Torquay (Vic.), VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Torquay sits on Victoria's Surf Coast about 21 kilometres south of Geelong, marking the eastern start of the Great Ocean Road. It is widely regarded as the home of Australian surfing: nearby Bells Beach hosts a long-running professional contest, and the surf brands Rip Curl and Quiksilver were both founded in the town. The area is Wadawurrung country, part of the Kulin nation around Port Phillip Bay. The town takes its name from Torquay in Devon, England, the home of an early settler, and was formally adopted in 1892. Today it draws holidaymakers to its patrolled beaches, the Surf Coast Walk, and the national surfing museum at the town's heart.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Torquay (Vic.) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 94% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1091, 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 Torquay (Vic.) 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 Torquay (Vic.) 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
94/100Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (94/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
6/100Among the more expensive suburbs
Median weekly rent was $500 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 6% 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.
Torquay (Vic.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 18,534
- Median age
- 39
- Median weekly household income
- $2,295
- SEIFA score
- 1091
- Local government area
- Surf Coast
- Coordinates
- -38.3127, 144.3245
Map of Torquay (Vic.)
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Torquay (Vic.)
What it costs to live in Torquay (Vic.) and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $500
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $2,167
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 76%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 21%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Torquay (Vic.) demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Torquay (Vic.) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Torquay (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 young adults (25–44) at 27% and 14% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 4,153 | 22% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,832 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 4,927 | 27% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 4,584 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,040 | 16% |
Share of the 18,536 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,103 | 33% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,720 | 43% |
| Rented | 1,359 | 21% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 5,778 | 91% |
| Townhouses & semis | 536 | 8% |
| Flats & apartments | 40 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 6,373 occupied private dwellings in Torquay (Vic.).
- Average household size
- 2.7 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,627
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,018
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,477 (14%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 873 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 118 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 9,309 (68%)
- Labour-force participation
- 67.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.2%
- Employed full-time
- 5,337
- Employed part-time
- 3,347
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 Torquay (Vic.)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Torquay (Vic.) is January (average daytime high around 23.8°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.8°C). The area receives roughly 567 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23.8°C | 14.8°C | 46 mm |
| Feb | 23.2°C | 14.6°C | 31 mm |
| Mar | 21.9°C | 13.9°C | 36 mm |
| Apr | 19.1°C | 11.5°C | 47 mm |
| May | 15.9°C | 9.3°C | 47 mm |
| Jun | 13.4°C | 7.5°C | 45 mm |
| Jul | 12.8°C | 6.8°C | 40 mm |
| Aug | 13.4°C | 6.9°C | 45 mm |
| Sep | 15.6°C | 7.9°C | 58 mm |
| Oct | 18.1°C | 9.3°C | 67 mm |
| Nov | 19.7°C | 10.9°C | 53 mm |
| Dec | 21.9°C | 12.7°C | 52 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Torquay (Vic.)
Is Torquay (Vic.) 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, Torquay (Vic.) 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 Torquay (Vic.)?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Torquay (Vic.) was $500, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,167. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Torquay (Vic.)?
Torquay (Vic.) is a suburb of Victoria, Australia, in the Surf Coast local government area.
What is the population of Torquay (Vic.)?
At the 2021 Census, Torquay (Vic.) had a population of about 18,534.
Is Torquay (Vic.) an advantaged area?
Torquay (Vic.) has an ABS SEIFA score of 1091, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 94 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 94% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Torquay (Vic.)?
Torquay (Vic.) has average daytime highs of about 18.2°C and overnight lows of about 10.5°C, with roughly 567 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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