Point Cook, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Point Cook lies about 22 kilometres south-west of central Melbourne, on the shore of Port Phillip Bay in the City of Wyndham, and is today the most populated suburb in Australia. It was named in 1836 after John M. Cooke, a mate aboard the survey vessel Rattlesnake, which charted part of the bay that year. The pastoralist Thomas Chirnside took up the land in 1853 and built a substantial homestead, running it for hunting and horse breeding as part of a sprawling Western District estate. In 1912 the Federal Government bought a large parcel here to establish the Australian Flying Corps; its success in the First World War led to the founding of the Royal Australian Air Force, and Point Cook is remembered as the air force's birthplace and the home of the RAAF Museum. Long a quiet rural and military district, the suburb began its rapid transformation into a major residential growth area only in the late 1990s, and its bayside wetlands remain an important habitat for migratory birds.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Point Cook is more socio-economically advantaged than about 88% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1066, 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.
Point Cook at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 66,781
- Median age
- 33
- Median weekly household income
- $2,392
- SEIFA score
- 1066
- Coordinates
- -37.9054, 144.7566
Point Cook demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Point Cook 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 young adults (25–44) at 36%, 32% of homes are rented, and 54% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 18,303 | 27% |
| Youth (15–24) | 7,345 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 24,325 | 36% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 12,858 | 19% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,951 | 6% |
Share of the 66,782 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 3,008 | 15% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 10,184 | 51% |
| Rented | 6,424 | 32% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 17,715 | 88% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,891 | 9% |
| Flats & apartments | 527 | 3% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 20,140 occupied private dwellings in Point Cook.
- Median weekly rent
- $400
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,115
- Average household size
- 3.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,468
- Median weekly personal income
- $969
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 34,795 (54%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 34,198 (54%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 384 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 35,174 (77%)
- Labour-force participation
- 71.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.2%
- Employed full-time
- 21,322
- Employed part-time
- 9,192
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 Point Cook
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Point Cook is January (average daytime high around 24.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 13.3°C). The area receives roughly 629 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24.9°C | 16°C | 57 mm |
| Feb | 24.2°C | 15.6°C | 29 mm |
| Mar | 22.8°C | 14.8°C | 39 mm |
| Apr | 19.6°C | 12.1°C | 58 mm |
| May | 16.3°C | 9.9°C | 52 mm |
| Jun | 13.7°C | 7.9°C | 55 mm |
| Jul | 13.3°C | 7.4°C | 43 mm |
| Aug | 13.9°C | 7.4°C | 48 mm |
| Sep | 16.2°C | 8.6°C | 55 mm |
| Oct | 18.9°C | 10.1°C | 70 mm |
| Nov | 20.7°C | 12°C | 65 mm |
| Dec | 22.9°C | 13.9°C | 58 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Point Cook
Where is Point Cook?
Point Cook is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Point Cook?
At the 2021 Census, Point Cook had a population of about 66,781.
Is Point Cook an advantaged area?
Point Cook has an ABS SEIFA score of 1066, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 88 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 88% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Point Cook?
Point Cook has average daytime highs of about 19°C and overnight lows of about 11.3°C, with roughly 629 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Point Cook?
Point Cook is the most populous suburb in Australia at the 2021 Census (about 66,781 usual residents).
Where Point Cook ranks
Point Cook appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in Australia#1 of 25
- Largest suburbs in Victoria#1 of 25
Nearby suburbs in Victoria
More suburb guides in Victoria
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.