Free market report · Data to July 2026

Bass Coast property market

Bass Coast is one of the 453 council areas we track on the Momentum Dial, our property clock. This page is the plain-numbers read: where it sits in the cycle, who lives there, what's being built, and the suburbs inside it.

Bass Coast is home to 44,377 people. On the Buyers First Momentum Dial its house market currently reads Rising, and units read the same. The number that matters most here: population is compounding at +2.6% a year. People arriving is the rawest form of housing demand. Here's the rest of the picture, in plain numbers.

Houses · cycle position

Rising

The Bass Coast house market is accelerating. Growth is building pace rather than fading, which is the phase most investors wish they had caught in hindsight.

-7% to +13%

Modelled 12-month price range

0.0%

Modelled 12-month rent change

Units · cycle position

Rising

The unit market is accelerating. Growth is building pace rather than fading, which is the phase most investors wish they had caught in hindsight.

-2% to +7%

Modelled 12-month price range

+3.0%

Modelled 12-month rent change

At a glance · houses

$681,330

Typical house, August 2026

+5.0% a year since 2010

+7.3%

Growth a year, last 10 years

+1.9% a year over the last 5

$480

Rent a week

3.7% gross yield

3 of 15

Years prices fell since 2010

Worst: 2023, -2%

The clock measures growth momentum, not price. Peak means growing fastest, not about to fall. Cycle data and projections sourced from HtAG Analytics. See Bass Coast on the clock.

Free · One per person

Want all of this written up for Bass Coast?

The full report is this data as a written document, plus the current price, rent, yield and growth on one suburb inside Bass Coast, and the numbers that cut against the area. I write them by hand, so it comes from me rather than out of a system.

Leave your details and I'll get in touch about it myself, by email or phone, usually within one business day. It comes from dan@buyersfirstagency.com.au, and it lands in junk more often than it should, so check there if you don't see it. You'll also go on the Market Pulse mailing list, one email a month on where the market is actually heading. Unsubscribe whenever you like, and I never pass your details to anyone else.

The numbers, explained

Bass Coast in charts.

The typical house in Bass Coast went from $303,544 in 2010 to $681,330 in August 2026. That is +124% in total, +5.0% a year. It went backwards 3 years in a row at one point. Any market can have a bad year. The ones that stack them are the ones that hurt, and this is the number we weigh most.

Houses · price change each year · 2011 to 2026

Prices in Bass Coast fell in 3 of the last 15 years

Watch this
'11 '12 '13 '14 2015 '16 '17 '18 '19 2020 46.2% '21 '22 -2.1% '23 -1.1% '24 -2.1% 2025 -0.9% '26 ytd

+124%

Since 2010

+7.3%

Per year, last 10 years

3 of 15

Years going backwards

-2.1%

Worst year (2023)

What this shows. How much the typical house price in Bass Coast went up or down each year. Teal bars are up years, red bars are down years, and the faded bar is this year so far.

Why it matters. The size of a good year matters less than how many bad years there were and whether they came in a row. Boring? Absolutely. But the length of the down stretch is what decides whether you get out the other side. Typical price at December each year, data from HtAG Analytics.

You don't need to know property to read this. Every chart below opens with the point in one line, then says what it shows and why we care. Teal is a good sign, amber is okay, red means watch it.

The scorecard · 7 things we check

Bass Coast scores 25 out of 35. Solid.

Good sign
Cycle 4Down years 3Supply 3People 5Jobs 5Affordability 1Rentals 4 5 = best
Where it is in the cycle

prices are rising and speeding up

Years prices fell since 2010

3 of 15 years

New homes being built

2.0 new homes approved per 100 that exist

People moving in

population growing 2.6% a year

Jobs

3.2% unemployed, Australia 4.2%

Can locals afford it

a house costs 9.5 years of a local household's income

Empty rentals

1.1% of rentals are empty, so about 1 in every 100

What this shows. Seven quick checks on Bass Coast, each scored out of five. Five is the reading we most want to see.

Why it matters. No single number tells you whether an area is a good buy. Together they show whether the pieces line up. These are bands, not rules: a council outside a band can still be the right buy for the right person, and one inside every band can still be wrong for you.

