Town snapshot – Drysdale

The size of Drysdale is about 40.1sqkm and has eight parks covering nearly 1.6 per cent of total area.

The population of Drysdale in 2016 was 4,272 and by the 2021 Census the population was recorded at 4,976 showing a population increase of 17 per cent in the area during that time.

With the Drysdale real estate market showing great results in recent years, the town continues to be one of the Bellarine’s outstanding performers.

The population has now surpassed 5,000 people taking into account the lag time in the data, with young families and investors leading the charge in recent years to see the median house price rise consistently over the years.

Drysdale’s beginnings started when in 1848 when Anne Drysdale (1792-1853) and her partner Caroline Newcomb (1812-74) acquired a farm north-west of the intersection of Jetty and Geelong-Portarlington Roads.

Anne Drysdale had prior farming experience in Scotland and on a pastoral run east of Geelong.Drysdale and Newcomb were successful farmers and built the Coryule homestead.

The heritage-listed homestead is in McDermott Road, Curlewis, immediately west of Drysdale.At that time the district was known as Bellerean or Bellarine, then Tuckfield (c.1854) and by the end of the decade, Drysdale.

The town developed not around the churches but the Buck’s Head Hotel (1852) at the corner of Collins Street and the Drysdale-St Leonards Road.

The land around Drysdale was fertile and the location was considered to be healthy. Settlement was relatively dense.

Until the 1950s, Drysdale was primarily an agricultural township with amenities that included a bowling green, croquet lawn, churches and a shire hall.

Beyond the old shire office there is the former Drysdale Railway Station at the junction of the Bellarine rail trail and the start of the tourist railway to Queenscliff.

In 1872-73, a jetty was built on Corio Bay for taking produce from the Drysdale district.

The predominant age group in Drysdale is 60- 69 years with households in Drysdale being primarily childless couples and are likely to be repaying on average $1,733 per month on mortgage repayments. In general, people in Drysdale work in a professional occupation.

AGENT PERSPECTIVE:

“Drysdale’s high demand stems from its unique profile on the Bellarine Peninsula; not only does it provide a wonderful sea change, my experience is that prospective purchasers are equally drawn to its green leafy setting, home grown local produce, tranquil parklands/wetlands and the charm of traditional strip shopping.

“A strong appetite for small acreage and lifestyle property has been a key driving force for sustained capital growth.”

Tim Cain – Neville Richards Real Estate

TIDBIT:

In 1853, a Road District was created for all the coastal area between Geelong and Portarlington and the Road Board’s office (1856) was built in Drysdale

Population: 4,976

Male: 47.6%

Female: 52.4%

Median age: 52

5 year population change: 17%

House median sales price: $696,000

Change in median price: (5yrs) 22.1%

Median asking rent per week: $498

Average length of ownership: 11 years

Owner occupiers: 84%

Renters: 16%

House median value: