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.
Berwick at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 50,298
- Median age
- 38
- Median weekly household income
- $2,113
- SEIFA score
- 1043
- Coordinates
- -38.0424, 145.3492
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%, 22% of homes are rented, 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.
- Median weekly rent
- $400
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,000
- 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).
Common questions about Berwick
Where is Berwick?
Berwick is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
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.