Question 1

Is Barwon Heads a nice place to live?

Accepted Answer

Barwon Heads sits where the Barwon River meets Port Phillip Bay and combines a holiday seaside feel with an established village atmosphere. Its sandy surf beach, winding river estuary, coastal dunes and the timber Barwon Heads Bridge set the scene, while housing ranges from weatherboard cottages and classic holiday shacks to contemporary beachside residences. A compact main street of cafés, eateries and boutique shops sits alongside the Barwon Heads Golf Club, a surf club and convenient river boat launching, and the town is popular with families, retirees and people who enjoy surfing, boating and fishing.

The community numbers 4,353 people with a median age of 46, and families are dominated by couples, with couple families with children (43.8%) and without children (43.6%) together making up about 87.4% of families. Homes are largely owner-occupied (49.0% owned outright and 35.0% owned with a mortgage, with renters at 16.0%). Local projects under way or planned include the Barwon Heads Road Upgrade Stage 2, which will add lanes, upgrade intersections and signals and deliver shared walking and cycling paths, a Village Park Master Plan to guide park upgrades, a draft Barwon Coast Foreshore Master Plan for future foreshore works, and a completed major sewer pipeline upgrade; the long-form Barwon Heads Structure Plan remains the local planning framework.

Question 2

Is it expensive to live in Barwon Heads?

Accepted Answer

For Barwon Heads 3227 the median total household income at the last Census was $2,226 a week. A house rent of $695 a week would take about 31.2% of that weekly income, a sizeable share, while a unit rent of $600 a week would take about 27.0%, a moderate share. The median house price of $1,360,000 is about 11.7 times a typical local household's annual income as recorded at the last Census.

On these figures, buying a house sits well above what a typical local household earned at the last Census, while renting would take a moderate to sizeable share of local income. Whether that feels expensive depends on your own income and circumstances.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

Question 3

Is Barwon Heads a good place to invest?

Accepted Answer

House values in Barwon Heads fell 6.8% over the past 12 months, while house rents rose 6.9% over the same period. The value change speaks to capital growth and the rent change speaks to rental income, so over the year rental income was the stronger performer here as rents increased while prices slipped. Whether that trade-off suits your goals and circumstances is for you to weigh up.

This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.

	Houses	Units
Median price Past 3 months	$1.36M	N/A
Change in value Past 12 months	-6.8%	N/A
Sold Past 3 months	21	N/A
Median days on market Past 12 months	76	N/A
Average rent Past 12 months	$695	$600
Change in rent Past 12 months	6.9%	0.8%

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