Moving to Colac VIC 3250
What the official numbers say about living in Colac — before you pack a box.
At a glance
Housing: buy or rent
Budget around $463,000 for a median house or $423,500 for a unit (based on 2024 sales). Sale prices moved up about 97% between 2014 and 2024.
Renting? The census median is $260 a week, against a median household income of $1,108 a week.
About 68% of homes are owner-occupied and 31% rented, and the most common dwelling type is the house.
Who you'll be living with
Colac grew 6% between the 2011 and 2021 censuses (8,696 → 9,243 people).
Around 57% of households are families, averaging 2.2 people per home.
Largest overseas birthplaces: China, England, Taiwan; most spoken languages besides English: Mandarin, Samoan, Malayalam.
On the ABS advantage scale (SEIFA), Colac scores below the national average (decile 1 of 10).
The commute
The most common way to work is by car (86% of workers), while 6% work from home.
Nearest train station: Colac, 400 m south-east.
Nearest airport: Colac Airport, 10.2 km north-east.
The Melbourne CBD is roughly 134 km away in a straight line.
Daily life
Mapped locally so far: 9 schools · 9 cafes & restaurants · 4 supermarkets · 13 parks — see them all on the Colac profile.
What's actually nearby
Schools: Colac West Primary School 550 m · St Mary's Primary School 700 m · Colac Specialist School 750 m · Colac South West Primary School 1.1 km · Colac Primary School 1.3 km · Trinity College Colac 1.3 km · Colac Secondary College 1.3 km · Sacred Heart Primary School 1.5 km
Groceries: Woolworths 200 m · Aldi 550 m · Coles 900 m · Reynolds IGA 1.3 km
Parks and reserves: Memorial Square 400 m · Robertson Street Park 800 m · Lawrence Court Park 850 m · Inglis Court Park 900 m · Western Bay Playground 1.1 km · Hugh Murray Reserve 1.2 km · Eastern Reserve 1.3 km · Selwyn Brown Park 1.4 km
What you'll see in the garden
Birds recorded around Colac, most often seen first: Pacific Black Duck · Australasian Purple Swamphen · Black Swan · Silver Gull · Eurasian Coot · Australian Pelican.
How the neighbours compare
The suburbs nearest to Colac, side by side.
| Suburb | People | Median house | Advantage | Canopy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colac here | 9,243 | $463,000 | 1/10 | 9% |
| Elliminyt | 3,260 | $575,000 | 5/10 | 11% |
| Birregurra | 942 | $700,000 | 8/10 | 7% |
| Skenes Creek | 249 | — | 7/10 | 64% |
| Winchelsea | 2,456 | $645,000 | 4/10 | 2% |
| Apollo Bay | 1,790 | $900,000 | 4/10 | 61% |
| Wye River | 67 | — | 9/10 | 90% |
Before you move — quick checklist
- Your council will be Colac Otway — bins, rates, pets and permits live there.
- You'll vote in the federal electorate of Wannon — update your enrolment address.
- The postcode is 3250 — handy for utility sign-ups and quotes.
- Check street-level details on the full Colac profile (map, streets, amenities, wildlife).
In short
A house in Colac has a median sale price of $463,000 (2024 sales), and a unit $423,500. Renters pay a median $260 a week, and about 31% of homes here are rented.
The population grew 6% between the 2011 and 2021 censuses, from 8,696 people to 9,243. It sits about 134 km from the Melbourne CBD in a straight line, and Colac station is roughly 0.4 km away. Local government is Colac Otway council, and the federal seat is Wannon.
Weighing up alternatives?
Nearby guides: Elliminyt · Birregurra · Skenes Creek · Winchelsea · Apollo Bay · Wye River.
Keep an eye on Colac
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