Little River
At 181.2 square kilometres with only 1,353 residents, Little River is one of the least densely populated localities on the Geelong corridor, averaging 7.5 people per km2. That spatial reality shapes everything else: 100% of dwellings are separate houses, 54.2% have 4 or more bedrooms, and 46.5% are owned outright, a rate well above the national average. Household incomes sit at the 75.2nd percentile nationally, yet the suburb's Anglo-Celtic heritage, 89.3% car dependency, and 86.1% residential stability all point to an established, low-turnover community rather than a growth frontier.
Local council: Greater Geelong (63% of the suburb; the rest sits in a neighbouring council)
Population
1,353
Median Age
42.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,005/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
5
No median house price data is available for Little River, reflecting the thinly traded nature of a suburb with only 1,353 residents. What the data does show is that monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167, and mortgage-to-income sits at 25.0%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. The housing stock is 100% separate houses, with 54.2% having 4 or more bedrooms and 39.5% having 3 bedrooms, so buyers can expect large family-oriented homes on substantial land. Outright owners make up 46.5% of households, higher than the national average, which signals long-held tenure and limited forced selling pressure. Weekly rents average $427, modest by VIC standards.
For Buyers
No median house price data is available for Little River, reflecting the thinly traded nature of a suburb with only 1,353 residents. What the data does show is that monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167, and mortgage-to-income sits at 25.0%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. The housing stock is 100% separate houses, with 54.2% having 4 or more bedrooms and 39.5% having 3 bedrooms, so buyers can expect large family-oriented homes on substantial land. Outright owners make up 46.5% of households, higher than the national average, which signals long-held tenure and limited forced selling pressure. Weekly rents average $427, modest by VIC standards.
For Investors
Little River presents a narrow rental market: only 11.1% of households rent, compared to the national average of around 30%, limiting the tenant pool. Weekly rent of $427 and a vacancy rate of 7.6% both indicate limited rental demand relative to supply. Just 6 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, suggesting minimal new supply pressure but also limited growth momentum. The mortgage-to-income ratio of 25.0% means current owner-occupiers are not financially stretched, which moderates distressed-sale risk. With no forecast or price trend data available, the investment case rests on the suburb's infrastructure linkage to Geelong rather than demonstrated yield or capital growth metrics.
Development Activity
Total DAs
5
Last 12 Months
5
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
$110K
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Little River
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Little River Primary School
Demographics
The median age of 42 is 2 years above the national figure, consistent with a settled owner-occupier base. Overseas-born residents account for 17.6% of the population, 4 percentage points below the national average, and ancestry is predominantly Anglo-Celtic: English (458 residents), Scottish (156) and Irish (144) are the top three groups. University qualifications reach only 20.8%, which is 9.3 percentage points below the national rate, reflecting an occupational base weighted toward trades and hands-on industries. Average household size of 3.0 is 0.5 above the national average, and couples with children (428 families) outnumber couples without (238), reinforcing the family-oriented character. About 86.1% of residents had not changed address in the five years before the Census.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
100.0%
Houses
0.0%
Townhouse
0.0%
Apartment
Tenure
Every dwelling in Little River is a separate house, a rate of 100% that stands in sharp contrast to the national mix. The size profile skews large: 54.2% have 4 or more bedrooms and 39.5% have 3 bedrooms, with only 5.3% having 2 bedrooms. Tenure favours ownership, with 46.5% owned outright and 42.4% under mortgage, leaving renters at just 11.1%. Monthly mortgage repayments of $2,167 produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 25.0%, below the 30% stress threshold even though household income is already at the 75.2nd percentile nationally. Rent-to-income sits at 21.3%, also not stressed. The vacancy rate of 7.6% is elevated relative to typical residential norms, likely reflecting the semi-rural nature of the area and some holiday or lifestyle properties.
