Last year, it was revealed that Geelong was the most popular destination for movers around Australia. That popularity hasn’t gone away. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, this regional city gained an additional 3,662 residents last year, making it the highest growing region in Victoria for the fourth year in a row. And that’s not even counting births and overseas arrivals! Over the last four years, Geelong has received a total of 13,497 net internal migrants. The estimated number of current residents is now over 300,000, and those numbers are expected to surge to over 441,000 by 2045. In 2025, 54 per cent of all newcomers to Geelong came from the Greater Melbourne area. So, if you’re curious about the numbers, or you’re considering a move to Geelong in the future, here’s what we know.
Who is moving to Geelong?
The analysts at Find A Mover have looked at their data to give us a deeper look at who is moving into Geelong.
Last year, 7,742 people moved to Geelong from Greater Melbourne. Breaking it down even further, 2,728 of those people came from Melbourne’s western suburbs, such as Point Cook, Werribee and Melton. This accounted for more than all of Geelong’s interstate arrivals combined.
Meanwhile, those living in the inner suburbs, such as Carlton and Fitzroy, accounted for 1,393 of the movers, followed closely by those in the northern suburbs at 1,314 movers.
For those living in Melbourne’s west, a move to Geelong is just the natural next step along the M1 freeway. Meanwhile, those in the inner-north and inner-west, such as Brunswick, Northcote and Footscray, are choosing to move due to Geelong’s affordability.
According to Find a Mover, the most popular moves to Geelong were to the CBD, followed by Highton, Ocean Grove, Belmont and Grovedale.
What makes Geelong an attractive place to live in?
There’s definitely a financial factor when it comes to moving from Melbourne to Geelong. Looking at past jobs listed on Find A Mover, people switching to Geelong are leaving properties with an average value of $864,000 to homes in Geelong that average out at $773,000. These values were estimated by matching factors like property type and bedroom count against CoreLogic’s median pricing data. So moving to Geelong would get you a larger place to live in with a backyard for a more manageable price.
On top of its affordability, Geelong is still within close proximity to Melbourne. Commuters can travel along the freeway, or hop on the V/Line. From 2023-2024, the Geelong line was the most populated regional line, carrying a whopping 10.22 million passengers. In late 2024, track duplications between Waurn Ponds and South Geelong led to increased frequency during peak hour.
Beyond its affordability and proximity, Geelong is also an attractive place for those looking for a sea change. 1 in 5 of the inbound moves were to a coastal suburb or town near Geelong, such as Ocean Grove, Torquay and Leopold.
To read the full report, click here.