Armstrong Creek, VIC 3217

Armstrong Creek is a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia.

It was gazetted in February 2012 as part of the Armstrong Creek Growth Area, from largely undeveloped land which had formerly been part of Connewarre and Mount Duneed.

At the 2016 Census, Armstrong Creek had a population of 4,247. In August 2019, the City of Greater Geelong announced construction of the sustainable Sparrovale Wetlands system is expected to begin in October 2019 subject to final planning approval, after council awarded the $3.25 million contract to Goldsmith Civil and Environmental.

The area offers new housing estates which are being developed to take advantage of the creeks and waterways around nearby Lake Connewarre. Its is a great area for families and people looking for a peaceful lifestyle with Geelong CBD and surf beaches only a short 15-20 minutes drive away.

The area has grown significantly over the past few years and will continue to do so due to the future plans and population growth. As the new suburb has grown many shops, restaurants, schools and childcare centres have opened to service the area and there’s now plans in progress to increase the size of town centre and amenities as the suburb continues to grow. The new suburb offers is residents good transport connections via bus to the Marshall or Geelong railway stations.

Great for:
Parks & Recreation
Community lifestyle
Shopping
Eating out
Who lives here:
Young Families
Singles
Professionals
Retirees

Suburbs Nearby:
Connewarre
Mount Duneed
Moolap
Charlemont

For years people avoided Armstrong Creek because it was nothing but development and dirt – well, that couldn’t be further from the truth now.

With multiple shopping complexes, schools, day care centres, parks, walks, bike paths, medical centres and even community centres, this outer Geelong suburb ticks all the boxes. It’s a relatively ‘self-contained’ area with the majority of residents aged between 20 and 40 years old. Proving that young families and couples find Armstrong Creek a great place to settle.

The suburb growth overall in terms of prices has dropped by 3.4% in recent times, making accommodation more affordable whether you rent or buy. The split between rentals and owner occupied homes is 25% to 75%, which again outlines its popularity for long term residence.

Now that the area is established, it’s easy to take advantage of everything Armstrong Creek has to offer, and it’s only a 10 minute trip into central Geelong or the Surf Coast. It’s a winner!

Sophie Kennedy-Rush – Property Manager Geelong

Armstrong Creek has risen from bare paddocks in less than 10 years to become the largest development area in Victoria. When we moved from Melbourne to Geelong, we decided that this was the best option for us for anywhere Geelong (north part of Geelong not great, middle part too expensive, eastern part too far from freeway/train). So here you get the best compromise on price vs location, with some of the cheaper house prices (for renting and buying) in Geelong, for a neighborhood that isn't considered rough. Considering that up the road in Belmont/Newtown and going the other way Ocean Grove/Torquay prices are on average $200-250k MORE than here, being smack in the middle of Geelong services and the beach for that price point is really fairly appealing.

You're also only a 10mins drive from Marshall and Waurn Ponds V-line stations, which take you to the city in 1hr 15mins on comfy trains w/ toilets. Not too bad, makes day trips long but very much viable, even possible to go out in the city and get a night train/coach back here. Parking is usually ok too. Uber and other ride shares come this way too. Best of all, you're only 10mins from Barwon Heads and Torquay, great anytime of year, 20mins drive to Anglesea and 45mins to Lorne. Just great. Surfing and outdoor things (cycling, mountain biking, hiking, etc) are all not far way either in the Otways, You Yangs and Gt Ocean Road. So good spot for outdoorsy ppl, and you can be in the countryside in minutes (or even see it from the estate!).

Theres three primary schools open in the immediate area for 2020, two new ones being built and a new public high school being built. Theres also a private girls school being built in Charlemont plus other private high schools nearby that are rated well.

Also for shopping, the local Woolies, 2 liquor stores, pharmacy, doctors, cafes, etc, is within the estate, and Waurn Ponds is 10mins away with everything under the sun, a huge Bunnings, JB-Hi Fi, Harvey Norman, multiples servos, supermarkets, furniture stores, etc. Theres a new Armstrong Creek shopping centre going up 5 mins away, which will open mid-2020 and gradually expand over the years. The ultimate plan is to have a train station there with (potential) high-speed services to Melbourne. There will also be a large commercial area, swimming pool centre, fire station and much more. Once that happens, house prices will shoot up in this area and this will be a hugely desirable place to live, given the proximity to the Surf Coast.

