Port Melbourne
VICPort Melbourne is a declining suburb in VIC with 17,633 residents.
- SAL code
- 22107
- SA2
- 206051130
- Population
- 17,633
- LGA
- Port Phillip
Port Melbourne, VIC had 17,633 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area roughly steady over the last five years. The predominant age group is 35-44 years, and the median age sits at 42. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $2,500 a month. Around 54.3% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being rented at 43.3%. Most dwellings are flats or apartments, making up 50.1% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 38 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
Port Melbourne, VIC at a glance
Port Melbourne sits ~3 km south-west of the Melbourne CBD on Hobsons Bay, in the City of Port Phillip. The fabric is a mix of bluestone-cottage heritage pockets, mid-century walk-ups, and dense modern apartments along the Beacon Cove / Bay Street corridor. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle, and council context they don't.
For homebuyers
Port Melbourne reads as two suburbs stitched together: a Victorian-cottage grid behind Bay Street, and the apartment-heavy Beacon Cove / Waterfront Place strip along the bay. Bay Street itself is the everyday spine — independent cafes, restaurants, IGA + Coles, the Port Melbourne Town Hall and Liardet Street precinct all within walking distance for most residents. The 109 light rail runs from Beacon Cove through Bay Street straight into Collins Street and the CBD in ~20 minutes (Yarra Trams), and the Port Melbourne and Sandridge beaches are a flat walk or ride from anywhere in the suburb. Schools include Port Melbourne Primary and Galilee Regional Catholic Primary; secondary catchments lean on Albert Park College (Gasworks campus) just north. Spotswood and Williamstown are 10 minutes by car via the West Gate; Albert Park, South Melbourne Market and the MCG sit on the city side. In short: an inner-bayside suburb with a working-class spine and a CBD-lifestyle ceiling — walk-everywhere if you pick the right pocket.
For investors
A capital-growth, location-premium market rather than a yield play. Median house sale $1,630,000 against $885/wk rent is a ~2.93% gross house yield; units median $715,000 at $635/wk give ~4.71% (Your Investment Property May 2026). 12-month house growth +1.88%; 170 house sales and ~339 unit sales in the past 12 months. Houses sit ~32 days on market, units ~45 days. SQM has the bayside vacancy rate near 0.75% — tight.
Strengths
- Inner-city scarcity premium — 3 km from Melbourne CBD with bay frontage and a dedicated light-rail spine (Route 109).
- Tight rental market (~0.75% vacancy per SQM) supports rent stability across both house and apartment stock.
- Unit yields ~4.7% (YIP May 2026) are unusually solid for an inner-bayside suburb where houses sit at ~2.9%.
- Mature owner-occupier base on the cottage grid plus a deep tenant pool in the Beacon Cove towers — two distinct demand pools insulate the suburb from a single-segment downturn.
Trade-offs
- House yields are thin (~2.93%) — entry is $1.6M+ and serviceability is the constraint.
- Unit prices have softened — median ~-4.67% YoY (htag / OpenAgent, early 2026), reflecting Melbourne-wide apartment-market weakness and competition from new South Melbourne / Fishermans Bend stock.
- Days-on-market for units (~45) is meaningfully longer than houses (~32), so apartment exits aren't fast.
- Fishermans Bend (immediately east) is in long-run high-density build-out — the medium-term apartment supply pipeline is material and likely to keep yield-led growth muted.
What's coming
Council adopted the Plan for Port Phillip + Budget 2025-26 in June 2025 — a $321M budget with extra footpath renewals, $9M over a decade for road and local infrastructure, and a Port Melbourne reserves master plan covering Cook, Fennell, Gill, Hester, Howe, Page, Smith, Turner and Walter Reserves. The Port Melbourne Town Hall projects continue, and Future South Melbourne (Amendment C219port) sets the planning frame for the eastern edge.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: an inner-bayside suburb where Bay Street, the 109 tram and the beach do most of the lifestyle work. For investors: a low-yield capital-growth play on houses, with units offering yield but softer prices and a long supply pipeline next door.
Population
?17,633
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
-0.4%
3yr: +3.4% · 10yr: -1.9%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,372/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
42
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?8/10
SA2 · least disadvantaged
Unemployment
?4.4%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
3
1 primary, 1 secondary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?8
5 long day, 4 OSHC
Parks & green space
?38
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?58
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?236
Port Phillip · Feb 2026
Median Weekly Rent
Based on rental bond lodgements recorded by the state government.
Median House Sale Price
Source: Valuer-General Victoria (suburb-level quarterly medians).
→ Calculate stamp duty on this suburb's median price→ Estimate mortgage repayments→ Calculate rental yield (price + median rent)
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from VIC police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Port Melbourne (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Port Melbourne suburb alone is ~17,633 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 10,903 to 16,927 over 24 years, averaging 1.8% per year.
Schools
3 in suburbSector
3 public
Type
1 primary · 1 secondary · 1 special
Total enrolment
1,187
Avg per school
396
Government school catchment
Catchment data is not yet available for VIC.
Source when available: Victorian Department of Education / Vicmap School Zones.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Public housing 6.2%Predominantly apartments (50.1%), mixed tenure (54.3% own or mortgage), built for families (42% are 2 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
VIC 29%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
This suburb falls outside every bushfire polygon mapped by the relevant authority. Always confirm at the property address — local conditions and unmapped overlays can still apply.
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions. Source when available: Vicmap Planning — Bushfire Prone Area + Vicmap flood overlays.
Flood risk
Source: VIC DTP Vicmap Planning Overlay (flood codes)
As of Apr 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Planning zones
22 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| PZ | PZOther | 23.1% | 2.23 km² |
| CCZ1 | CCZ1Business | 14.5% | 1.40 km² |
| IN1Z | Industrial 1 ZoneIndustrial | 12.6% | 1.22 km² |
| PPRZ | Public Park and Recreation ZoneRecreation | 8.8% | 0.85 km² |
| TRZ2 | TRZ2Special use | 8.5% | 0.82 km² |
| NRZ1 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 6.8% | 0.66 km² |
| C2Z | Commercial 2 ZoneBusiness | 6.1% | 0.59 km² |
| NRZ3 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 3Residential | 4.5% | 0.44 km² |
| GRZ1 | General Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 2.6% | 0.25 km² |
| CCZ4 | CCZ4Business | 2.4% | 0.23 km² |
| MUZ | Mixed Use ZoneResidential | 2.2% | 0.21 km² |
| NRZ4 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 4Residential | 2.1% | 0.21 km² |
| RGZ1 | Residential Growth Zone Schedule 1Residential | 1.3% | 0.13 km² |
| CDZ1 | Comprehensive Development Zone Schedule 1Business | 1.1% | 0.11 km² |
| C1Z | Commercial 1 ZoneBusiness | 0.8% | 0.08 km² |
| TRZ1 | TRZ1Special use | 0.6% | 0.06 km² |
| PUZ1 | Public Use Zone Schedule 1Special use | 0.5% | 0.05 km² |
| SUZ1 | Special Use Zone Schedule 1Special use | 0.4% | 0.04 km² |
| NRZ2 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 2Residential | 0.3% | 0.03 km² |
| SUZ3 | Special Use Zone Schedule 3Special use | 0.3% | 0.03 km² |
| PUZ2 | Public Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 0.2% | 0.02 km² |
| PUZ6 | Public Use Zone Schedule 6Special use | 0.1% | 0.01 km² |
Source: VIC DTP Vicmap Planning Zones (ZONE_VIC/2026-04-29/08783d2926383881) · As of Apr 2026. Zone boundaries are amended periodically; verify the exact property with the relevant council before relying on permitted use.