NSW · Lithgow Council

Bell, 2786

Population

44

Growth (1 yr)

0.0%

Growth (5 yr)

0.0%

Median age

41

Median income

$1,149/wk

Employment rate

37.8%

University qualified

12.1%

Work from home

0%

Median house price · October to December 2025

$895,000

Languages at home

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

  • Green suburb
  • National parks
  • Rural living
What Bell is known for: Green suburb, National parks, Rural living

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Bell, NSW suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Bell, NSW Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/nsw/bell-nsw

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Suburb profile

Bell is a rural locality in New South Wales, in Lithgow Council. It is close to Mount Victoria.

Local amenities are a relative strength, with local amenities 100% above the peer median. Green cover is a relative strength. Trade-offs centre on higher housing costs and weaker employment, with median house prices 28% above the peer median.

Overall, Bell suits people prioritising local amenities over lower housing costs.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Rural locality · compared with rural localities in New South Wales (2685)

Strengths

  • Local amenities are a relative strength
  • Green cover is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Housing is expensive relative to comparable places
  • Employment rates sit below those of comparable places

What stands out

  • Mount Victoria

Who it suits

  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Bell compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

$895k

+32% change

Median rent

—

No data available

Population (Census)

44

0.0% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

21.1%

Census unoccupied dwellings

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Crime rate

60th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

10th

percentile in NSW

Rented dwellings

0%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

7/10

national SEIFA decile

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

Housing

Median house price (October to December 2025)
$895,000
Median price change
+32.2%

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

Population

Population growth

0.0% annual · 0.0% over 5 years · 10th percentile in NSW

Growth rates are from ABS Estimated Resident Population at SA2 level. Headcount uses 2021 Census when allocated ERP is too low relative to Census to display reliably.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
44
Median age
41
Median household income / week
$1,149
Dwelling vacancy
21.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
4 of 19
Median monthly mortgage
$1,589
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
69.2% / 30.8% / 0%
Employment rate
37.8%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
0% / 29.4% / 35.3%
Walked or cycled to work
0%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
14 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted 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

Qualifications

12.1% of adults have a university degree, compared with 27.8% across New South Wales. 36.4% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified12.1% · 27.8% NSW
  • Diploma qualified9.1% · 9.3% NSW
  • Trade / vocational36.4% · 15% NSW
  • Year 12 or below42.4% · 47.9% NSW

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Education36.4%
  • Architecture and building27.3%
  • Management and commerce22.7%
  • Engineering and related technologies13.6%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$49,016

25th percentile in NSW · -17% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$60,196

43rd percentile in NSW · -7% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
16.0%

67th percentile in NSW · +16% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$86,699

71st percentile in NSW · +37% vs Australia

Residents with business income
15.0%

93rd percentile in NSW · +44% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2786 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
741
Taxpayers reporting net rent
120
Median net rent
$2,066
Taxpayers reporting business income
114
Taxable income vs state median
-12%
Salary / wages vs state median
-4%
Rental investment vs state median
+14%
Super vs state median
+23%
Business income vs state median
+50%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in NSW, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

22.9% born overseas

Language at home
37 English only · 0 other
Non-English at home
0%
Born overseas
8 (22.9%)
Australian citizens
37

Religion

38.6%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 38.6%, while 34.1% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion34.1%32.8%
Christianity38.6%47.6%
Other / not stated27.3%19.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Anglican25%11.9%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Offence counts are estimated for this suburb from postcode 2786, which is shared with other suburbs.

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
1
Against the person
0
Against property
0
Rate per 1,000 residents
83.3
State crime-rate percentile
60.1th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate)
+0.3%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
6
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
500

Most common offence types

  • Domestic Violence Related Assault0
  • Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment0
  • Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault0
  • Sexual Assault0
  • Sexual Touching, Sexual Act And Other Sexual Offences0

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

School list
School catchments
  • Bilpin PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Colo HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Katoomba HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Lithgow HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Mt Victoria PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Zig Zag PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment

Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

  • NSW government school intake zones — NSW Department of Education · current · Updated · Open catchment polygons where published

Public transport

12 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Bell Station
  • Chifley Rd Opp Bell Station
  • ENT Chifley Rd
  • ENT Sandham Rd
  • Level Crossing

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

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

2 mapped amenities

1 campgrounds

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Reasonable bus and transport access — 12 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
18/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Sport & outdoors(1)
  • Bell Recreation ReserveNature reserve
Camping & holiday parks(1)
  • Campground

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

1 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Bell Recreation ReserveNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
0.7%
Woodland / forest cover
0.7%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
23
Parks (OSM)
0
Typical summer maximum
24°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Nearest hospital
Lithgow Private Hospital (15.4 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

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
24° / 13°
Rainfall
282 mm · ~35 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
18° / 9°
Rainfall
241 mm · ~30 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
11° / 3°
Rainfall
179 mm · ~22 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
18° / 7°
Rainfall
201 mm · ~25 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).

5 planning-related records

2025· 1 proposal
  • October 2025

  • Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
    380 DARLING CAUSEWAY BELL 2786Determined
2024· 1 proposal
  • July 2024

  • Erection of a new structure; Manufactured home
    12A SANDHAM ROAD BELL 2786Determined
2023· 2 proposals
  • June 2023

  • Dwelling; Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs
    12A SANDHAM ROAD BELL 2786Determined
  • April 2023

  • Dwelling
    10-12 SANDHAM ROAD BELL 2786Determined
2020· 1 proposal
  • October 2020

  • Shed
    288 DARLING CAUSEWAY BELL 2786Determined

Data sources & freshness

Roadworks & transport

2 active roadworks / incidents

  • Expect delays. Plan your journey. Use an alternative route. Hartley Vale Road is closed for all east bound traffic between Hunters Road and Darling Causeway. Residents and Emergency Services only are permitted to travel westbound between Darling Causeway and Hunters Road. This is due to the heavy traffic on Darling Causeway and risks involved in turning onto Darling causeway from Hartley Vale Road. Traffic control is in place to advise motorists.Hartley Vale Road, Darling Causeway10 Mar 2026 – 30 Apr 2027
  • RoadworksChifley Road, Darling Causeway20 Sep 2026 – 01 Nov 2026

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated

Heritage

1 heritage place

  • Blue Mountains Walking tracksBlue Mountains National Park, BlackheathSHR

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping. Flood cover uses NSW flood planning polygons against the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Calare
Member of Parliament
Andrew GEE (Independent)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
124,664
Turnout (2025)
92.7%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+3.2 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 62.3%Labor 37.7%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 24.6 km away).

Coalition 55.6%Labor 44.4%

6.7 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +3.8 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Lithgow Oakey ParkLabor 49.7% · Coalition 50.3% TPP (2025)13.1 km away
  • HartleyLabor 41.8% · Coalition 58.2% TPP (2025)13.2 km away
  • Lithgow CentralLabor 51.7% · Coalition 48.3% TPP (2025)14.7 km away
  • Lithgow HermitageLabor 45.6% · Coalition 54.4% TPP (2025)15.6 km away
  • Lithgow CooerwullLabor 48.1% · Coalition 51.9% TPP (2025)16.4 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

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
7/10
IRSD decile (2021)
6/10

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 (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

More in Lithgow Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.