Cons - You are quite a long way from anything, and fairly isolated. I think younger singles and teens would be very bored here, and probably contributes to some nuisance crime, ie, kids roaming the streets and nights and trying to find unlocked houses/cars. Recommended to have cameras installed. There is now a bus route through the suburbs and along the main highways, but buses are sporadic and frustratingly dont always link up with V-line trains, making this a less viable travel option. Trains are often packed even when leaving Geelong, and become heaving once they hit Wyndham Vale and Tarneit. Traffic going into the city as well is terrible every morning going into Hoppers and later Westgate, and same in the arvo peak...really need to consider this if you're commuting every day to the city.

Also the roads need a lot of improving, they are still building new estates next to terribly rutted dirt roads that have no plans to be upgraded. One of the local schools has to be accessed by a shocking road that'll wreck your suspension and patience. Theres also no easy access to the Waralilly shopping centre, needing to cut through congested side streets to get there, until the developer builds a new east-west road to connect to Horseshoe Bend rd (which in itself is in bad condition, rough and pot holed). Traffic is an issue all around too...theres bad traffic on Barwon Heads road to the east and then again on Surf Coast Hwy in Grovedale and Belmont heading into Geelong.

However on the upside, getting to the freeway is a bit roundabout but generally without too much traffic, which is a huge plus. Having an already built dual carriageway (surf coast hwy) also is a big plus, for those that live close to it., unlike other new estates where thousands of houses are accessed by a single carriageway road.

Need to mention the weather...its like Melbourne but slightly cooler here...some 35c days in Melbourne will only be 25c here. Armstrong creek can even be 2c cooler than Geelong itself, due to proximity to the Surf Coast. It also doesn't get too cold in winter like Ballarat. The thing that makes all the difference is the wind....the suburbs gets blasted by the southerlies coming straight off the southern ocean, much more so than Melbourne. At least 3-4 days a month, you get gale forced winds that blow your rubbish bins over, your side gates open and bend the trees sideways. In Autumn, winter and spring, this makes it all the more colder, and less appealing having the beach nearby. In summer, it can make for a nice cool change on scorching days. All-in-all, think same as Melbourne, but more wind and very slightly cooler.

Worth mentioning too the demographics are largely Aussies here, with a much lower ratio of migrants like you get in the newer Melbourne suburbs. Some intl. students stay here that go to Deakin uni, but overall this is a consideration well worth bearing in mind, especially for the local schools, etc. Western Melbourne suburb like Tarneit/Wyndham Vale, for example, would be 50%-80% non-English speaking migrants born overseas. Here I'd say its 80%+ Australian born, English-speaking (roughly). Lots of families and kids, so that sort of ambiance. Not too many hoons, but it exists. Some streets vary, depending who lives on them, but some are noisier and rowdier than other. Do your research, as usual. Will do much worse in other areas of Geelong though!

All the houses are nice and new, power lines are buried underground and everything looks pretty good, so for that reason it beats the older, weatherboard houses in other parts of Geelong. Well-insulated too. One downside is the blocks are quite small, and seeing how far away you are from everything, you really are right on top of your neighbours and all their sounds/smells, much more so than house dwellers in Melbourne. Think the developers made some considerable coin of that...

However all that said, its got a great ambiance, people say hi on the streets and theres some nice community events. Overall, recommended, particularly for families, if you can figure out your commute well enough.

I've lived in Amrstrong Creek for nearly 4 years now. The area has grown significantly and will continue to do so due to the future plans and population growth. The estates are fantastic. They take advantage of the pre-existing creeks and waterways which have created an amazing blend of nature and suburbs. Armstrong Creek now has shops, restaurants, schools, parklands, daycare centres and a large elderly care facility about to open. This is all here prior to the large town center that will be built in the next few years which is estmated to be the size of the Geelong CBD. Real estate growth has been strong and continues to grow, as well as future business and employment opportunities.

The area is great for families and people looking at a better and affordable lifestyle. Geelong CBD is 15 min, Torquay 10 min, Barwon Heads 15 min, Great Ocean Road 20 min, Anglesea 25 min and just over an hour to Melbourne. You can get everything you need from Geelong and Surf Coast without needing to travel to Melbourne.

There are plenty of things to do around Geelong including pubs, shops, resturants, theme parks, sports, theatres, parklands, beaches and more. You get the same diversity and activity as Melbourne without the mass population and extremely high property prices.

For anyone looking at living close to the coast as well as a large regional city which has everything to offer, then Armstrong Creek is the place to be.

We have lived in Armstrong Creek for 4 years and have enjoyed watching it grow with parklands, shops, child care and schools now ready to go.

Unfortunately their is a bit of nuisance crime, mainly regular car break ins but also some robberies, including daylight robberies. The perils of owning a nice home where the assumption is that you’ll also own nice furniture.