Ocean Grove, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Ocean Grove is the largest town on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula, set where the Barwon River meets Bass Strait about 98 kilometres south-west of Melbourne and 23 kilometres from Geelong, with Barwon Heads just across the river. It takes its name from the Methodist community of Ocean Grove in New Jersey: in 1887 developers subdivided the land into some 2,500 blocks under a covenant banning the sale of alcohol, and the first church service was held on New Year's Day 1888. Today the town is best known for its long surf beach, and its population swells several times over during the summer holidays. Tourism drives the local economy, alongside orchards, market gardens and wineries.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Ocean Grove is more socio-economically advantaged than about 85% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1054, 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.
Ocean Grove at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 17,714
- Median age
- 43
- Median weekly household income
- $1,837
- SEIFA score
- 1054
- Coordinates
- -38.2583, 144.5305
Ocean Grove demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Ocean Grove 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 26%, 19% of homes are rented, and 12% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 3,548 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,602 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 4,000 | 23% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 4,625 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,941 | 22% |
Share of the 17,716 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,696 | 41% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,454 | 37% |
| Rented | 1,214 | 19% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 6,136 | 93% |
| Townhouses & semis | 393 | 6% |
| Flats & apartments | 20 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 6,567 occupied private dwellings in Ocean Grove.
- Median weekly rent
- $420
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,000
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,299
- Median weekly personal income
- $856
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,007 (12%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 604 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 112 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 8,266 (61%)
- Labour-force participation
- 61.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.6%
- Employed full-time
- 4,381
- Employed part-time
- 3,389
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 Ocean Grove
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Ocean Grove is January (average daytime high around 22.7°C) and the coolest is July (around 13.1°C). The area receives roughly 590 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22.7°C | 16.1°C | 50 mm |
| Feb | 22.3°C | 15.9°C | 28 mm |
| Mar | 21.4°C | 15.3°C | 36 mm |
| Apr | 18.9°C | 13°C | 49 mm |
| May | 16°C | 10.7°C | 50 mm |
| Jun | 13.6°C | 8.9°C | 46 mm |
| Jul | 13.1°C | 8.2°C | 42 mm |
| Aug | 13.6°C | 8.3°C | 49 mm |
| Sep | 15.6°C | 9.4°C | 59 mm |
| Oct | 17.7°C | 10.8°C | 68 mm |
| Nov | 19.1°C | 12.3°C | 60 mm |
| Dec | 21°C | 14.1°C | 53 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Ocean Grove
Where is Ocean Grove?
Ocean Grove is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Ocean Grove?
At the 2021 Census, Ocean Grove had a population of about 17,714.
Is Ocean Grove an advantaged area?
Ocean Grove has an ABS SEIFA score of 1054, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 85 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 85% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Ocean Grove?
Ocean Grove has average daytime highs of about 17.9°C and overnight lows of about 11.9°C, with roughly 590 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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