder Officercrime2
- E21 Breach Family Violence Ordercrime10
- Buildings and Works Comprising Construction of a Dwellingplanning14 OTWAY AVENUE SKENES CREEK 3233Lodged 08 Jun 2021 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Skenes Creek Valley Rd/Great Ocean Rdtransport
- Skenes Creek Valley Rd/Great Ocean Rdtransport
- Skenes Creek Valley Rd/Great Ocean Rdtransport
- Skenes Creek Valley Rd/Great Ocean Rdtransport
Data sources & freshness
- Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Updated on site · Year ending March release
- PPARS planning permit activity (statewide) — Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria) · Updated on site · Public MapServer last updated Feb 2024 — applications through FY 2022–23 only; newer PPARS data requires council/API access
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Similar suburbs
Suburbs with a similar population, SEIFA decile and location.