Portland (Vic.), VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Portland sits on Portland Bay in far south-west Victoria, about 362 kilometres west of Melbourne. It lies on the traditional country of the Gunditjmara people. The British navigator James Grant named the bay in 1800 after the Duke of Portland. Widely regarded as Victoria's first permanent European settlement, the town took root when Edward Henty landed in 1834 and his family established farming and a shore-based whaling station. Portland was proclaimed a city in 1985. Its sheltered deep-water harbour, among the few deep-sea ports between Melbourne and Adelaide, anchors the economy alongside an aluminium smelter, a fishing fleet and nearby wind farms. Attractions include the Maritime Museum, the cable tram and the Great South West Walk.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Portland (Vic.) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 10% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 891, 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.
Portland (Vic.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 10,016
- Median age
- 47
- Median weekly household income
- $1,146
- SEIFA score
- 891
- Coordinates
- -38.3678, 141.6085
Portland (Vic.) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Portland (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 28%, 27% of homes are rented, and 10% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,572 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,049 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,033 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,849 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,508 | 25% |
Share of the 10,011 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,680 | 40% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,231 | 30% |
| Rented | 1,111 | 27% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3,662 | 88% |
| Townhouses & semis | 392 | 9% |
| Flats & apartments | 55 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 4,148 occupied private dwellings in Portland (Vic.).
- Median weekly rent
- $250
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,083
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,486
- Median weekly personal income
- $617
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 948 (10%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 342 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 305 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,926 (36%)
- Labour-force participation
- 52.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.4%
- Employed full-time
- 2,231
- Employed part-time
- 1,601
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 Portland (Vic.)
Where is Portland (Vic.)?
Portland (Vic.) is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Portland (Vic.)?
At the 2021 Census, Portland (Vic.) had a population of about 10,016.
Is Portland (Vic.) an advantaged area?
Portland (Vic.) has an ABS SEIFA score of 891, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 10 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 10% of Australian suburbs.
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