Sorrento (Vic.), VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Sorrento is a seaside town on the tip of Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula and a good drive south of Melbourne. The Boonwurrung people have lived across the peninsula for many thousands of years and knew the area as Bullanatoolong. In 1803 a short-lived British convict settlement was established nearby at Sullivan Bay under Lieutenant-Governor David Collins — the first British settlement on mainland Australia outside the Sydney region — though it was abandoned within months and moved to Hobart. The modern name, after the Italian seaside town, was conferred on what had been Sullivans Bay when the land was opened for housing in 1869. Sorrento is known for its limestone buildings, grand old hotels such as the Continental, and its summer ferries to Queenscliff and Portsea.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Sorrento (Vic.) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 95% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1099, 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.
Sorrento (Vic.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,013
- Median age
- 64
- Median weekly household income
- $1,658
- SEIFA score
- 1099
- Coordinates
- -38.3437, 144.7401
Sorrento (Vic.) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Sorrento (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 seniors (65+) at 49%, 13% of homes are rented, and 15% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 168 | 8% |
| Youth (15–24) | 102 | 5% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 208 | 10% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 529 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 987 | 49% |
Share of the 1,994 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 536 | 63% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 166 | 20% |
| Rented | 108 | 13% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 814 | 97% |
| Townhouses & semis | 9 | 1% |
| Flats & apartments | 16 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 843 occupied private dwellings in Sorrento (Vic.).
- Median weekly rent
- $462
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,167
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,215
- Median weekly personal income
- $936
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 267 (15%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 85 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 0 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,086 (60%)
- Labour-force participation
- 41.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.5%
- Employed full-time
- 338
- Employed part-time
- 341
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 Sorrento (Vic.)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Sorrento (Vic.) is January (average daytime high around 22.3°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.8°C). The area receives roughly 678 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22.3°C | 16.5°C | 53 mm |
| Feb | 21.8°C | 16.3°C | 31 mm |
| Mar | 20.9°C | 15.7°C | 42 mm |
| Apr | 18.4°C | 13.7°C | 58 mm |
| May | 15.6°C | 11.4°C | 65 mm |
| Jun | 13.3°C | 9.6°C | 60 mm |
| Jul | 12.8°C | 8.8°C | 51 mm |
| Aug | 13.1°C | 8.8°C | 58 mm |
| Sep | 15°C | 9.9°C | 61 mm |
| Oct | 17.2°C | 11.2°C | 74 mm |
| Nov | 18.6°C | 12.8°C | 69 mm |
| Dec | 20.5°C | 14.5°C | 56 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Sorrento (Vic.)
Where is Sorrento (Vic.)?
Sorrento (Vic.) is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Sorrento (Vic.)?
At the 2021 Census, Sorrento (Vic.) had a population of about 2,013.
Is Sorrento (Vic.) an advantaged area?
Sorrento (Vic.) has an ABS SEIFA score of 1099, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 95 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 95% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Sorrento (Vic.)?
Sorrento (Vic.) has average daytime highs of about 17.5°C and overnight lows of about 12.4°C, with roughly 678 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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