Barwon South West, VIC
About the Barwon South West region
This Victorian region extends from South Australia to the tip of the Queenscliff Heads, bordered by metropolitan Melbourne to the east and SA to the west. It contains the major regional centres of Warnambool, Portland, and Geelong (Victoria's largest regional city), along with other smaller coastal localities such as Apollo Bay and Torquay.
Barwon South West is a rich patchwork of landscapes, from untouched hinterland to pristine coastline, and all of Victoria's natural beauty is on display over its 32,000 km².
The traditional owners of the land on which the Barwon South West region now stands are the Wathaurung and the Gunditjmara people.
Local councils
Victoria's Barwon South West region includes nine municipalities: Colac Otway Shire, Corangamite Shire, the City of Greater Geelong, Glenelg Shire, Moyne Shire, the Borough of Queenscliffe, Southern Grampians Shire, Surf Coast Shire and Warrnambool City.
Climate information
Barwon South West enjoys a temperate climate. The region's summers are mild to warm, with temperatures reaching a maximum of 22-24 °C in coastal areas and 25-27 °C further inland. Its winters are chillier, with average maximum temperatures of 12-14 °C.
The region receives a significant amount of rainfall, occurring mostly in winter and spring. The area around the localities of Hamilton and Warnambool typically receive 600-700 mm annually, while Cape Otway averages around 1000 mm each year.
Population
The estimated population of the Barwon South West region is reported as 420,822 as of 2019.
Barwon South West's regional centres of Grovedale, Ocean Grove, and Torquay are three of the five fastest-growing areas in Victoria outside Greater Melbourne.
Education
The Barwon South West region is home to many excellent primary and secondary schools, and is widely regarded as one of Victoria's finest regions for education. The region also has several higher education facilities. It features two Deakin University campuses in Geelong and Warrnambool, an RMIT campus in Hamilton, and two TAFEs (The Gordon TAFE and the South-West Institute of TAFE).
Employment and local businesses
The Barwon South West region has a Gross Regional Product of $25.4 billion. The region's top five industries by number of people employed are health care and social assistance, retail, education, construction, and manufacturing.
Barwon South West is really made up of three separate regional economies: tourism in the coastal areas, agriculture inland, and a manufacturing and social base in the city of Geelong and surrounds. Although agriculture is not among the top five regional industries, Barwon South West has a thriving dairy industry, which produces about 40% of Victoria’s milk and 25% of the nation's.
Housing
There is no listed median house price for the Barwon South West region.
The region had a median weekly house rental (for a 3-bedroom home) of $300, $20 below Victoria's median.
Events
Where: Avalon Airport, Geelong, VIC
When: Biannually, usually in early March
What: Every two years, Geelong's Avalon Airport plays host to some of the world's leading aerospace innovators and professionals for three days of high-octane fun. This aerospace showcase, which has been going strong since 1992, It is widely considered the largest and most comprehensive event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, you can watch in awe as fighter jets, attack helicopters, historic aircraft and many more take to the skies to perform high-flying feats of daring in what is sure to be a thrilling day out for the whole family.
Where: Geelong, VIC
When: Annually, in November
What: If you're a fan of the finer things in life, you can't go past Geelong's iconic food and wine festival, Toast to the Coast. This weekend-long event showcases the very best of the region's cool-climate wines and gourmet delicacies, featuring food and drink from the Surf Coast, Moorabool Valley, and Bellarine Peninsula. Day One sees visitors invited to tour local wineries, with shuttles available to save you the hassle of driving, while Day Two brings producers together at Geelong's famous Pier to put on a marvellous showcase under one roof.
Where: Port Fairy, VIC
When: Annually, over the Labour Day long weekend in March
What: This charming seaside music festival has been entertaining folk and roots music fans for more than 40 years. Over 100 artists from Australia and abroad make the trek to the festival every year, lighting up the sleepy coastal town of Port Fairy with tunes and festivities for four days. The folk festival offers a free street program offered in addition to its main line-up, which performs in the ticketed arena, so regardless of your budget, there's something for everyone!
Additional Information
Barwon South West has 10 subregions. Use the list below or the map above to learn more about individual subregions.
