Warrnambool
VICWarrnambool is a growing suburb in VIC with 31,308 residents.
- SAL code
- 22710
- SA2
- 217041479
- Population
- 31,308
- LGA
- Warrnambool
Warrnambool, VIC had 31,308 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 3.0% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 55-64 years, and the median age sits at 42. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $1,408 a month. Around 67.1% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned outright at 36.9%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 82.4% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 75 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
Warrnambool, VIC at a glance
Warrnambool is the largest city in south-west Victoria, ~263 km west of Melbourne on the Great Ocean Road's western anchor. It functions as a self-contained regional hub — university town, deepwater port, hospital catchment for the south-west — rather than a Melbourne commuter suburb. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle, and council context they don't.
For homebuyers
Warrnambool is a full-service regional city, not a satellite. You'll find a coherent CBD along Liebig and Koroit Streets, a working port, Lake Pertobe parklands wrapping the foreshore, and beaches at Logans, Lady Bay, and Levys spread across the south edge. Stock is mixed: weatherboard cottages near the centre, brick post-war on the north and east, and newer estates pushing toward Dennington and Woodford. South West Healthcare is the regional hospital; Deakin University's Warrnambool campus and South West TAFE keep a younger renter cohort in the mix. Brauer College and Warrnambool College are the larger public secondaries; Emmanuel College anchors the Catholic system. V/Line runs to Southern Cross in ~3.5 hours — this is a relocate-here decision, not a commute. In short: a coastal regional city with hospital, university and port jobs on tap, and a genuine high street rather than a strip-mall feel.
For investors
Warrnambool sits in the affordable-coastal-regional band. Median house sale around $560,000 against ~$480/week rent gives a gross yield near 4.4%; units sit closer to 5.0% on a ~$370,000 median (Your Investment Property April 2026). 12-month house growth ran roughly flat to +2% after the 2021-22 regional surge cooled. Sales volume is healthy for a regional centre — several hundred house transactions a year — and days-on-market sits in the high-30s to mid-40s.
Strengths
- Self-contained employment base — Deakin, South West Healthcare, the port and dairy processing limit single-employer risk.
- Yields (~4.4% houses, ~5% units) materially above metropolitan Melbourne for similar build quality.
- Tenant pool spans hospital staff, students and tradespeople — broader than most coastal towns of this size.
- Median house ~$560k (YIP April 2026) keeps entry below Geelong and most Melbourne middle-ring.
Trade-offs
- Capital growth flat-to-modest post-2022; the regional Victoria boom premium has unwound.
- Days-on-market ~40+ means liquidity is slower than a metro market — exit timing matters.
- Long-distance from Melbourne (V/Line ~3.5 hr) caps the spillover-commuter thesis that lifts Geelong and Ballarat.
- Coastal exposure — parts of the south and west fringe carry erosion and storm-surge overlays worth checking parcel-by-parcel.
What's coming
Warrnambool City Council's 2025/26 Capital Works program continues investment in the Lake Pertobe Adventure Playground precinct and foreshore renewal, with ongoing road, drainage and active-transport upgrades across Dennington and East Warrnambool. The Warrnambool Learning and Library Hub and CBD activation works remain in the council's Annual Plan pipeline. Watch the council's quarterly capital works dashboard for delivery pacing.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a real regional city with jobs, hospital and beach in one postcode. For investors: a steady-yield, slow-liquidity play — income over growth at this point in the cycle.
Population
?31,308
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+3.0%
3yr: +2.4% · 10yr: +8.9%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$1,385/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
42
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?5/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?1.9%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
10
6 primary, 4 secondary
Hospitals
?1
Within suburb
Childcare services
?25
8 long day, 7 OSHC, 1 family
Parks & green space
?75
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?148
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?53
Warrnambool · 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 — Warrnambool - North (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Warrnambool suburb alone is ~31,308 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 17,053 to 23,099 over 24 years, averaging 1.3% per year.
Schools
12 in suburbSector
7 public · 5 private
Type
7 primary · 3 secondary · 1 K-12 · 1 special
Total enrolment
6,271
Avg per school
523
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 4.5%Almost entirely detached houses (82.4%), mixed tenure (67.1% own or mortgage), built for families (47% are 3 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
VIC 29%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
Source: VIC DTP Designated Bushfire Prone Area
As of Apr 2026
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.
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
25 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZ1 | Farming Zone Schedule 1Rural | 34.9% | 22.86 km² |
| GRZ1 | General Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 25.6% | 16.79 km² |
| PPRZ | Public Park and Recreation ZoneRecreation | 7.2% | 4.74 km² |
| PCRZ | Public Conservation and Resource ZoneEnvironmental | 5.5% | 3.59 km² |
| FZ | Farming ZoneRural | 5.1% | 3.36 km² |
| UFZ | Urban Floodway ZoneWaterway | 3.4% | 2.24 km² |
| RLZ1 | Rural Living Zone Schedule 1Rural | 2.0% | 1.29 km² |
| TRZ3 | TRZ3Special use | 1.9% | 1.23 km² |
| PUZ2 | Public Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 1.8% | 1.20 km² |
| IN1Z | Industrial 1 ZoneIndustrial | 1.7% | 1.11 km² |
| IN3Z | Industrial 3 ZoneIndustrial | 1.6% | 1.07 km² |
| TRZ2 | TRZ2Special use | 1.3% | 0.84 km² |
| C1Z | Commercial 1 ZoneBusiness | 1.2% | 0.81 km² |
| RLZ3 | Rural Living Zone Schedule 3Rural | 1.2% | 0.77 km² |
| SUZ1 | Special Use Zone Schedule 1Special use | 1.1% | 0.75 km² |
| TRZ1 | TRZ1Special use | 0.8% | 0.54 km² |
| PUZ1 | Public Use Zone Schedule 1Special use | 0.7% | 0.45 km² |
| C2Z | Commercial 2 ZoneBusiness | 0.6% | 0.37 km² |
| LDRZ1 | Low Density Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 0.4% | 0.29 km² |
| PUZ6 | Public Use Zone Schedule 6Special use | 0.4% | 0.27 km² |
| NRZ1 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 0.4% | 0.23 km² |
| SUZ2 | Special Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 0.2% | 0.11 km² |
| PUZ3 | Public Use Zone Schedule 3Special use | 0.2% | 0.10 km² |
| MUZ1 | Mixed Use Zone Schedule 1Residential | 0.1% | 0.08 km² |
| PUZ5 | Public Use Zone Schedule 5Special use | 0.1% | 0.07 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.