Safety Beach
A median age of 53 sets Safety Beach apart immediately, sitting 13 years above the national figure and pointing to a coastal retirement and downsizer base rather than a young-family market. Detached houses make up 77.8% of dwellings and apartments only 2.4%, so the housing is low-density by design. The reported 33.1% vacancy rate is unusually high and consistent with a large pool of holiday and second homes left empty outside peak season. University qualifications at 26.1% run 4.0 points below national, fitting a settled, owner-occupier profile where 43.4% own outright.
Population
6,328
Median Age
53.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,468/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
20
Median House
$1.2M
October to December 2025
The stock is firmly detached at 77.8% separate houses against just 2.4% apartments, so apartment shoppers have almost no choice here. Larger homes dominate, with 47.7% three-bedroom and 34.7% four-plus-bedroom dwellings, while two-bedroom homes are only 16.2%, reflecting the family-house and downsizer-villa mix on the peninsula. Owner-occupiers are deeply entrenched: 43.4% own outright and 31.9% carry a mortgage, leaving renters at 24.7%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,000, but because household income sits in only the 45.1st percentile, the mortgage-to-income ratio reaches 31.5%, above the 30% stress threshold and a real constraint for incoming buyers without strong equity.
For Buyers
The stock is firmly detached at 77.8% separate houses against just 2.4% apartments, so apartment shoppers have almost no choice here. Larger homes dominate, with 47.7% three-bedroom and 34.7% four-plus-bedroom dwellings, while two-bedroom homes are only 16.2%, reflecting the family-house and downsizer-villa mix on the peninsula. Owner-occupiers are deeply entrenched: 43.4% own outright and 31.9% carry a mortgage, leaving renters at 24.7%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,000, but because household income sits in only the 45.1st percentile, the mortgage-to-income ratio reaches 31.5%, above the 30% stress threshold and a real constraint for incoming buyers without strong equity.
For Investors
The 33.1% vacancy rate is the headline risk: it is far higher than a normal residential market and signals that much of the stock sits empty as holiday homes rather than year-round tenancies, thinning the permanent rental pool. Rent-to-income at 31.3% already trips the stress flag, capping how far local rents can climb. Development is steady but small, with 25 applications in the past 12 months, mostly single dwellings and minor subdivisions rather than new estates.
Development Activity
Total DAs
44
Last 12 Months
20
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+100.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
The median age of 53 is 13.0 years above the national figure, the single most defining feature, and it explains a participation rate of just 47.9% with 2,299 residents not in the labour force. Couples without children account for 42.1% of the 4,810 families, far outnumbering the 1,406 couples with children, which matches the retiree and empty-nester skew. Overseas-born residents sit at 22.4%, only 0.8 points above national, so the suburb is more Anglo than the typical Australian profile, led by English (2,636), Irish (682) and Scottish (668) ancestry. The largest non-English languages are Greek (75 speakers) and Italian (55), a small community footprint. University qualifications at 26.1% run 4.0 points below national, and average household size at 2.3 is 0.2 below national, both consistent with older, smaller households.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
77.8%
Houses
19.8%
Townhouse
2.4%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure is owner-dominated: 43.4% own outright, 31.9% hold a mortgage and only 24.7% rent, a split that reflects the older, established resident base. Outright owners outnumbering mortgage holders points to long-held, debt-free homes rather than recent churn. The stock is 77.8% separate houses with apartments at just 2.4% and semi-detached at 19.8%, so density stays low across the 5.95 km2 footprint. By size, 47.7% are three-bedroom and 34.7% four-plus-bedroom, leaving smaller dwellings scarce.
Mortgage / mo
$2,000
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$460
Census 2021
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$731
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
33.1%
Unoccupied
1,252
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
31.3% stressed
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
31.5% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
30.5%
Couples with children
54.8%
Couples, no children
14.1%
Single parent
1,840
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce is anchored in Healthcare at 18.2% (326 workers) and Construction at 16.2% (291), with Education at 11.4%, Manufacturing at 7.6% and Retail at 7.5% rounding out the top five, a mix weighted toward services and trades rather than corporate or finance roles. By occupation, Professionals (545) and Managers (472) lead, followed by Clerical and Admin (377). Unemployment is low at 3.3%, but the full-time employment rate of 58.5% and a participation rate of only 47.9% reflect the large retired cohort, with 2,299 residents outside the labour force entirely. Household income lands in the 45.1st percentile, just below the national midpoint, which is why mortgage and rent stress flags both trip here despite the high property values. SEIFA disadvantage scores are not available for this suburb in the dataset.
Unemployment
3.1%
Labour Force
2,916
Unemployed
89
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
53.3%
Part-time
37.7%
Participation
52.4%
Employed
2,827
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
26.1%
Postgraduate
4.8%
Born Overseas
22.4%
Dwellings
2,526
Transport to Work
Daily life is overwhelmingly car-based: 91.7% of commuters drive, while public transport carries just 1.0% and only 1.7% walk or cycle, reflecting the peninsula setting with limited rail access. Crime totals 322 recorded offences a year at a rate of 50.9 per 1,000 residents, with property and deception offences (177) the largest category, well ahead of crimes against the person (45), a profile weighted toward theft rather than violence. The population density of 1,064 per km2 is low, in keeping with the 77.8% detached-house stock and a quieter, more spacious feel. Volunteering runs at 13.4%, and 7.1% of residents (428 people) need daily assistance, higher than younger suburbs because the median age of 53 is 13.0 years above national. No schools are recorded inside the suburb boundary, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring Dromana and Mornington.
Drive
66.4%
Public Transport
0.8%
Walk / Cycle
1.2%
Work from Home
27.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
322
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
50.9
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 Safety Beach compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Safety Beach a good suburb to live in?
Safety Beach suits downsizers and retirees, with a median age of 53 that is 13 years above national and 43.4% of homes owned outright. It is quiet and low-density, with 77.8% detached houses, but car-dependent, as 91.7% of commuters drive and only 1.0% use public transport.
What schools are in Safety Beach?
No schools are recorded inside the Safety Beach boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs such as Dromana and Mornington. University qualifications among residents sit at 26.1%, which is 4.0 points below the national figure.
Is Safety Beach safe?
Safety Beach records 322 offences a year, a rate of 50.9 per 1,000 residents. The largest category is property and deception offences at 177, well ahead of crimes against the person at 45, so the profile leans toward theft rather than violent crime.
How is Safety Beach's population changing?
The population of 6,328 skews older, with a median age of 53 that is 13 years above national and 42.1% of families being couples without children. Turnover is low at 25.8%, so 74.2% of residents stayed put, reflecting a stable, established coastal community.
How much development is happening in Safety Beach?
There were 25 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, including double-storey dwellings and two-lot subdivisions. This is modest infill rather than estate-scale growth, consistent with a built-out coastal suburb where 77.8% of dwellings are detached houses.
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), Valuer-General Victoria (house prices), state education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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