Town by town snapshot: Moggs Creek

The size of Moggs Creek is approximately 4.1 square kilometres with the population in 2011 being recorded at 178 people and by the 2016 Census the population was 89 showing a population decline of 50 per cent in the area during that time.

Moggs is a coastal hamlet on the Great Ocean Road between Aireys Inlet and Lorne.

The settlement is located on a sandy coastal strip, backed by wooded hills, in which the creek itself rises, running about 10km south-east to the ocean.

The origin of the name Moggs is uncertain, the creek having also been known as the McLaren and Bell Bird in the past.

Local belief is that Moggs derives from a family of graziers near St Arnaud, who used to bring cattle to graze in the area.

The construction of the Great Ocean Road in the 1920s paved the way for further development, but it was only after World War II that land in the area was subdivided and sold for housing.

In 1959, a group of Moggs Creek residents erected a rough cairn of bricks, topped by a plaster bust, as a monument to the mythical Sir Samuel Moggs, alleged to be the first European to have landed at the location, on 29 February 1759.

CoreLogic data indicates that the predominant age group in Moggs Creek is 50-59 years with households in Moggs Creek being primarily childless couples and are likely to be repaying $800 – $999 per month on mortgage repayments, and in general, people in Moggs Creek work in a professional occupation.

In 2011, 85.8% of the homes in Moggs Creek were owner-occupied compared with 81% in 2016.