Median house price
$3.58M
+2.3% change
NSW · Northern Beaches Council
Balgowlah Heights, 2093
Est. population · Jun 2025
3,502
Growth (1 yr)
+0.0%
Growth (5 yr)
-0.8%
Median age
43
Median income
$4,687/wk
Employment rate
62.3%
Median house price · October to December 2025
$3,580,000
Languages at home
11.7%non-English
Most common: Mandarin, Greek, German
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Education hub
- High desirability
- National parks
- Excellent transport
- Café precinct
Suburb profile
Balgowlah Heights sits up in the Northern Beaches Council hills, a mid-sized suburb where elevation and tree cover define the mood. The area suits established families and long-term locals, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Many residents were born overseas or speak a language other than English at home.
Education outcomes and school provision stand out relative to comparable suburbs. Parks and open space are a real strength relative to many metro suburbs, easy for walks, sport and weekend downtime. Everyday errands are walkable, and buses keep the wider city within easy reach.
Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers. Infill and new builds are slowly updating the area without overwhelming its existing character.
Community and employment, plus safety push the suburb to a good desirability read, even as growth momentum look more ordinary among similar metro suburbs.
At a glance
Balgowlah Heights snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$915/wk
Houses $1,513 · Units $805
Population (ERP)
3,502
+0.0% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
4.1%
Census unoccupied dwellings
Livability profile
Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Desirability
#111
among Metro Sydney · Established
Safety
5th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
39th
percentile in NSW
Advantage (IRSAD)
10/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
97th
percentile among schools with ICSEA
Population growth
Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years
Housing mix
Dwelling types from the 2021 Census
Risks & flags
Quick scan — open a section below for full context
Living here
Desirability
Ranks & confidence
- Desirability score
- 60.9/100 — Good
- State standing
- Top 13% of New South Wales' suburbs
- National rank
- 922nd in Australia
- State rank
- 262nd in NSW
- Peer rank
- #111 among Metro Sydney · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #192 among Metro Sydney suburbs
- Data confidence
- 93%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
- Flats / units (January to March 2026)
- $805
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $1,513
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $915
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 165
- Median house price (October to December 2025)
- $3,580,000
- Median price change
- +2.3%
Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- DCJ rent and sales tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · January to March 2026; October to December 2025 · Updated · Quarterly releases
Population
Estimated resident population
3,502(June 2025)
+0.0% annual · -0.8% over 5 years · 39th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +0.0%
- 5-year growth
- -0.8%
- Change in 1 year
- +1
- Change in 5 years
- -29
- Growth rank in NSW
- 39th percentile
ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.
Methodology
Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.
The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~3,550), extrapolated at +0.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 3,546
- Median age
- 43
- Median household income / week
- $4,687
- Dwelling vacancy
- 4.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 45 of 1,095
- Median monthly mortgage
- $4,878
- Employment rate
- 62.3%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 1,007 / 29 / 7 (+ 8 other)
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
- Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries
Community & culture
No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
Reported offences are unchanged compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 84
- Against the person
- 22
- Against property
- 43
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 24
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 161 residents
- State safety percentile
- 4.9th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +0.3%
Most common offence types
- Fraud50
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment44
- Malicious Damage To Property54
- Steal From Motor Vehicle51
- Steal From Retail Store42
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated · Rolling 12-month windows
Family & Lifestyle
Schools & preschools
- Schools within 2 km
- 5
- Median school ICSEA (5 schools)
- 1,165
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 97th
School list
- Balgowlah Heights Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1177 · 98th percentile · LBOTE 22% · 651 students · Top SEA quarter 72% · 0.7 km awayView on My School →
- St Cecilia's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1168 · 98th percentile · LBOTE 14% · 232 students · Top SEA quarter 65% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →
- Northern Beaches Secondary College Balgowlah Boys CampusSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1115 · 88th percentile · LBOTE 26% · 1,100 students · Top SEA quarter 46% · 1.5 km awayView on My School →
- Manly West Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1147 · 95th percentile · LBOTE 25% · 761 students · Top SEA quarter 60% · 1.7 km awayView on My School →
- Seaforth Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1165 · 97th percentile · LBOTE 16% · 394 students · Top SEA quarter 67% · 2.0 km awayView on My School →
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
Public transport
53 public transport stops in this suburb
- Beatrice St At New St
- Beatrice St At The Walk
- Beatrice St Opp Ernest St
- Woodland St At Bareena Dr
- Woodland St Before Alder St
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · current · Updated · Nightly GTFS feed
Amenities
98 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
3 cafes · 1 supermarkets · 1 pharmacies · 1 playgrounds · 1 dog parks · 1 sports centres · 1 post offices
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Highly walkable for everyday errands
- Decent local green space — 6 parks in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
- Well connected by public transport — 53 public transport stops
- Walkability proxy
- 76/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0.85
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 0.85
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 1.69
Food & drink(3)
- Ball BoyCafe
31 Dobroyd Road
- Cafe
New Street West
- Coffee No5Cafe
73 New Street West
Shopping(3)
- Millin'sButcher
- Balgowlah Heights IGASupermarket
Community(1)
- Balgowlah Heights Public SchoolSchool
Health & services(1)
- Balgowlah Heights PharmacyPharmacy
Sport & outdoors(10)
- Dog park
- Bareena ParkPark
- Gledhill ReservePark
- Nanbaree ReservePark
- Park (2)
- Tania ParkPark
- Playground
- Balgowlah Bowling ClubSports centre
- Sports field
Entertainment(6)
- Arabanoo LookoutViewpoint
- Crater Cove LookoutViewpoint
- Viewpoint (4)
Transport(25)
25 bus stops
Other(22)
- Bbq (2)
- Bench (14)
- Bicycle Parking
- Boat Storage (2)
- Balgowlah Heights DeliDeli
- CK's BitesDeli
73 New Street West
- Drinking water (3)
- miss beatriceFlorist
- ArabanooInformation
- Information (2)
- Balgowlah Heights NewsagencyNewsagent
- Parking (4)
- Picnic Table (3)
- Post Box (3)
- Australia PostPost office
- NSW National Parks and Wildlife ServicePublic toilets
- Public toilets
- NSW National Parks and Wildlife ServiceShower
- Shower
- Vending machine (2)
- Waste Basket (3)
- Wilderness Hut
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Parks & reserves
4 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Bareena ParkPark
- Gledhill ReservePark
- Nanbaree ReservePark
- Tania ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 13
- Parks (OSM)
- 6
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
- 1
- Nearest hospital
- Manly Waters Private Hospital (1.8 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
- Emergency department in suburb
- Not in suburb
- Balgowlah Heights PharmacyPharmacy
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 52
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 14.8
Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.
