Colac Otway

22,209 residents (ABS estimated resident population, 30 June 2025) across 3,438 km², 71 suburbs. Council website: colacotway.vic.gov.au.

Council series run to July 2026.

Population

22,209

ABS estimated resident population, 30 June 2025 · 0.0% in a year

Density

6.5/km²

3,438 km² · ERP 2025 over the ABS 2024 boundary

Council-wide house median

$530k

Established-house transfers across the whole council, FY 2023-24 (ABS)

Federal grants per resident

$414

Financial Assistance Grant 2025-26 over ERP 2025

Dwelling approvals

9.6 per 1,000

Residents, 12 months to July 2026 (ABS Building Approvals)

Advantage decile

4 of 10

SEIFA 2021 IRSAD, national (10 = most advantaged)

Suburbs

Where it holds most residents (ABS mesh-block allocation)

Trends

Council-level series. Each chart names its source and period.

PopulationABS estimated resident population at 30 June, 2001–2025

Council-wide median sale pricesABS Data by Region: median transfer price across the whole council by financial year, 2018-19–2023-24. Not any one suburb's price.

Dwelling approvalsABS Building Approvals, monthly, 2021-07–2026-07

Federal Financial Assistance GrantsTotal grant by financial year, 2017-18–2025-26 (Dept of Infrastructure)

People and housing

Council-wide figures from the ABS Census of 2021 and SEIFA 2021 (national deciles, 10 = most advantaged).

Median age: 45
Median household income: $1,277/week
Median rent: $265/week
Median mortgage repayment: $1,300/month
Households renting: 21.3%
Average household: 2.3 people

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD): decile 4 of 10
Disadvantage (IRSD): decile 5 of 10

Council finances

From Local Government Victoria's Performance Reporting Framework (LGPRF), 2024-25.

Average rates per property: $2,023; 2024-25
Operating result: -8.0%; adjusted underlying result; negative = deficit
Asset renewal: 90%; renewal and upgrade spend vs depreciation

Suburbs

71 suburbs where Colac Otway holds most residents, plus 3 it shares with a neighbouring council (share of residents shown). Population is Census 2021 for the whole suburb. A median here is the suburb’s own Valuer-General median — suburbs without one are blank, never filled with the council figure.

