Torquay
Torquay's housing market has more holiday-home slack than most growth suburbs: vacancy is 20.9% even while the median house price is $1,200,000 and household income sits in the 87.9 percentile. The suburb is strongly detached and owner-heavy, with 90.8% separate houses and 78.0% owned outright or with a mortgage, which helps explain the family-sized 2.7-person households. Compared with nearby Jan Juc and Grovedale, Torquay reads as a Surf Coast lifestyle market defined by high incomes, large homes and a still-growing population base of 18,534.
Population
18,534
Median Age
39.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,295/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
16
Median House
$1.2M
Apr-Jun 2024
Homebuyers need a premium budget, but current repayments look manageable for local incomes because mortgage costs are 21.8% of household income and the median monthly mortgage is $2,167. The $1,200,000 median house price is 11.1% below the 2022 peak of $1,350,000, so buyers are not paying the top of the recent cycle. Stock is overwhelmingly family scale: 90.8% separate houses, 51.5% with 4 or more bedrooms and only 0.6% apartments. That suits households wanting space rather than a lower-maintenance apartment market.
For Buyers
Homebuyers need a premium budget, but current repayments look manageable for local incomes because mortgage costs are 21.8% of household income and the median monthly mortgage is $2,167. The $1,200,000 median house price is 11.1% below the 2022 peak of $1,350,000, so buyers are not paying the top of the recent cycle. Stock is overwhelmingly family scale: 90.8% separate houses, 51.5% with 4 or more bedrooms and only 0.6% apartments. That suits households wanting space rather than a lower-maintenance apartment market.
For Investors
Investors face a yield story with clear trade-offs. Weekly rent is $500 and 22.0% of homes are rented, but the 20.9% vacancy rate is a higher risk signal than the renter share alone suggests because seasonal and second-home stock can interrupt steady tenancy. Pipeline pressure looks moderate, with 13 development applications in 12 months, including subdivision activity. Demand is helped by balanced migration, averaging +186 net internal and +170 net overseas residents a year, while rents have grown 47.1% across the shift period.
Development Activity
Total DAs
28
Last 12 Months
16
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+128.6%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Torquay iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Therese School
Prep-6 · 332 students
Lisieux Catholic Primary School
Prep-6 · 333 students
Torquay Coast Primary School
Prep-6 · 678 students
Torquay P-6 College
Prep-6 · 617 students
Surf Coast Secondary College
7-12 · 879 students
Demographics
Torquay skews educated and locally born rather than migrant-heavy. The median age is 39, 1.0 year below the national benchmark, while 42.0% hold a university qualification, 11.9 percentage points above national. Only 13.9% were born overseas, 7.7 points lower than national, so English, Irish and Scottish ancestry counts of 7,998, 2,957 and 2,465 dominate more than in many Melbourne growth areas. Small Italian, French and German language groups, each under 50 speakers, add some cultural breadth without changing the Anglo-leaning profile.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
90.8%
Houses
8.4%
Townhouse
0.6%
Apartment
Tenure
Torquay's housing is detached, expensive and still below its cycle high. The median house price is $1,200,000 in Apr-Jun 2024, up 106.9% from $580,000 in 2013, with a 5.3% compound annual rise over 14 years. It remains 11.1% below the 2022 peak of $1,350,000, giving buyers more negotiating room than during the boom. Ownership is deep because 34.0% own outright and 44.0% have a mortgage, while 51.5% of dwellings have 4 or more bedrooms and only 8.1% have 2 bedrooms.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,167
Rent / wk
$500
HH Size
2.7
Personal Income / wk
$1,018
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
20.9%
Unoccupied
1,687
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.8%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
25.8%
Couples, no children
15,015
Total families
Economy & Employment
Torquay's economy is more professional and public-service based than a simple surf-tourism image implies. Healthcare employs 1,193 people or 17.0%, education 1,014 or 14.4%, and construction 912 or 13.0%, supported by professional/tech at 659 and public admin at 615. Professionals are the largest occupation group at 2,740, ahead of 1,613 managers, which helps explain household income in the 87.9 percentile. SEIFA is consistently above average: IEO decile 9, IER 9, IRSD 10 and IRSAD 9, with little anomaly between advantage and resources.
Unemployment
1.4%
Labour Force
14,773
Unemployed
207
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
61.5%
Part-time
35.1%
Participation
62.5%
Employed
8,684
Occupations
Top Industries
University
42.0%
Postgraduate
9.5%
Born Overseas
13.9%
Dwellings
6,360
Transport to Work
Livability favours families who drive. Only 0.6% commute by public transport and 89.4% drive, so daily life is easier with a car, although 4.9% walk or cycle. School choice is solid for a suburb of 18,534: 5 campuses span Government and Catholic sectors, with ICSEA scores from 1,060 to 1,119; St Therese, Lisieux Catholic and Torquay Coast Primary sit at the top. Safety is comparatively reassuring because the crime rate is 35.7 per 1,000 residents, while IRSAD decile 9 is above average for social advantage.
Drive
89.4%
Public Transport
0.6%
Walk / Cycle
4.9%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+2.98%/yr
(+792 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is not slowing into a retirement-only pattern. The trend forecast adds 2.98% a year, or about 792 people, with the medium path rising from 27,848 in 2026 to 31,807 in 2031. Migration is balanced rather than one-source, averaging +186 net internal and +170 net overseas residents annually. The gentrification score is 38 and the stage is Early signs, while the shift profile is aging: seniors are up 5.3 points, young residents down 1.4 points and working-age share down 3.0 points.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+170
Net Internal / yr
+186
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Net internal migration +186/yr, Accelerating: 23% → 39%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
662
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
35.7
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 Torquay compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Torquay a good suburb to live in?
Yes, Torquay suits households wanting coastal space, 5 local schools and above-average advantage, with IRSAD in decile 9. The main trade-off is car reliance, as 89.4% drive to work and only 0.6% use public transport.
What is the median house price in Torquay?
The median house price in Torquay is $1,200,000 for Apr-Jun 2024. That is 11.1% below the 2022 peak of $1,350,000, but still 106.9% higher than the $580,000 level recorded in 2013.
What schools are in Torquay?
Torquay has 5 local schools: St Therese School, Lisieux Catholic Primary School, Torquay Coast Primary School, Torquay P-6 College and Surf Coast Secondary College. ICSEA scores range from 1,060 to 1,119.
Is Torquay safe?
Torquay recorded 662 offences, equal to 35.7 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences were the largest category at 426 incidents, so safety looks reasonable overall but still varies by street and season.
Is Torquay good for property investment?
Torquay can suit patient investors, with $500 weekly rent and 47.1% rent growth across the shift period. The caution is vacancy at 20.9%, which is higher than the 22.0% renter share might suggest for steady leasing.
How is Torquay's population changing?
Torquay is forecast to keep growing at 2.98% a year, or about 792 people annually. The medium projection rises from 27,848 in 2026 to 31,807 in 2031, supported by +186 net internal and +170 net overseas migration a year.
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 Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), 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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