For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.
Data sources & freshness
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
Weather
Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.
Summer (Dec–Feb)
- Usual max / min
- 25° / 17°
- Rainfall
- 321 mm · ~40 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 22° / 14°
- Rainfall
- 359 mm · ~45 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 17° / 8°
- Rainfall
- 263 mm · ~33 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 21° / 12°
- Rainfall
- 242 mm · ~30 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
- Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated
Future & Planning
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal.
2026· 24 proposals
August 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure21 TABALUM ROAD BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Additional Information Requested
July 2026
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Fences11 CURBAN STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure17 ADELAIDE STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool4 GEDDES STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Under Assessment
June 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure36 BEATRICE STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure35 NEW STREET EAST BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure13 VISTA AVENUE BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Deferred Commencement
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure14 ADRIAN PLACE BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure35 FISHER STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Additional Information Requested
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure12 GEDDES STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
May 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation14 ERNEST STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure8 MULGOWRIE CRESCENT BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
April 2026
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure20 BEATTY STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure21 TABALUM ROAD BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation16 BEACONVIEW STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
March 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure35 FISHER STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Landscaping structures; Pathways and paving; Stairway9 ERNEST STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Demolition; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Minor building alterations (external)23 ERNEST STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure21 TABALUM ROAD BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Withdrawn
February 2026
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space7 ABBOTT STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool41 RADIO AVENUE BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Cabanas, cubby houses, ferneries, garden sheds, gazebos and greenhouses24 SCALES PARADE BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation4 NOLAN PLACE BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
January 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation7 ADRIAN PLACE BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
2025· 20 proposals
December 2025
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Garage, carport or carparking space26-28 ADELAIDE STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation14 ERNEST STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
November 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure27 CURBAN STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation21A VALLEY ROAD BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Withdrawn
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah22 DOBROYD ROAD BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Swimming pool11 MULGOWRIE CRESCENT BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
October 2025
- Demolition; Shed; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Cabanas, cubby houses, ferneries, garden sheds, gazebos and greenhouses; Landscaping structures; Minor building alterations (external)2A BEATTY STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure5 NEW STREET EAST BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation1 CURBAN STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Residential Accommodation59 LEWIS STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Operational consent issued
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure85 WOODLAND STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure12 GEDDES STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation13 NEW STREET EAST BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
September 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Landscaping structures; Stairway; Swimming pool27 BAREENA DRIVE BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Carport; Driveways and hard stand spaces43 CURBAN STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure75 BEATRICE STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
August 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation17 MULGOWRIE CRESCENT BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Carport; Driveways and hard stand spaces9 MULGOWRIE CRESCENT BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure39 HEATHCLIFF CRESCENT BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure14B WOODLAND STREET BALGOWLAH HEIGHTS 2093Determined
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · 2026 · Updated · Daily feed (from Oct 2018)
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated
Politics & representation
- Federal electorate
- Warringah
- Member of Parliament
- Zali STEGGALL (Independent)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 130,761
- Turnout (2025)
- 92.1%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +5.3 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 45.5%Labor 54.5%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 2.3 km away).
Coalition 48.1%Labor 51.9%
2.7 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +5.6 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- Balgowlah HeightsLabor 48.5% · Coalition 51.5% TPP (2025)0.7 km away
- Balgowlah EastLabor 54.2% · Coalition 45.8% TPP (2025)1.4 km away
- BalgowlahLabor 53.6% · Coalition 46.4% TPP (2025)1.6 km away
- FairlightLabor 59.1% · Coalition 40.9% TPP (2025)1.7 km away
- Manly WestLabor 58.3% · Coalition 41.7% TPP (2025)1.8 km away
Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.
Data sources & freshness
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 10/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 10/10
ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).
What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?
IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.
IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.
A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
Compare with
Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.
More in Northern Beaches Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.