Suburb	Population	In this council	Median house (VG)	Flood / bushfire	IRSAD
Colac	9,243	All	$485kDec 2025	78% / 15%	1
Elliminyt	3,260	All	$638kDec 2025	12% / 92%	5
Apollo Bay (Vic.)	1,790	All	$790kDec 2025	2% / 98%	4
Birregurra	942	97%	$663kDec 2025	30% / 99%	8
Barongarook	458	All		0% / 100%	6
Beeac	394	All		35% / 86%	3
Irrewarra	365	All		19% / 96%	7
Cororooke	358	All		2% / 100%	3
Barongarook West	291	All		0% / 100%	5
Marengo (Vic.)	272	All		8% / 99%	7
Forrest (Vic.)	257	All		8% / 100%	6
Skenes Creek	249	All		3% / 100%	7
Gellibrand	230	All		6% / 100%	4
Warrion	204	All		<1% / 100%	3
Larpent	200	All		8% / 100%	6
Kawarren	189	All		0% / 100%	4
Jancourt East	185	10%		0% / 100%	5
Cressy (Vic.)	176	81%		11% / 100%	5
Coragulac	171	All		<1% / 100%	4
Carlisle River	168	All		6% / 100%	4
Colac East	168	All		<1% / 88%	3
Warncoort	146	All		9% / 99%	9
Alvie	141	All		8% / 100%	4
Barwon Downs	136	All		4% / 100%	7
Pirron Yallock	132	83%		4% / 100%	4
Swan Marsh	127	All		36% / 100%	8
Beech Forest	125	All		0% / 100%	4
Yeo	124	All		2% / 100%	7
Corunnun	119	All		8% / 100%	4
Carpendeit	115	17%		2% / 100%	5
Gerangamete	112	All		18% / 100%	7
Yeodene	107	All		3% / 100%	7
Ondit	101	All		25% / 94%	3
Irrewillipe	100	All		4% / 100%	8
Murroon	95	All		9% / 100%	8
Ombersley	93	84%		8% / 96%	8
Colac West	89	All		8% / 98%	4
Lavers Hill	87	All		0% / 100%	4
Johanna	85	All		3% / 100%	8
Irrewillipe East	84	All		0% / 100%	5
Dreeite	77	All		7% / 65%	4
Kennett River	74	All		<1% / 100%	9
Nalangil	72	All		12% / 98%	3
Wye River	67	All		<1% / 100%	9
Bungador	65	All		13% / 100%	8
Stonyford	65	41%		<1% / 100%	7
Weering	62	All		30% / 100%	5
Balintore	59	All		26% / 100%	3
Wool Wool	55	94%		11% / 30%	4
Yuulong	49	All		<1% / 100%	4
Wongarra	47	All		0% / 100%	9
Hordern Vale	44	All		19% / 100%	8
Eurack	43	All		62% / 96%	5
Chapple Vale	42	All		6% / 100%	4
Wyelangta	40	All		0% / 100%	4
Cape Otway	34	All		0% / 100%	8
Glenaire	33	All		5% / 100%	8
Dreeite South	28	All		4% / 100%	4
Separation Creek	28	All		0% / 100%	9
Wingeel	26	67%		13% / 100%	7
Whoorel	25	All		0% / 100%	9
Sugarloaf (Vic.)	20	All		0% / 99%	9
Skenes Creek North	19	All		0% / 100%	9
Cundare	15	All		14% / 97%	5
Tanybryn	15	All		0% / 100%	9
Weeaproinah	15	All		0% / 100%	4
Ferguson (Vic.)	13	All		0% / 100%	4
Barramunga	11	All		0% / 100%	9
Barunah Plains	10	All		10% / 100%	5
Cundare North	10	All		21% / 71%	5
Petticoat Creek	7	All		0% / 96%	7
Grey River	4	All		0% / 99%	9
Aire Valley		All		0% / 100%
Mount Sabine		All		0% / 100%

Hazards

Share of each member suburb's land inside the mapped layer, averaged across the council weighted by the residents each suburb contributes. Only suburbs a source covers count; the rest are left out, not counted as zero.

Flood planning land

38%

Over 74 of 74 member suburbs

Show the layer on the map →

Bushfire-prone land

63%

Over 74 of 74 member suburbs

Show the layer on the map →

Observed surface water (1986–present)

Over 74 of 74 member suburbs

Show the layer on the map →

Suburb prices

Across the 4 member suburbs with their own Valuer-General median (unweighted; each suburb's latest figure, periods ending Dec 2025).

Lowest suburb median: $485k
Median of suburb medians: $650k
Highest suburb median: $790k

Representation

Federal electorates and state districts covering the council, by share of the residents its suburbs contribute (each suburb counts once, for the seat containing a representative interior point).

Federal electorates

Wannon · Dan TEHAN (LP)100%

State districts

Polwarth · Richard Riordan (LIB)100%

Neighbouring councils

Councils in the same state whose suburbs share a boundary with this one's, and councils it splits a suburb with.

Compare it with every Victoria council on the council map or the Victoria council list.

Boundaries: ABS ASGS Edition 3, LGA 2024 boundaries; suburbs allocated by 2021 mesh block, weighted by Census 2021 residents. Population: ABS estimated resident population 2025. Census 2021 and SEIFA 2021: ABS. Council-wide medians: ABS Data by Region. Approvals: ABS Building Approvals. Grants: Financial Assistance Grants, Dept of Infrastructure. Financials: Local Government Victoria (LGPRF), 2024-25. Suburb prices: state Valuer-General. Flood and bushfire: state planning layers. Observed water: Geoscience Australia DEA Water Observations. Website and identity: Wikidata (CC0). ABS, Dept of Infrastructure, Local Government Victoria and state government data CC BY 4.0. Council facts loaded 2026-09-24.