Cowes, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Cowes is the main township on Phillip Island, set on the island's northern shore facing Western Port about 140 kilometres south of Melbourne. The Bunurong (Boonwurrung) people of the Kulin Nation have lived on and around the island, known to them as Millowl, for thousands of years. A government surveyor named the town in 1865 after Cowes on the Isle of Wight, replacing the earlier name Mussel Rocks; a jetty and ferry service followed around 1870. Today Cowes is the holiday heart of Phillip Island, lined with beaches, cafes and shops, and serves as the gateway to the Phillip Island Nature Park and its celebrated nightly penguin parade. Tourism anchors the local economy.
Less advantaged than the national average
Cowes is more socio-economically advantaged than about 26% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 943, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Cowes at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 6,593
- Median age
- 55
- Median weekly household income
- $1,026
- SEIFA score
- 943
- Coordinates
- -38.4714, 145.2389
Cowes demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Cowes using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is seniors (65+) at 35%, 27% of homes are rented, and 21% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 934 | 14% |
| Youth (15–24) | 419 | 6% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,159 | 18% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,768 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,299 | 35% |
Share of the 6,579 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,272 | 46% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 606 | 22% |
| Rented | 727 | 27% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,290 | 83% |
| Townhouses & semis | 324 | 12% |
| Flats & apartments | 111 | 4% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,747 occupied private dwellings in Cowes.
- Median weekly rent
- $331
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,550
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,339
- Median weekly personal income
- $586
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,312 (21%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 527 (9%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 69 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,432 (44%)
- Labour-force participation
- 43.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.4%
- Employed full-time
- 1,089
- Employed part-time
- 1,006
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Cowes
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Cowes is January (average daytime high around 22.8°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.8°C). The area receives roughly 808 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22.8°C | 16.3°C | 55 mm |
| Feb | 22.3°C | 16.1°C | 37 mm |
| Mar | 21.2°C | 15.5°C | 50 mm |
| Apr | 18.6°C | 13.4°C | 62 mm |
| May | 15.7°C | 11.5°C | 82 mm |
| Jun | 13.5°C | 9.7°C | 79 mm |
| Jul | 12.8°C | 9°C | 73 mm |
| Aug | 13.3°C | 9°C | 80 mm |
| Sep | 15.3°C | 9.9°C | 76 mm |
| Oct | 17.4°C | 11.1°C | 87 mm |
| Nov | 18.8°C | 12.6°C | 70 mm |
| Dec | 21°C | 14.4°C | 57 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Cowes
Where is Cowes?
Cowes is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Cowes?
At the 2021 Census, Cowes had a population of about 6,593.
Is Cowes an advantaged area?
Cowes has an ABS SEIFA score of 943, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 26 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 26% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Cowes?
Cowes has average daytime highs of about 17.7°C and overnight lows of about 12.4°C, with roughly 808 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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