Town by town snapshot: Portarlington

The size of Portarlington is approximately 24.8 square kilometres and it has 12 parks covering nearly 5.4 per cent of its total area.

The population of Portarlington in 2011 was 3,581 people and by the 2016 Census the population was 3,618 showing a population growth of 1.0 per cent in the area during that time.

Portarlington has become another one of the Bellarine’s favoured destinations, as such the population has swelled since the last Census with today’s resident population more likely to have pushed past 4,000 people with over 300 vacant lots sold in recent years.

One of the factors contributing to the town popularity is the daily ferry service which Port Phillip Ferries offer with two separate daily services between both Docklands and Portarlington; and Docklands and Geelong.

Located on the north-east side of the Bellarine Peninsula, Portarlington’s naming is a little obscure, possibly it was named after Portarlington in Ireland, a market town south-west of Dublin.

Surveyed town lots were first sold in Portarlington in 1851, about eight years after Anne Drysdale settled at nearby Drysdale on her pastoral run.

The Bellarine Peninsula was an early agricultural region for cereal crops, and later for hay, onions, peas and potatoes.

Portarlington’s first public jetty was opened in 1859, lengthened into deeper water in 1870 and rebuilt a few years later.

CoreLogic data indicates that the predominant age group in Portarlington is 60-69 years with households in Portarlington being primarily childless couples and are likely to be repaying $1,400 – $1,799 per month on mortgage repayments, and in general, people in Portarlington work in a professional occupation.

In 2011, 72.8 per cent of the homes in Portarlington were owner-occupied compared with 69.6 per cent in 2016.

TIDBIT:
Surveyed town lots were first sold in Portarlington in 1851.

Population: 3,619

Male: 48.4%
Female: 51.6%
Median age: 59

5 year population change: 1%

House median value:
$970,000

Change in Median Price:
(5yrs) 84.2%

Median asking rent
per week: $430

Average length of ownership: 14 years

House median sale price:
February 2022: $880,000
February 2021: $731,250
February 2020: $616,750
February 2019: $620,000
February 2018: $530,000

House sales per annum:
Period ending February 2022: 121
Period ending February 2021: 112

Land median sale price:
February 2022: $572,500
February 2021: $335,000

Land sales per annum:
Period ending February 2022: 24