Mortgage / mo
$2,167
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$427
Census 2021
HH Size
3.0
Personal Income / wk
$750
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.6%
Unoccupied
33
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.0%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
51.5%
Couples with children
35.2%
Couples, no children
12.5%
Single parent
344
Total families
Economy & Employment
Construction is the dominant industry at 15.6% of employed residents (55 workers), followed by Healthcare at 13.1% (46 workers) and Public Admin at 9.1% (32 workers), with Manufacturing and Education each at 8.8%. By occupation, Managers (93) and Professionals (88) lead the white-collar side, while Labourers (65) and Machinery/Drivers (64) together reflect a significant trade and agricultural workforce, consistent with a semi-rural locality. The full-time employment rate is 67.4% and unemployment stands at 4.7%, slightly above the national target rate but not unusually high for a small regional locality. Participation at 52.6% is low, because 346 residents are outside the labour force, a share partly explained by the older median age of 42.
Unemployment
4.3%
Labour Force
632
Unemployed
27
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
61.2%
Part-time
29.6%
Participation
57.7%
Employed
605
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
20.8%
Postgraduate
7.0%
Born Overseas
17.6%
Dwellings
400
Transport to Work
Car dependency in Little River is near-absolute: 89.3% of workers drive, compared to the national average, and only 2.2% use public transport. That reflects the semi-rural layout across 181.2 km2 with limited transit infrastructure. Crime totalled 270 incidents at a rate of 199.6 per 1,000 residents, which is elevated relative to many suburban benchmarks and is dominated by property and deception offences (204 incidents, or 75.6% of total). SEIFA indices are not available for Little River. On the positive side, volunteering reaches 16.8%, and housing stress is absent: mortgage-to-income at 25.0% and rent-to-income at 21.3% both sit below stress thresholds.
Drive
63.3%
Public Transport
1.6%
Walk / Cycle
1.2%
Work from Home
29.1%
Growth Outlook
Population forecast and price trend data are not available for Little River in this dataset. The suburb's residential stability is high: 86.1% of residents had not moved in the five years before the Census, a turnover rate of only 13.9% that is below typical metropolitan norms. With just 6 development applications in 12 months and 100% detached housing stock, supply expansion is minimal. The small population of 1,353 across 181.2 km2 means even modest infrastructure or rezoning decisions could materially shift the suburb's character. Household income at the 75.2nd percentile nationally indicates residents are above average earners, which supports underlying demand stability even without measurable price or population growth data.
Population trend: Greater Geelong council area
About 63% of Little River sits in Greater Geelong; the rest is in a neighbouring council. These are the council area's residents, not Little River's.
Residents 2025
295,052
Growth, 5 yr average
+2.1%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+2.2%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
270
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
199.6
Offence Categories
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Little River compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Little River a good suburb to live in?
Little River suits families and owner-occupiers who want large detached homes with space: 100% of dwellings are separate houses, 54.2% have 4 or more bedrooms, and 46.5% are owned outright. Household incomes sit at the 75.2nd percentile nationally.
What is the median house price in Little River?
No median house price data is available for Little River, reflecting the limited transaction volume in a suburb of only 1,353 residents. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167 and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 25.0%, below the 30% stress threshold. Weekly rent averages $427.
What schools are in Little River?
Families travel to neighbouring suburbs for primary and secondary education. The suburb's university qualification rate is 20.8%, which is 9.3 percentage points below the national average, consistent with a trade and services workforce base.
Is Little River safe?
Crime in Little River totalled 270 incidents at a rate of 199.6 per 1,000 residents, which is elevated compared to many suburban areas. Property and deception offences account for 204 of those incidents (75.6%), followed by 38 crimes against the person. SEIFA disadvantage indices are not available to provide further context.
Is Little River good for property investment?
The rental market is thin: only 11.1% of households rent, well below the national average of around 30%, and the vacancy rate sits at 7.6%. Weekly rent of $427 is modest. With no price trend data available and just 6 development applications in 12 months, the investment case depends on longer-term infrastructure and rezoning prospects along the Geelong corridor rather than current yield metrics.
How is Little River's population changing?
Population forecast data is not available for Little River. The suburb's residential stability is high, with 86.1% of residents not having moved in the five years before the Census, a turnover rate of only 13.9%. The current population is 1,353 across 181.2 km2, giving a density of 7.5 people per km2, far below metropolitan norms.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications).
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