Apollo Bay (Vic.), VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Apollo Bay curves along the Great Ocean Road on Victoria's south-west coast, sheltered beneath the green slopes of the Otway Ranges about 190 kilometres from Melbourne. It lies on the traditional lands of the Gadubanud, the King Parrot people of the Cape Otway coast. The bay is said to have been named in 1845 after the Apollo, a schooner that sheltered here from a storm, and the settlement that grew on the shore was known by other names before Apollo Bay stuck in 1898. Sealers, whalers and timber-cutters worked the coast before the Great Ocean Road, finished in 1932, turned the town into a fishing port and holiday destination, and a gateway to the Otway forests and waterfalls.
Less advantaged than the national average
Apollo Bay (Vic.) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 34% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 959, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Apollo Bay (Vic.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,790
- Median age
- 52
- Median weekly household income
- $1,144
- SEIFA score
- 959
- Coordinates
- -38.7312, 143.6460
Apollo Bay (Vic.) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Apollo Bay (Vic.) using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 31%, 28% of homes are rented, and 20% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 243 | 14% |
| Youth (15–24) | 118 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 358 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 547 | 31% |
| Seniors (65+) | 516 | 29% |
Share of the 1,782 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 326 | 46% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 162 | 23% |
| Rented | 200 | 28% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 596 | 83% |
| Townhouses & semis | 72 | 10% |
| Flats & apartments | 31 | 4% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 718 occupied private dwellings in Apollo Bay (Vic.).
- Median weekly rent
- $300
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,700
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,504
- Median weekly personal income
- $695
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 311 (20%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 165 (10%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 23 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 749 (50%)
- Labour-force participation
- 52.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.1%
- Employed full-time
- 330
- Employed part-time
- 360
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Common questions about Apollo Bay (Vic.)
Where is Apollo Bay (Vic.)?
Apollo Bay (Vic.) is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Apollo Bay (Vic.)?
At the 2021 Census, Apollo Bay (Vic.) had a population of about 1,790.
Is Apollo Bay (Vic.) an advantaged area?
Apollo Bay (Vic.) has an ABS SEIFA score of 959, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 34 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 34% of Australian suburbs.
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