House prices since 2010 · Bass Coast vs the 5 most similar councils in VIC

Bass Coast has grown in step with similar councils over ten years

Okay
$196k $392k $587k $783k Bass Coast $687k 20102012201420162018202020222024
Bass CoastSimilar councils (middle of 5)

+1.9% vs +9.3%

A year, last 5 years

+7.3% vs +7.3%

A year, last 10 years

+5.2% vs +5.8%

A year, last 15 years

What this shows. The typical house price in Bass Coast every year, in teal, next to the middle of the five councils in VIC closest to it in size and starting price: Wodonga, Wellington, Moorabool, Surf Coast, East Gippsland. The small "vs" number in each tile is those councils.

Why it matters. Growth here is the regional story rather than a local one. Nothing wrong with that, it just means you are buying the region.

Momentum · the last 36 months

Prices in Bass Coast are moving at a steady pace

Okay
$660k $701k $742k 0 143 sold September '23March '24September '24March '25September '25March '26
Last 3 months' priceLast 12 months' priceHouses sold each month

$680,704

3-month price, August 2026

-0.6%

3-month price vs 12-month price

1,211 vs 1,343

Houses sold, last 12 months vs the 12 before

What this shows. Two versions of the same price. The dotted teal line averages the last three months, so it reacts fast. The grey line averages the last twelve, so it moves slowly. The bars are how many houses sold each month.

Why it matters. The three-month and twelve-month prices are moving together. No acceleration either way.

New homes · approvals as a share of all the homes here

New homes in Bass Coast are keeping pace with the people

Okay
balanced · 1.5% to 3% a year above this, a lot of building 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 3.4% FY24 · 677 approved 1.9% FY25 · 388 approved 2.0% FY26 · 394 approved · now

What this shows. For every 100 homes already in Bass Coast, how many new ones the council approved each year. The teal band is the range we call balanced.

Why it matters. New homes are arriving at about the pace the population absorbs them. Balanced. The home count is the population divided by the average household size, so treat the rate as a guide rather than a census.

Affordability · house price in years of local household income

A house in Bass Coast costs 9.5 years of a local family's income

Watch this
expensive · over 8 years stretched · 6 to 8 years affordable · under 6 years 6.6 2016 6.7 2017 7.3 2018 7.5 2019 8.2 2020 11.6 2021 11.6 2022 11.0 2023 10.5 2024 9.9 2025 9.5 2026 so far

What this shows. Take the typical house price and divide it by what a typical household here earns in a year. A bar of 7 means seven years of the whole household's income buys one house.

Why it matters. Expensive for the people who live here. Prices at this level need outside buyers to keep moving, and outside buyers are the first to leave when things wobble. Income is the 2021 Census figure carried forward at 3.5% a year, so it is an estimate, not a measurement.

Rents · typical weekly house rent, last 36 months · and how many rentals sit empty

Rent in Bass Coast is $480 a week, up 2.1% in a year

Okay
$389 $449 $509 $480 a week now September '23March '24September '24March '25September '25March '26

$480

A week, August 2026

+2.1%

Change in the last year

1.1%

Rentals sitting empty (tight)

What this shows. What a typical house in Bass Coast rents for each week, month by month. The empty-rentals number is the share of rental homes with nobody in them: under 1.5% is tight, over 3% means tenants have plenty of choice.

Why it matters. Rents are moving with inflation. Steady rather than tight.

Rental yield · a year of rent as a share of the price, Bass Coast vs similar councils

Rent covers 3.7% of the price each year in Bass Coast

2.3% 3.7% 5.0% 202120232025
Bass CoastSimilar councils

What this shows. Yield is simple: a whole year of rent divided by the house price. A $500,000 house renting for $500 a week earns $26,000 a year, which is a 5.2% yield.

Why it matters. Lower than similar councils, which are around 4.3%. Prices have run ahead of rents, so you are paying more of the loan yourself while you wait for growth. We don't buy on yield alone and we never set a yield cut-off; it is one piece of the picture, next to growth.

The people

Who lives in Bass Coast.

