Victoria’s cheapest beachside suburbs and towns
Coastal bargains aren’t as easy to find as they used to be — but they can still be found if you know where to look.
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Beach house bargain hunters can snap up pads for as little as $250,000 in Victoria’s southeast.
That’s the price of a typical house in the state’s cheapest seaside town, Toora, near Wilsons Promontory, according to new research from realestate.com.au.
Also offering median house prices below $300,000 were Gippsland towns Paradise Beach ($255,000) and Golden Beach ($267,500), and Portland on the southwest coast ($287,000).
Elders’ Tracey Wrigglesworth said Paradise Beach and Golden Beach were great fishing, camping and beach walking spots, being on the famous Ninety Mile Beach stretch.
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“Golden Beach has quite a few shops and a golf course too,” Ms Wrigglesworth said.
“It definitely offers more of a rural lifestyle on the beach.”
Ms Wrigglesworth said her office received a significant spike in buyer inquiries during lockdown, and even sold a few properties sight unseen.
“We’re seeing metro buyers from around the Mornington Peninsula and eastern suburbs like Cranbourne coming out this way, as opposed to heading for Geelong and Torquay, because prices are just completely different,” she said.
For budget buyers wanting to stay closer to Melbourne, Hastings was the city’s most affordable coastal suburb for both houses ($555,000 median) and units ($375,000), with Crib Point coming in second ($560,000 and $393,750).
A typical house also cost less than $600,000 in Capel Sound and Werribee South, and sub-$650,000 in Rosebud, Frankston and Tootgarook.
Harcourts JT & Co director Jason Dowler said Crib Point was attracting a younger demographic that had been priced out of nearby million-dollar markets on the coastline.
But he warned it may not stay cheap for long.
“Traditionally, Crib Point has primarily had a lot of older buyers. But there’s been a shift with younger families and some professional people moving into the area,” Mr Dowler said.
“Pricing is already slowing going up — we’ve seen an approximate 5-10 per cent growth in price within the last few months.
“We might not have the traditional sandy beaches, but you’ve got access to all of the Peninsula and it’s a similar distance from Melbourne, if not closer and quieter.”
The agent recently sold a four-bedroom house to Sommerville locals Elyse and Jayden Cockfield for $620,000.
“You’re just getting so much more for your money, and there’s a great country town feel here,” Ms Cockfield said.
Realestate.com.au director of economic research Cameron Kusher said beach house hunters needed to consider more than an area’s price tag, with most cheaper coastal spots typically harder to get to and lacking a range of amenities.
“Few buyers will want to be in the middle of nowhere,” he said.
On the other end of the spectrum, realestate.com.au found Brighton was Melbourne’s priciest beachside suburb for both houses ($2.7m median) and units ($1.025m).
Mornington Peninsula millionaires’ playgrounds Portsea and Sorrento came next for houses, at $2.34m and $1.5m respectively.
Kay & Burton Portsea director Liz Jensen said the blue-chip areas offered “sandy beaches, isolation, but also community and places to socialise”, even “at 10.30 at night”.
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CHEAPEST BEACHSIDE ‘BURBS
Melbourne – house
1. Hastings $555,000
2. Crib Point $560,000
3. Capel Sound $580,000
4. Werribee South $592,000
5. Rosebud $605,000
6. Frankston $616,050
7. Tootgarook $630,500
8. Somerville $663,000
9. Seaford $692,000
10. Bittern $700,000
Melbourne – unit
1. Hastings $375,000
2. Crib Point $393,750
3. Frankston $421,500
4. Somerville $450,000
5. Capel Sound $482,500
6. Rosebud $532,500
7. Seaford $550,000
8. St Kilda $565,000
9. Mount Eliza $595,000
10. Bonbeach $600,000
Regional – house
1. Toora $250,000
2. Paradise Beach $255,000
3. Golden Beach $267,500
4. Portland $287,000
5. Lake Tyers Beach $335,000
6. Lakes Entrance $335,000
7. Allansford $346,000
8. Venus Bay $359,250
9. Coronet Bay $370,000
10. Wonthaggi $376,500
Regional – unit
1. Portland $192,000
2. Lakes Entrance $201,999
3. Warrnambool $299,000
4. Corio $309,000
5. Cowes $332,500
6. Wonthaggi $341,000
7. St Leonards $377,000
8. Leopold $399,000
9. Drysdale $405,000
10. Newcomb $415,000
PRICIEST BEACHSIDE ‘BURBS
Melbourne – house
1. Brighton $2.7m
2. Portsea $2,337,500
3. Sorrento $1.5m
4. Port Melbourne $1.457m
5. St Kilda $1.42m
6. Mount Eliza $1.275m
7. Cape Schanck $1.2m
8. St Andrews Beach $1,172,500
9. Mount Martha $1.08m
10. Mentone $1.015m
Melbourne – unit
1. Brighton $1.025m
2. Port Melbourne $715,000
3. Mount Martha $673,750
4. Altona $655,000
5. Mentone $642,550
6. Dromana $609,000
7. Mornington $600,506
8. Bonbeach $600,000
9. Mount Eliza $595,000
10. St Kilda $565,000
Regional – house
1. Connewarre $1.615m
2. Lorne $1.455m
3. Barwon Heads $1,162,500
4. Aireys Inlet $1.01m
5. Anglesea $970,000
6. Jan Juc $940,500
7. Point Lonsdale $920,000
8. Queenscliff $893,750
9. Geelong $883,500
10. Torquay $840,000
Regional – unit
1. Barwon Heads $950,000
2. Lorne $727,500
3. Torquay $650,000
4. Point Lonsdale $640,000
5. Geelong $626,000
6. Ocean Grove $610,000
7. Port Fairy $597,500
8. Apollo Bay $548,750
9. Portarlington $507,500
10. Inverloch $455,000
Source: realestate.com.au, suburbs had to have more than 10 sales and 10 listings in two consecutive years from December 2018 to be included