Ocean Grove at a glance
Boom years
The town's big building boom came in the 1970s and 80s. It has since become a dormitory town for Geelong, and the number of holiday homes has declined.
Older roots
The Methodist church bought the land in the 1880s; a coffee palace (1888), a Wesleyan church (1889) and a primary school (1892) followed.
Empty houses
At the 2021 Census, 21.0% of the town's 8,668 dwellings were unoccupied. 93.4% of occupied homes were separate houses, and 41.1% were owned outright.
Storms
In the 2021 storms behind Victoria's biggest ever outage, when over 526,000 households lost power, the Geelong, Bellarine and Surf Coast municipalities were the most impacted.
Powercor
The Bellarine is on Powercor's network. Faults: 13 24 12.
Jobs that come up in Ocean Grove
Boom-era switchboards. A house built in the 1970s or 80s is old enough that its board may lack safety switches on every circuit, and the Asbestos Hub says homes built or renovated before 1990 likely contain asbestos. Have the board assessed before adding anything big.
Smoke alarms in older homes. Victoria requires smoke alarms in all homes. A house built before 1 August 1997 can use battery alarms; one built after needs mains-powered alarms with a backup battery.
Holiday houses. A place that's empty for months is worth checking before summer: safety switches, outdoor lights and power points near the outdoor shower and taps.
Rentals. Since 13 October 2026, every Victorian rental needs an electrical safety check at least every 2 years. With 18.5% of homes rented, plenty of landlords need to book one.
Our take for Ocean Grove
If your house dates from the boom, get the switchboard checked and the smoke alarms sorted in one visit. For a holiday home, book it for spring, so there's time to fix whatever turns up before the house fills.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.