Barwon South West Schools
- Government Schools
- Independent Schools
Combined
- Apollo Bay P-12 College APOLLO BAY VIC 3233
- Balmoral K-12 Community College BALMORAL VIC 3407
- Camperdown College CAMPERDOWN VIC 3260
- Camperdown College-Brooke Street CAMPERDOWN VIC 3260
- Derrinallum P-12 College DERRINALLUM VIC 3325
- Hawkesdale P12 College HAWKESDALE VIC 3287
- Lake Bolac College LAKE BOLAC VIC 3351
- Lavers Hill K-12 College LAVERS HILL VIC 3238
- Lavers Hill K-12 College - Barongarook Primary School BARONGAROOK VIC 3249
- Lavers Hill K-12 College - Turning Point Campus COLAC VIC 3250
- Lorne P-12 College LORNE VIC 3232
- Mortlake P-12 College MORTLAKE VIC 3272
- Northern Bay P-12 College CORIO VIC 3214
- Northern Bay P-12 College-Hendy Street P-8 Campus CORIO VIC 3214
- Northern Bay P-12 College-Peacock Avenue P-8 Campus NORLANE VIC 3214
- Northern Bay P-12 College-Staughton Vale Outdoor Education Centre STAUGHTON VALE VIC 3221
- Northern Bay P-12 College-Tallis Street P-8 Campus NORLANE VIC 3214
- Northern Bay P-12 College-Wexford Court P-8 Campus CORIO VIC 3214
- Terang College TERANG VIC 3264
- Terang College-P-4 Campus TERANG VIC 3264
- Timboon P-12 School TIMBOON VIC 3268
Primary
- Aireys Inlet Primary School AIREYS INLET VIC 3231
- Allansford and District Primary School ALLANSFORD VIC 3277
- Alvie Consolidated School ALVIE VIC 3249
- Anakie Primary School ANAKIE VIC 3213
- Anglesea Primary School ANGLESEA VIC 3230
- Armstrong Creek School ARMSTRONG CREEK VIC 3217
- Armstrong Creek West Primary School MOUNT DUNEED VIC 3217
- Ashby Primary School GEELONG WEST VIC 3218
- Barwon Heads Primary School BARWON HEADS VIC 3227
- Beeac Primary School BEEAC VIC 3251
- Bell Park North Primary School BELL PARK VIC 3215
- Bell Park North Primary School-Geelong English Language Program BELL PARK VIC 3215
- Bellaire Primary School HIGHTON VIC 3216
- Bellbrae Primary School BELLBRAE VIC 3228
- Belmont Primary School BELMONT VIC 3216
- Birregurra Primary School BIRREGURRA VIC 3242
- Bolwarra Primary School BOLWARRA VIC 3305
- Branxholme-Wallacedale Community School BRANXHOLME VIC 3302
- Bundarra Primary School PORTLAND VIC 3305
- Carlisle River Primary School CARLISLE RIVER VIC 3239
- Casterton Primary School CASTERTON VIC 3311
- Cavendish Primary School CAVENDISH VIC 3314
- Ceres Primary School CERES VIC 3221
- Chilwell Primary School NEWTOWN VIC 3220
- Clifton Springs Primary School CLIFTON SPRINGS VIC 3222
- Cobden Primary School COBDEN VIC 3266
- Colac Primary School COLAC VIC 3250
- Colac South West Primary School COLAC VIC 3250
- Colac West Primary School COLAC VIC 3250
- Coleraine Primary School COLERAINE VIC 3315
- Cudgee Primary School CUDGEE VIC 3265
- Dartmoor Primary School DARTMOOR VIC 3304
- Deans Marsh Primary School DEANS MARSH VIC 3235
- Drysdale Primary School DRYSDALE VIC 3222
- Dunkeld Consolidated School DUNKELD VIC 3294
- Dunkeld Consolidated School Glenthompson Primary School DUNKELD VIC 3294
- Elliminyt Primary School ELLIMINYT VIC 3250
- Forrest Primary School FORREST VIC 3236
- Fyans Park Primary School NEWTOWN VIC 3220
- Geelong East Primary School EAST GEELONG VIC 3219
- Geelong South Primary School SOUTH GEELONG VIC 3220
- George Street Primary School - Hamilton HAMILTON VIC 3300
- Grasmere Primary School GRASSMERE VIC 3281
- Grovedale Primary School GROVEDALE VIC 3216
- Grovedale West Primary School GROVEDALE VIC 3216