The population has grown +2.6% a year over the last five years, which is quick by national standards. The growth is mostly people moving in from elsewhere in Australia, 2,317 of them on net over the last three years. Internal migration is the strongest kind of housing demand, because those people chose here on purpose. The median age is 51 and the median household brings in $1,163 a week (Census 2021). 75% of households own or are paying off their home. Owner-occupier markets like this tend to hold their nerve through the cycle, because nobody is forced to sell an address they live at.

Population · ABS estimates 2015 to 2025

Bass Coast is growing fast: 44,377 people, up +2.6% a year

Good sign
32,576 44,377 201520202025

44,377

People, 2025

+2.6% vs +0.6%

A year, last 5 years · typical VIC council

+3.1%

A year, last 10 years

Why it matters. People arriving is the rawest form of housing demand. Every new household needs somewhere to live before anything else happens.

Where the growth came from · last 3 years

Most new residents chose Bass Coast on purpose: 2,317 moved in from elsewhere in Australia

Good sign
Births minus deaths
-187
Moved from elsewhere in Australia
+2,317
Moved from overseas
+467

Net change: +2,597 people over three years.

What this shows. Three ways a place gains or loses people: babies born minus people who died, people who moved here from another part of Australia, and people who arrived from overseas. Bars to the right add people, bars to the left take them away.

Why it matters. People who move here from another part of Australia are the strongest kind of demand. They compared it with somewhere else and picked here.

Age and households · Census 2021

Bass Coast is older than the typical VIC council: median age 51 vs 42

Older
Median age 51 vs 42
People per household 2.2 vs 2.4

Bass Coast Typical VIC council (middle of 78)

Why it matters. An older area leans on retirees and downsizers. Single-level homes near health services do best, and turnover tends to be lower.

Income and who owns the homes · Census 2021

Most homes in Bass Coast are owner-occupied: 75% own or are paying off, 21% rent

Owner market
Household income a week $1,163 -23% vs typical
Who lives in the homes 75% own · 21% rent

Own or paying off Renting Other

Why it matters. Owner-occupier markets hold their nerve through the cycle, because nobody is forced to sell the address they live at.

New supply

What's being approved to build.

394 dwellings were approved in FY26, 374 of them houses. Approvals are trending down. If demand holds, thinning supply is how pressure builds under prices and rents. On the non-residential side, $186 million of building was approved in FY26, $26 million of it public money. Governments build where they expect people. Within that, $77 million of education and health buildings have been approved across the last three financial years. Schools and hospitals are the most honest signal governments give about where they expect families.

Homes approved · ABS, by financial year

Building in Bass Coast is steady: 394 homes approved in FY26

Okay
FY24
677
FY25
388
FY26
394

Houses Units, townhouses and other

394

Homes approved, FY26

95%

Of them houses

2.0%

New homes per 100 that exist

What this shows. How many new homes the council approved each financial year, split into houses and everything else. Approved is not built, but it is the earliest warning of supply on the way.

Why it matters. Enough building to house the newcomers without flooding the market. Boring is good here.

Non-residential building approved · ABS

Government building spend in Bass Coast has eased: $26m approved in FY26

Okay
FY24
$79m
FY25
$67m
FY26
$186m

Government projects All non-residential

$186m

All sectors, FY26

$26m

Government, FY26

$77m

Schools and health, last 3 years

What this shows. The dollar value of shops, offices, schools, hospitals and other non-home buildings approved each year. The darker bar is the government's share.

Why it matters. Governments build where they expect people. Schools and hospitals are the most honest signal they give about where families are heading. For the named projects behind these numbers, ask for the full report.

Jobs

Who's working in Bass Coast.

Work here runs on health care and social assistance (15% of jobs), ahead of construction and retail trade. 3,576 more residents are in work than five years ago (+22.3%). That is strong jobs growth, and it usually shows up in housing demand with a lag. Unemployment sits at 3.2%, comfortably under the national 4.2%.

Jobs · SALM, March 2026

3,576 more people in Bass Coast have a job than five years ago

Good sign

19,598

Residents in work

3.2% vs 4.2%

Unemployed · Australia

+22.3%

Jobs change, 5 years

Unemployment rate 3.2% vs 3.7% typical VIC council

Bass Coast Australia

Why it matters. Strong jobs growth shows up in housing demand with a lag. People get the job first and buy the house a year or two later.

