Williamstown (Vic.), VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Williamstown sits on a small peninsula about 11 km south-west of central Melbourne, looking back across the bay to the city skyline. Its land belonged to the Yalukit-willam clan of the Kulin nation, who are said to have called the area koort-boork-boork, 'clump of she-oaks'. It was named in 1837 after the reigning king, William IV, and for a time served as Port Phillip's main anchorage before Melbourne took over. Maritime work shaped the suburb — shipbuilding, railway workshops and a working port that continues today with BAE Systems' naval yards. Now it is best known for its seafront: the restaurants and waterfront of Nelson Place, heritage streets and the museum ship HMAS Castlemaine.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Williamstown (Vic.) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 96% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1107, 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.
Williamstown (Vic.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 14,407
- Median age
- 45
- Median weekly household income
- $2,411
- SEIFA score
- 1107
- Coordinates
- -37.8610, 144.8886
Williamstown (Vic.) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Williamstown (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 33%, 24% of homes are rented, and 23% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,592 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,699 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,792 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 4,714 | 33% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,617 | 18% |
Share of the 14,414 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,200 | 40% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,820 | 33% |
| Rented | 1,338 | 24% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3,070 | 56% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,651 | 30% |
| Flats & apartments | 719 | 13% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 5,459 occupied private dwellings in Williamstown (Vic.).
- Median weekly rent
- $450
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,700
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,262
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,106
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 3,250 (23%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 2,141 (15%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 94 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 8,065 (72%)
- Labour-force participation
- 65.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.5%
- Employed full-time
- 4,483
- Employed part-time
- 2,455
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 Williamstown (Vic.)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Williamstown (Vic.) 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).
Common questions about Williamstown (Vic.)
Where is Williamstown (Vic.)?
Williamstown (Vic.) is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Williamstown (Vic.)?
At the 2021 Census, Williamstown (Vic.) had a population of about 14,407.
Is Williamstown (Vic.) an advantaged area?
Williamstown (Vic.) has an ABS SEIFA score of 1107, 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 Williamstown (Vic.)?
Williamstown (Vic.) 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).
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