- Grovedale West Primary School-Grovedale West Deaf Facility GROVEDALE VIC 3216
- Hamilton (Gray Street) Primary School HAMILTON VIC 3300
- Hamilton North Primary School HAMILTON VIC 3300
- Hamlyn Banks Primary School HAMLYN HEIGHTS VIC 3215
- Herne Hill Primary School HAMLYN HEIGHTS VIC 3215
- Heywood Consolidated School HEYWOOD VIC 3304
- Highton Primary School HIGHTON VIC 3216
- Koroit And District Primary School KOROIT VIC 3282
- Lara Lake Primary School LARA VIC 3212
- Lara Primary School LARA VIC 3212
- Leopold Primary School LEOPOLD VIC 3224
- Lismore Primary School LISMORE VIC 3324
- Little River Primary School LITTLE RIVER VIC 3211
- Macarthur Primary School MACARTHUR VIC 3286
- Mandama Primary School GROVEDALE VIC 3216
- Manifold Heights Primary School MANIFOLD HEIGHTS VIC 3218
- Merino Consolidated School MERINO VIC 3310
- Merrivale Primary School WARRNAMBOOL VIC 3280
- Montpellier Primary School HIGHTON VIC 3216
- Moolap Primary School MOOLAP VIC 3224
- Moriac Primary School MORIAC VIC 3240
- Mount Duneed Regional Primary School MOUNT DUNEED VIC 3217
- Narrawong District Primary School NARRAWONG VIC 3285
- Newcomb Park Primary School NEWCOMB VIC 3219
- Newtown Primary School NEWTOWN VIC 3220
- Noorat Primary School NOORAT VIC 3265
- Nullawarre and District Primary School NULLAWARRE VIC 3268
- Oberon Primary School BELMONT VIC 3216
- Oberon South Primary School BELMONT VIC 3216
- Ocean Grove Primary School OCEAN GROVE VIC 3226
- Panmure Primary School PANMURE VIC 3265
- Penshurst Primary School PENSHURST VIC 3289
- Point Lonsdale Primary School POINT LONSDALE VIC 3225
- Port Fairy Consolidated School PORT FAIRY VIC 3284
- Portarlington Primary School PORTARLINGTON VIC 3223
- Portland North Primary School PORTLAND NORTH VIC 3305
- Portland Primary School PORTLAND VIC 3305
- Portland South Primary School PORTLAND VIC 3305
- Queenscliff Primary School QUEENSCLIFF VIC 3225
- Rollins Primary School BELL POST HILL VIC 3215
- Rollins Primary School-Batesford Campus BATESFORD VIC 3213
- Roslyn Primary School BELMONT VIC 3216
- Simpson Primary School SIMPSON VIC 3266
- Skipton Primary School SKIPTON VIC 3361
- St Leonards Primary School ST LEONARDS VIC 3223
- Surfside Primary School OCEAN GROVE VIC 3226
- Tate Street Primary School Geelong EAST GEELONG VIC 3219
- Torquay Coast Primary School TORQUAY VIC 3228
- Torquay P-6 College TORQUAY VIC 3228
- Wallington Primary School WALLINGTON VIC 3222
- Warrnambool East Primary School WARRNAMBOOL VIC 3280
- Warrnambool Primary School WARRNAMBOOL VIC 3280
- Warrnambool West Primary School WARRNAMBOOL VIC 3280
- Whittington Primary School WHITTINGTON VIC 3219
- Winchelsea Primary School WINCHELSEA VIC 3241
- Woodford Primary School WOODFORD VIC 3281
- Woolsthorpe Primary School WOOLSTHORPE VIC 3276
Secondary
- Baimbridge College HAMILTON VIC 3300
- Bellarine Secondary College DRYSDALE VIC 3222
- Bellarine Secondary College-Ocean Grove Campus OCEAN GROVE VIC 3226
- Belmont High School BELMONT VIC 3216
- Belmont High School-Tanybryn Camp TANYBRYN VIC 3249
- Brauer Secondary College WARRNAMBOOL VIC 3280
- Brauer Secondary College-Dunkeld Annexe DUNKELD VIC 3294
- Casterton Secondary College CASTERTON VIC 3311
- Cobden Technical School COBDEN VIC 3266
- Colac Secondary College COLAC VIC 3250
- Colac Secondary College Murray Street Campus COLAC VIC 3250
- Geelong High School EAST GEELONG VIC 3219
- Grovedale College GROVEDALE VIC 3216
