Moving to Portarlington VIC 3223
What the official numbers say about living in Portarlington — before you pack a box.
At a glance
Housing: buy or rent
Budget around $890,000 for a median house or $757,500 for a unit (based on 2024 sales). Sale prices moved up about 115% between 2014 and 2024.
Renting? The census median is $331 a week, against a median household income of $1,064 a week.
Who you'll be living with
Portarlington grew 24% between the 2011 and 2021 censuses (3,580 → 4,436 people).
Largest overseas birthplaces: England, New Zealand, Malta; most spoken languages besides English: Greek, Italian, Croatian.
On the ABS advantage scale (SEIFA), Portarlington sits around the national average (decile 4 of 10).
The commute
The most common way to work is by car (67% of workers), while 28% work from home.
Nearest ferry wharf: Port Phillip Ferries (Portarlington-Docklands), 750 m north.
Nearest airport: Avalon Airport, 18.1 km north-west.
The Melbourne CBD is roughly 44 km away in a straight line.
Daily life
Mapped locally so far: 1 school · 7 cafes & restaurants · 1 supermarket · 8 parks · 1 beach — see them all on the Portarlington profile.
What's actually nearby
Schools: Portarlington Primary School 450 m
Groceries: Woolworths 350 m
Parks and reserves: Wiffen Park 500 m · SS Nash Reserve 500 m · W.G. Little Reserve 550 m · Arlington Rise Reserve 550 m · Nottingham Reserve 700 m · Evandale Reserve 1.1 km · Hawthorn Reserve 1.8 km · Willey Langdon Reserve 2.3 km
What you'll see in the garden
Birds recorded around Portarlington, most often seen first: Red Wattlebird · Silver Gull · Magpie-lark · Welcome Swallow · Australian Magpie · Superb Fairy-wren.
How the neighbours compare
The suburbs nearest to Portarlington, side by side.
| Suburb | People | Median house | Advantage | Canopy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portarlington here | 4,436 | $890,000 | 4/10 | 6% |
| Indented Head | 1,391 | $822,500 | 6/10 | 7% |
| St Leonards | 3,542 | $720,000 | 4/10 | 9% |
| Clifton Springs | 7,646 | $672,000 | 4/10 | 9% |
| Drysdale | 4,976 | $685,000 | 5/10 | 6% |
| Curlewis | 4,175 | $650,000 | 6/10 | 6% |
| Queenscliff | 1,516 | $1,280,000 | 9/10 | 16% |
Before you move — quick checklist
- Your council will be Greater Geelong — bins, rates, pets and permits live there.
- You'll vote in the federal electorate of Corangamite — update your enrolment address.
- The postcode is 3223 — handy for utility sign-ups and quotes.
- Check street-level details on the full Portarlington profile (map, streets, amenities, wildlife).
In short
A house in Portarlington has a median sale price of $890,000 (2024 sales), and a unit $757,500. Renters pay a median $331 a week.
The population grew 24% between the 2011 and 2021 censuses, from 3,580 people to 4,436. It sits about 44 km from the Melbourne CBD in a straight line. Local government is Greater Geelong council, and the federal seat is Corangamite.
Weighing up alternatives?
Side-by-side: Portarlington vs St Leonards · Portarlington vs Clifton Springs.
Nearby guides: Indented Head · St Leonards · Clifton Springs · Drysdale · Curlewis · Queenscliff.
Keep an eye on Portarlington
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