Port Melbourne, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Port Melbourne is an inner-city suburb on the shores of Hobsons Bay, about three kilometres south-west of central Melbourne, where the Yarra River meets the sea. Originally known as Sandridge, it grew during the gold rush of the 1850s into the city's second great port, and a railway built in 1854 linked the docks to town. For generations Station Pier and the neighbouring Princes Pier were the first sight of Australia for migrants arriving by ship before affordable air travel. Once a working harbour lined with refineries, mills and factories, Port Melbourne has been transformed over recent decades into a sought-after residential area, with old industrial sites reborn as the waterfront Beacon Cove development. Bay Street remains its historic main street, busy with shops, restaurants and cafes, while the West Gate Bridge soars across the river at its western edge.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Port Melbourne is more socio-economically advantaged than about 96% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1112, 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 Port Melbourne 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 2 components we can score for Port Melbourne 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
96/100Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (96/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
4/100Among the more expensive suburbs
Median weekly rent was $540 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 4% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- 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.
Port Melbourne at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 17,633
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $2,372
- SEIFA score
- 1112
- Local government area
- Port Phillip
- Coordinates
- -37.8350, 144.9232
Map of Port Melbourne
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Port Melbourne
What it costs to live in Port Melbourne and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $540
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $2,500
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 54%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 43%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Port Melbourne demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Port Melbourne demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Port Melbourne 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 33% and 32% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,427 | 14% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,382 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 5,841 | 33% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 5,147 | 29% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,835 | 16% |
Share of the 17,632 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,019 | 26% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,231 | 28% |
| Rented | 3,392 | 43% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 467 | 6% |
| Townhouses & semis | 3,434 | 44% |
| Flats & apartments | 3,912 | 50% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 7,839 occupied private dwellings in Port Melbourne.
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,264
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,366
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 5,290 (32%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 3,622 (22%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 89 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 10,823 (73%)
- Labour-force participation
- 67.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 4%
- Employed full-time
- 6,752
- Employed part-time
- 2,454
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 Port Melbourne
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Port Melbourne is January (average daytime high around 27°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.9°C). The area receives roughly 724 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27°C | 14.9°C | 62 mm |
| Feb | 25.8°C | 14.1°C | 32 mm |
| Mar | 24°C | 13.3°C | 47 mm |
| Apr | 20°C | 10.5°C | 62 mm |
| May | 16°C | 8.4°C | 63 mm |
| Jun | 13.4°C | 6.5°C | 63 mm |
| Jul | 12.9°C | 6.1°C | 50 mm |
| Aug | 13.7°C | 6.2°C | 59 mm |
| Sep | 16.3°C | 7.3°C | 65 mm |
| Oct | 19.6°C | 8.8°C | 76 mm |
| Nov | 21.6°C | 10.8°C | 79 mm |
| Dec | 24.5°C | 12.6°C | 66 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Port Melbourne
Is Port Melbourne a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Port Melbourne rates 65/100 overall (Strong on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Port Melbourne?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Port Melbourne was $540, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,500. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Port Melbourne?
Port Melbourne is a suburb of Victoria, Australia, in the Port Phillip local government area.
What is the population of Port Melbourne?
At the 2021 Census, Port Melbourne had a population of about 17,633.
Is Port Melbourne an advantaged area?
Port Melbourne has an ABS SEIFA score of 1112, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 96 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 96% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Port Melbourne?
Port Melbourne has average daytime highs of about 19.6°C and overnight lows of about 10°C, with roughly 724 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
Nearby suburbs in Victoria
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