Geelong suburbs where buyers most want to splash out

A beachside mecca is the most popular place for people searching for a home in the region, as the top suburbs reveals lifestyle, position and family needs are top priorities for buyers.

Torquay topped Geelong’s 10 most searched suburbs on realestate.com.au, underlining the continued popularity with coastal living.

McCartney, Torquay agent Tim Carson said the town’s proximity to quality schooling and other family-friendly amenities had increased its popularity with homebuyers.

Torquay is one of two areas where median dwelling values are above $1m on the list, but declining prices had opened the door to more people to join the exodus to the coast.

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The five-bedroom house at 5 Aquarius Ave, Torquay, is the most expensive on the market with price hopes from $6.4m to $6.6m.

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GEELONG’S MOST-SEARCHED SUBURBS

Source: PropTrack. Median dwelling price combines houses and units.

The town’s $1.2m median house value declined 2.2 per cent last year as more than 250 homes changed hands in 2024, according to PropTrack data.

Mr Carson said Torquay’s affordable bracket is below $900,000, though most properties are priced between $1m and $1.5m, with the top-end anywhere up to and over $6m.

“Prices have come back a bit with a lot of investors cashing out of the market,” Mr Carson said.

“But there is still a lot of people looking to move for the lifestyle and schooling.”
Christian College has opened a campus at Torquay, while the co-educational Iona College has increased the ability for people to live on the coast and be close to private schooling.

Geelong’s buyers advocate Tony Slack said schooling and convenience were the two most important factors, outside of budget, driving where buyers were looking for homes.

The four-bedroom house at 22 White St, Torquay, is listed with $870,000 to $900,000 price hopes.

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Iona College has opened at Armstrong Creek.

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“Budget determines where you live, and then it’s schooling with families and with others, whether it be downsizes or first-time buyers or young professionals, older professionals, people with no kids, it’s convenience – shopping strips,” he said.

The composition of the region’s 10 most-searched suburbs underlines that the market strength and popularity of Geelong suburbs is expanding from the blue-chip inner circle to a block of suburbs south of the Barwon River.

Hayeswinckle director Michelle Winckle said suburbs such as Highton, Belmont and Grovedale offered buyers more value for money amid a flatter property market.

“Grovedale’s really soared over the past few years. It’s stabilised a bit at the moment, but a lot of out-of-towners were buying up in Grovedale in the middle of Covid because they saw how close it was to the Waurn Ponds shops and the coast,” Ms Winckle said.

The four-bedroom house at 119 North Valley Rd, Highton, is listed with $900,000 to $950,000 price hopes.

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The three-bedroom house at 32 Scott St, Belmont is listed with $920,000 to $1m price hopes.

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The three-bedroom house at 34 Dublin Drive, Grovedale, is listed with $649,000 to $679,000 price hopes.

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“Grovedale has now become more of an inner city suburb of Geelong the more Armstrong Creek and Warralily have expanded out. And you can often get a much bigger home for the price in Grovedale than you can maybe in suburbs like Belmont and Highton.”

Recent price fluctuations also opened the door to buyers in Highton.

“People can see that in Highton that you’re getting bigger homes, probably closer to the river, for a better value price than they were getting a few years ago because the market has stabilised,” Ms Winckle said.

“Because it’s more plateaued, it’s more affordable to buy in Highton than you probably could in Covid.”

Ms Winckle said Highton’s primary schools zones were a drawcard, while the Belmont High School zone was always a winner as first-home buyers and people who are upsizing were the biggest groups active in the area.

Geelong’s inner suburbs remain favourites with homebuyers.

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2 Fitzroy St, Geelong, is selling via expressions of interest with $4.5m to $4.7m price hopes.

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The four-bedroom house at 241 McKillop St, East Geelong, is listed with $1.1m to $1.2m price hopes.

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The five-bedroom house at 42 Candover St, Geelong West, is listed with $1.85m to $1.95m price hopes.

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Highton, central Geelong and Belmont rounded out the top five with Ocean Grove.

Geelong West, Lara, East Geelong, Barwon Heads and Grovedale made up the next five.

The draw to Geelong West is obvious to many with the access to the city centre, waterfront, train stations and vibrant Pakington St shopping, cafe and restaurant strip.

But Gartland, Geelong agent Will Ainsworth said East Geelong has it’s own fans and detractors, especially in the golden triangle beyond the Garden St shopping village.

“Every time we sell something along there, they just, they just always get so much interest from people, even people that are not necessarily East Geelong-centric,” he said.

East Geelong is more tightly held than other suburbs, with two houses selling in Geelong West for every one in East Geelong for example, according to PropTrack data.

“Some people don’t like to be on that side (of the CBD), because they’ve got to – and this is Geelong for you – go through town to get onto the highway,” Mr Ainsworth said.

“There doesn’t appear to be as much as far as shopping amenities over there. I know with supermarkets, you’ve got Newcomb shopping centres or you have to go into town. But it makes up for it with the wider, tree-lined streets, the gardens, the waterfront. So it’s asking what’s your priority, what boxes do you need ticked first?”