LGA · VIC · SOUTH WEST COAST VICTORIA

Surf Coast Shire

Coastal lifestyle shire with the Great Ocean Road tourism anchor and Victoria's lowest unemployment. Roughly 105km from Melbourne CBD.

South West Coast Victoria Hotspotting refresh: Jun 2026 105km from CBD

Investment thesis

What this LGA is for

Coastal Victoria shire ~105km southwest of Melbourne covering Torquay, Jan Juc, Anglesea, Lorne, Aireys Inlet and the surf coast hinterland. Gross Regional Product $2.27 billion (2025), driven by health care, construction, education and tourism. Unemployment 1.7% in the December 2025 quarter, less than half the rate of the rest of the state — the lowest in VIC. Major projects in delivery: the Wurdi Baierr Aquatic and Recreation Centre, the proposed Torquay Community Hospital, and the Great Ocean Road tourism precinct upgrades. Population forecast to top 45,000 by 2036. Major employer mix: 14% health care + social assistance, 13% construction.

Key numbers

Snapshot of the Surf Coast Shire economy and demographics.

Gross Regional Product (2025)

$2.27B

Unemployment (Dec 2025) — VIC's lowest

1.7%

Forecast population by 2036

45K

FY2027 Capital Works Program

$41.73M

Infrastructure pipeline

The committed and in-flight infrastructure spend reshaping the LGA.

Major

Wurdi Baierr Aquatic + Recreation Centre

Major new community amenity. In delivery. Anchors the Torquay activity centre upgrade.

Proposed

Torquay Community Hospital

Small community hospital in Torquay proposed. Health-sector employment growth driver.

$41.73M

FY2027 Capital Works Program

$20.5M on new projects + $26.51M on planned multi-year works.

Major

Great Ocean Road tourism corridor

Tourism cornerstone of the Surf Coast economy. Underpins Lorne, Anglesea and Torquay rental demand including short-stay.

Major

Deakin University adjacency

Waurn Ponds campus in nearby Geelong. Plus Gordon Institute of TAFE in Geelong. Together support the regional education economy.

$227M

Epworth Geelong Private Hospital (Waurn Ponds)

Opened 2016. Anchors the broader Geelong health precinct adjacent to the Surf Coast.

Major

Great Ocean Road Health (Lorne)

Comprehensive regional healthcare: acute, rehabilitation, palliative care.

Suburbs in scope

Suburbs we actively track within Surf Coast Shire. House market data from PropTrack via Hotspotting LGA report (12 months trailing).

Suburb	Median (house)	Yield	1yr growth	Vacancy	Read
Lorne	$1.995M	2.40%	+11%	0.60%	Coastal premium. Tourism cornerstone. Strong YoY growth
Jan Juc	$1.375M	3.10%	-4%	0.70%	Coastal premium adjacent to Torquay
Anglesea	$1.305M	2.70%	-7%	0.60%	Coastal premium

↑ Back to top