Town by town snapshot: Winchelsea

The size of Winchelsea is approximately 247.5 square kilometres with the population of Winchelsea in 2011 recorded at 1,955 people and by the 2016 Census the population was 1,944 showing a population decline of 0.6 per cent in the area during that time.

Winchelsea has jumped ahead leaps and bounds since the last Census and it will be very interesting to see the more recent data from the new Census which is underway right now.

It will most likely show a surge of new residents and a substantial reduction in the populations average age as young families stream into the popular tree-change town that has more community facilities and infrastructure than most of Winch’s coastal counterparts.

A great indicator of Winch’s success and popularity is that the difference between today’s median land price and the 2017 house median house price is only $5,000.

This indicates that five years ago a house could be bought in Winch for what you would pay today for a block of land.

New residential housing estates like The Green and Rivers Edge are attracting new arrivals and investors with more estates in the pipeline making Winch a town to watch.

Situated where the Barwon River crosses the highway, the area originally attracted pastoralists in the 1830s, some of whom later became prominent landholders.

Two years after the settlement of Melbourne, the Austin brothers took up their Barwon Park pastoral run, Thomas Armytage took up his Ingleby run and Henry Hopkins took up his Wormbete run in the Winchelsea area.

A town was surveyed in the 1850s, and named Winchelsea, probably after the seaside port in Sussex, England.

More momentous things happened at Austin’s Barwon Park when he imported wild rabbits for acclimatisation in 1859.

They became particularly successful progenitors of some of Australia’s rabbit plagues.

CoreLogic data indicates that the predominant age group in Winchelsea is 60-69 years with households in Winchelsea being primarily childless couples and are likely to be repaying $1,000 – $1,399 per month on mortgage repayments, and in general, people in Winchelsea work in a trades occupation.

In 2011, 72.3 per cent of the homes in Winchelsea were owner-occupied compared with 71.9 per cent in 2016.

 

AGENT PERSPECTIVE:

“The real estate market in the Winchelsea township and districts remains extremely buoyant, with multiple buyers vying for almost every property over the last 12 months.

“Time on market is also short, though finance approval timeframes distort actual recorded sale dates.

“Demand remains strong across all sectors of the market, stock levels remain low and interestingly, several commercial and development sales reinforce general sentiment and confidence in further growth and the future for Winchelsea.

“Affordability, rental returns and larger allotment sizes are the three major drivers in this increasingly popular town, Winchelsea, the place to be!”

Geoff Bennett – McCartney Real Estate Winchelsea

 

TIDBIT:

In 1860 the Winchelsea Road District was proclaimed and became Winchelsea Shire on 27 May 1864 and in 1994 was amalgamated into the Surf Coast Shire

Population: 1,954

Male: 49%

Female: 51%

Median age: 47

5 year population change: -0.6%

House median value: $554,000

Change in median price: (5yrs) is 66.7%

Median asking rent per week: $400

Average length of ownership: 11 years

Owner occupiers: 76%

Renters: 24%

 

House median sale price:

April 2021: $492,000

April 2020: $439,000

April 2019: $391,000

April 2018: $380,000

April 2017: $282,500

 

House sales per annum:

Period ending April 2021: 48

Period ending April 2020: 40

 

Land median sale price:

April 2021: $277,500

April 2020: $235,000

 

Land sales per annum:

Period ending April 2021: 13

Period ending April 2020: 8