Berwick, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Berwick lies about 41 kilometres south-east of central Melbourne, within the City of Casey. An early leaseholder, Robert Gardiner, named it after his birthplace of Berwick-on-Tweed on the Scottish border. The district began as part of the Cardinia Creek pastoral run, and subdivision from 1854 brought a store, post office, hotel and a flour mill, with wheat, barley and potatoes giving way over time to dairying and cheese-making. The Berwick Agricultural Society, traced back to 1848, is among the oldest farming societies in Victoria. A quarry opened in 1859 to supply ballast for the railway that arrived in 1877; its worked-out pit is now the Wilson Botanic Park. The Mechanics' Institute and Free Library dates from 1862, and the poplars lining High Street were planted as an Avenue of Honour to the district's First World War dead. Parts of the 1959 film On the Beach were shot locally, and several streets carry the names of its cast. As Melbourne spread eastward late in the twentieth century the surrounding farmland was subdivided and the population grew quickly through the 1990s and 2000s. Berwick was the home of Edwin 'Teddy' Flack, Australia's first Olympian, who won two running golds at the 1896 Athens Games and is buried in the local cemetery.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Berwick is more socio-economically advantaged than about 80% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1043, 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.
Is Berwick a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Strong on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 5 components we can score for Berwick from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
80/100Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (80/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
20/100Less affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $400 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 20% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Amenities & access
80/100Plenty mapped nearby
About 148 everyday places (cafés, shops, services and more) mapped within ~1.2 km of the centre. · OpenStreetMap
Green space
78/100A good amount of green space nearby
About 15.8% of the area within ~1.2 km of the centre is mapped as green space — parks, reserves, sportsgrounds and the like. An area estimate from a radius around the centre, not the suburb boundary. · OpenStreetMap
Transport
78/100A good number of stops nearby
About 36 public-transport stops (bus, train, tram or ferry) mapped within ~1.2 km of the centre. Stop coverage, not timetable frequency. · OpenStreetMap
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Berwick at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 50,298
- Median age
- 38
- Median weekly household income
- $2,113
- SEIFA score
- 1043
- Local government area
- Casey
- Coordinates
- -38.0424, 145.3492
Map of Berwick
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Berwick
What it costs to live in Berwick and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $400
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $2,000
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 75%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 22%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Berwick demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Berwick demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Berwick 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 young adults (25–44) at 26% and 35% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 10,428 | 21% |
| Youth (15–24) | 6,728 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 13,092 | 26% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 12,929 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 7,120 | 14% |
Share of the 50,297 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 4,754 | 29% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 7,688 | 46% |
| Rented | 3,658 | 22% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 14,827 | 89% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,752 | 11% |
| Flats & apartments | 52 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 16,649 occupied private dwellings in Berwick.
- Average household size
- 2.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,346
- Median weekly personal income
- $852
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 17,186 (35%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 14,413 (30%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 232 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 24,157 (64%)
- Labour-force participation
- 66.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.9%
- Employed full-time
- 15,529
- Employed part-time
- 8,391
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.
Weather and climate in Berwick
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Berwick is January (average daytime high around 26.6°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.8°C). The area receives roughly 898 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.6°C | 14.9°C | 64 mm |
| Feb | 25.3°C | 14.3°C | 44 mm |
| Mar | 23.5°C | 13.6°C | 58 mm |
| Apr | 19.7°C | 11.1°C | 72 mm |
| May | 15.9°C | 9.1°C | 81 mm |
| Jun | 13.4°C | 7.1°C | 81 mm |
| Jul | 12.8°C | 6.7°C | 71 mm |
| Aug | 13.6°C | 6.8°C | 85 mm |
| Sep | 16.2°C | 7.9°C | 83 mm |
| Oct | 19.3°C | 9.3°C | 95 mm |
| Nov | 21.2°C | 11°C | 96 mm |
| Dec | 24.2°C | 12.7°C | 68 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Places in and around Berwick
Amenities mapped within about 1.2km of the suburb centre, from OpenStreetMap. A guide to what's nearby — not a complete directory.
Eat & drink
8 nearbyStudent Lounge, Bar & Bistro · Coffee/Asian food · Little by Little Cafe · Jai Ho · McDonald's · KFC
Parks & recreation
106 nearbyJump Swim School Berwick · Buchanan Park · Jack Kirkham Reserve · Paddington Terrace Reserve · Berwick Primary School Oval · Splash's Swimming School
Shops & groceries
3 nearbyAustralian Butchers Store Berwick · Coles · EG Ampol
Healthcare
17 nearbyCasey Superclinic · 24 hour pharmacy · Berwick Healthcare · Your Doctor · Berwick Orthodontic Specialists · South East Orthodontics
Schools & education
11 nearbyFederation University Berwick Campus · Beaconhills College Berwick Campus · Berwick Primary School · Haileybury College · Chisholm Institute · St Michael's Primary School
Things to do
3 nearbyFederation University Library · Berwick Neighbourhood Centre · Berwick Orchid Club Inc.
Eat & drink in and around Berwick
Cafés, restaurants, pubs and takeaway mapped within about 1.2km of the suburb centre. Listings are drawn from OpenStreetMap and shown as plain data — we don't rank or rate them.
Own a café, restaurant or pub around here?
Claim your listing to feature it at the top of this section. Placement is paid advertising, clearly labelled — never editorial opinion.
Claim this listing- Coffee/Asian foodCafé
- Jai HoRestaurantjaiho-indian-restaurant.com
- KFCTakeaway15 Clyde Roadkfc.com.au
- Little by Little CafeCafé2-10 Reserve Street, Berwick
- McDonald'sTakeaway2 Kangan Drive, Berwickmcdonalds.com.au
- Student Lounge, Bar & BistroCafé
Showing 6 mapped places; more may exist that aren't yet on OpenStreetMap.
Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Own a venue here? Suggest a correction.
Share your local knowledge of Berwick
Lived here or spent time in Berwick? Add a review or a quick tip. Reviews and tips are moderated before they appear.
Common questions about Berwick
Is Berwick a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage, housing affordability, amenities, green space and transport, Berwick rates 69/100 overall (Strong on the data we score). Schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Berwick?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Berwick was $400, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,000. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Berwick?
Berwick is a suburb of Victoria, Australia, in the Casey local government area.
What is the population of Berwick?
At the 2021 Census, Berwick had a population of about 50,298.
Is Berwick an advantaged area?
Berwick has an ABS SEIFA score of 1043, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 80 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 80% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Berwick?
Berwick has average daytime highs of about 19.3°C and overnight lows of about 10.4°C, with roughly 898 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Berwick?
Berwick is one of the most populous suburbs in Victoria — the 7th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 50,298 usual residents).
Where Berwick ranks
Berwick appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in Victoria#7 of 25
- Largest suburbs in Australia#8 of 25
Nearby suburbs in Victoria
More suburb guides in Victoria
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.