- Heywood District Secondary College HEYWOOD VIC 3304
- Lara Secondary College LARA VIC 3212
- Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College GEELONG VIC 3220
- Newcomb Secondary College NEWCOMB VIC 3219
- Newcomb Secondary College-Victorian Sailing Water Safety School GEELONG VIC 3220
- North Geelong Secondary College NORTH GEELONG VIC 3215
- Oberon High School BELMONT VIC 3216
- Portland Secondary College PORTLAND VIC 3305
- Portland Secondary College-Victoria Parade Campus PORTLAND VIC 3305
- Surf Coast Secondary College TORQUAY VIC 3228
- The Alpine School-Gnurad Gundidj Campus NOORAT VIC 3265
- Warrnambool College WARRNAMBOOL VIC 3280
- Warrnambool College-Wave Campus WARRNAMBOOL VIC 3280
- Western Heights Secondary College HAMLYN HEIGHTS VIC 3215
- Western Heights Secondary College-Quamby Campus HAMLYN HEIGHTS VIC 3215
- Yea High School-Goldsworthy Road Campus CORIO VIC 3214
Special
- Barwon Valley School BELMONT VIC 3216
- Colac Specialist School COLAC VIC 3250
- Hamilton Parklands School HAMILTON VIC 3300
- Hamlyn Views School HAMLYN HEIGHTS VIC 3215
- Hampden Specialist School COBDEN VIC 3266
- Hampden Specialist School-Terang Campus TERANG VIC 3264
- Nelson Park School BELL PARK VIC 3215
- Nelson Park School-Illinois Avenue Annexe CORIO VIC 3214
- Portland Bay School PORTLAND VIC 3305
- Warrnambool Special Developmental School WARRNAMBOOL VIC 3280
Combined
- Bacchus Marsh Grammar - Staughton Vale Farm Campus BACCHUS MARSH VIC 3340
- Christian College Bellarine DRYSDALE VIC 3222
- Christian College Highton HIGHTON VIC 3216
- Christian College Highton - Belmont Campus BELMONT VIC 3216
- Covenant College BELL POST HILL VIC 3215
- Geelong Baptist College LOVELY BANKS VIC 3213
- Geelong Grammar School CORIO VIC 3214
- Geelong Grammar School - Bostock House Campus NEWTOWN VIC 3220
- Geelong Lutheran College ARMSTRONG CREEK VIC 3217
- Glenvale School - Geelong Campus LOVELY BANKS VIC 3213
- Glenvale School - Hamilton Campus HAMILTON VIC 3300
- Good Shepherd College HAMILTON VIC 3300
- Good Shepherd College - Second Campus HAMILTON VIC 3300
- Kardinia International College BELL POST HILL VIC 3215
- Kardinia International College - Kardinia Grove Campus MOORABOOL VIC 3213
- King's College WARRNAMBOOL VIC 3280
- Sirius College - Geelong Campus NORTH GEELONG VIC 3214
- The Geelong College NEWTOWN VIC 3220
- The Geelong College Preparatory School NEWTOWN VIC 3220
- The Hamilton and Alexandra College HAMILTON VIC 3300
- The Hamilton and Alexandra College - Junior Campus HAMILTON VIC 3300
Primary
- All Saints Parish School PORTLAND VIC 3305
- Christ the King School NEWCOMB VIC 3219
- Christian College Highton - Surf Coast Campus JAN JUC VIC 3228
- Clairvaux Catholic School BELMONT VIC 3216
- Freshwater Creek Steiner School FRESHWATER CREEK VIC 3217
- Holy Family School BELL PARK VIC 3215
- Holy Spirit Parish School MANIFOLD HEIGHTS VIC 3218
- Lisieux Catholic Primary School TORQUAY VIC 3228
- Nazareth School GROVEDALE VIC 3216
- Our Lady Help of Christians School WARRNAMBOOL VIC 3280
- Our Lady Star of the Sea School OCEAN GROVE VIC 3226
- Sacred Heart School CASTERTON VIC 3311
- Sacred Heart School ELLIMINYT VIC 3250
- St Aloysius' School QUEENSCLIFF VIC 3225
- St Anthony's School LARA VIC 3212
- St Brendan's School CORAGULAC VIC 3249
- St Colman's School MORTLAKE VIC 3272
- St Francis Xavier School CORIO VIC 3214
- St John's Lutheran School PORTLAND VIC 3305
