Drysdale at a glance
Owner-occupied houses
At the 2021 Census, 88.7% of Drysdale's occupied homes were separate houses. 47.4% were owned outright, well above Victoria's 32.2%, and only 15.9% were rented. The median age was 52.
A low spot fixed
Council's 2024 works tackled a trapped low point in Barrands Lane that raised flood risk for neighbours. New pipes now carry stormwater into an existing pipe in Wyndham Street. The problem showed in heavy rain, including October 2022, Victoria's wettest month on record.
Sewer stops at the edges
Council's 2007 wastewater strategy said sewer reaches most urban areas and major townships, but not the fringes of larger towns. It listed Drysdale's fringe among the unsewered areas.
Bellarine water
Barwon Water supplies the greater Geelong area, the Bellarine Peninsula included, according to the Victorian Government's water accounts.
Septic on the edge of town
If your block is on the outskirts, find out whether it's sewered before you treat a slow toilet as a blockage. Council's advice is to check with Barwon Water whether a property is serviced by sewer.
A septic system is the owner's to maintain. Under the Environment Protection Act 2017, Council must issue a permit before any part of one is built, installed or altered: first a Permit to Install/Alter, then an Approval to Use. Owners must keep the system in good working order, stop it overflowing, keep maintenance records and give tenants written instructions. Our septic systems page explains what a plumber checks.
After a Bellarine downpour
Everything that catches rain on your land, from the roof and gutters to pits and buried pipes, is a private stormwater system. You maintain it up to and including the legal point of discharge, the point where it may join Council's system.
If a Council pit in the street overflows, report it rather than fixing it yourself: Council says residents must never lift or move stormwater lids.
Replacing hot water in Drysdale
From 1 March 2027, a gas hot water system in an existing Victorian home must be replaced with an efficient electric one, like a heat pump, once it reaches end of life. Until then it can be repaired. Check current rules, as the legal instrument hasn't been confirmed.
Because so many Drysdale homes are owner-occupied, Solar Homes may help. It's a rebate of 50% of the system price after other discounts, capped at $1,000, or $1,400 for locally made products. You must own and live in the home, household taxable income must be under $150,000, the property worth under $3 million and the old system at least 3 years old. See Victorian hot water rebates.
What we would do
If water pools against the house in heavy rain, have a drain specialist check that your downpipes and pits really reach the legal point of discharge before blaming the street. Council fixed one trapped low point in Drysdale, not every one. And on the edge of town, confirm sewer or septic first: a full tank can look a lot like a blocked drain.