Who employs people here · Census 2021

Health care and social assistance is the biggest employer in Bass Coast, 15% of jobs

Advantage 6 of 10
Health care and social assistance
15%
Construction
13%
Retail trade
10%
Education and training
9%
Hospitality
8%

What this shows. The five industries that employ the most residents, as a share of all jobs. The pill is the ABS advantage score: Bass Coast sits in decile 6 of 10 nationally, where 10 is the most advantaged.

Why it matters. A spread of employers means no single closure can empty the town. That is the kind of job base that holds house prices through a downturn.

The outlook

Is Bass Coast worth buying into?

Put the drivers together and the case for Bass Coast is: a population that keeps growing, net internal migration in its favour, a job base that has expanded. None of this guarantees anything. It tells you where to look harder, which is what a report like this is for.

Free · Written by hand · One per person

This page is the public data. The full report is that written up as a document, plus the current price, rent, yield and growth on one suburb inside Bass Coast. One per person.

Name, email and phone. I write these by hand, one per person, and the conversation afterwards is the only thing the report costs.

Leave your details and I'll get in touch about it myself, by email or phone, usually within one business day. It comes from dan@buyersfirstagency.com.au, and it lands in junk more often than it should, so check there if you don't see it. You'll also go on the Market Pulse mailing list, one email a month on where the market is actually heading. Unsubscribe whenever you like, and I never pass your details to anyone else.

Inside the LGA

The suburbs of Bass Coast.

Next step. See what's for sale in Wonthaggi on realestate.com.au or Domain. Then send me the address before you make an offer. That is the part the data cannot do.

All 46 suburbs and localities in Bass Coast

Adams Estate · Almurta · Anderson · Archies Creek · Bass · Cape Paterson · Cape Woolamai · Churchill Island · Corinella · Coronet Bay · Cowes · Dalyston · Glen Alvie · Glen Forbes · Grantville · Harmers Haven · Inverloch · Jam Jerrup · Kernot · Kilcunda · Kongwak · Krowera · Lance Creek · Newhaven · North Wonthaggi · Pioneer Bay · Rhyll · Ryanston · San Remo · Silverleaves · Smiths Beach · South Dudley · St Clair · Summerlands · Sunderland Bay · Sunset Strip · Surf Beach · Tenby Point · The Gurdies · Ventnor · Wattle Bank · West Creek · Wimbledon Heights · Wonthaggi · Woodleigh · Woolamai

Free · Written by hand · One per person

Want the full workup on Bass Coast?

This page is the public data. The full report is the written workup: current price, rent, gross yield and vacancy, growth over 1, 3, 5 and 10 years, days on market and demand, and the supply coming down the pipe, for Bass Coast or any suburb in it. Same data we run for clients. I pull it and email it through, usually within a business day. One per person, no charge, and no 14-part email sequence afterwards. All I ask is that if it lands, you take the fifteen minute call at the end of it.

Name, email and phone. I write these by hand, one per person, and the conversation afterwards is the only thing the report costs.

Leave your details and I'll get in touch about it myself, by email or phone, usually within one business day. It comes from dan@buyersfirstagency.com.au, and it lands in junk more often than it should, so check there if you don't see it. You'll also go on the Market Pulse mailing list, one email a month on where the market is actually heading. Unsubscribe whenever you like, and I never pass your details to anyone else.

Keep comparing

Markets of a similar size in VIC.

A council only makes sense in context. These are the VIC markets closest to Bass Coast in population, each with its own written report.

General information only, not financial or investment advice. Cycle positions and projections are modelled LGA-level figures to July 2026, sourced from HtAG Analytics. Population and approvals are ABS estimates; employment is SALM smoothed data; income, age and tenure are Census 2021. None of it can see street quality, flood maps, zoning or the contract, which is where deals are actually won and lost. Get advice on your own situation before acting.

Data finds the area. It doesn't buy the house.

We narrow 15,000 suburbs to the top 5 for each client, then find the street and the property. If Bass Coast is on your list, that's a conversation worth having early.

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