- St John's Lutheran School Geelong GEELONG VIC 3220
- St John's School DENNINGTON VIC 3280
- St Joseph's School PENSHURST VIC 3289
- St Joseph's School WARRNAMBOOL VIC 3280
- St Joseph's School COLERAINE VIC 3315
- St Margaret's School EAST GEELONG VIC 3219
- St Mary's School COLAC VIC 3250
- St Mary's School GEELONG VIC 3220
- St Mary's School HAMILTON VIC 3300
- St Patrick's School KOROIT VIC 3282
- St Patrick's School GEELONG WEST VIC 3218
- St Patrick's School PORT FAIRY VIC 3284
- St Patrick's School CAMPERDOWN VIC 3260
- St Pius X School WARRNAMBOOL VIC 3280
- St Robert's School NEWTOWN VIC 3220
- St Therese School TORQUAY VIC 3228
- St Thomas Aquinas School NORLANE VIC 3214
- St Thomas Primary School DRYSDALE VIC 3222
- St Thomas' School TERANG VIC 3264
- Tarrington Lutheran School TARRINGTON VIC 3301
Secondary
- Bayview College PORTLAND VIC 3305
- Christian College Institute of Senior Education WAURN PONDS VIC 3216
- Christian College Institute of Senior Education - Arts/Technology Centre Villa Paloma Campus WARUN PONDS VIC 3216
- Clonard College HERNE HILL VIC 3218
- Emmanuel College Inc. WARRNAMBOOL VIC 3280
- Emmanuel College Inc. - Emmanuel Senior Campus WARRNAMBOOL VIC 3280
- Mercy Regional College CAMPERDOWN VIC 3260
- Mercy Regional College - O'Keeffe Campus NOORAT VIC 3625
- Monivae College HAMILTON VIC 3300
- Sacred Heart College NEWTOWN VIC 3220
- Saint Ignatius College Geelong DRYSDALE VIC 3222
- SEDA College (Victoria) - AFL- Geelong GEELONG VIC 3219
- SEDA College (Victoria) - BVNV Geelong NORTH GEELONG VIC 3215
- SEDA College (Victoria) - Multi Geelong GEELONG VIC 3220
- SEDA College (Victoria) - Multi Geelong GEELONG VIC 3220
- St Joseph's College Geelong NEWTOWN VIC 3220
- St Joseph's College Geelong - Westcourt Campus HERNE HILL VIC 3218
- Trinity College Colac Inc COLAC VIC 3250
Special
- MacKillop Specialist School WHITTINGTON VIC 3219
- St Joseph's Flexible Learning Centre Geelong Campus GEELONG VIC 3220
Barwon South West Housing
-
Houses in Barwon South West
The price of a house in Barwon South West ranges from around $16,000 to $3,500,000.
A typical house in has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms & parking for 3 cars.
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Apartments in Barwon South West
The price of a apartment in Barwon South West ranges from around $198,000 to $1,500,000.
A typical apartment in has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms & parking for 2 cars.
Barwon South West Census Information
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Dwelling Type
What types of residential properties are available in Barwon South West?
Source: ABS 2016 Census GCP -
Tenure Type
Which residential properties in Barwon South West are owned, mortgaged or rented out?
Source: ABS 2016 Census GCP -
Change in Residence
Did people in Barwon South West change address in the last year?
Source: ABS 2016 Census GCP -
Working Population
What age groups are most strongly represented in Barwon South West?
Source: ABS 2016 Census GCP -
Top 5 Industries
What industries do people in Barwon South West work in?
- Health care and social assistance
- Retail trade
- Education and training
- Construction
- Manufacturing
Source: ABS 2016 Census GCP -
Family Size
How many people live in a household in Barwon South West?
Source: ABS 2016 Census GCP
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