NSW · Cessnock Council
Bellbird, NSW, 2325
Desirability index
#738 among Country & regional suburbs
Suburb snapshot
Bellbird is a smaller suburban community in the Cessnock area, home to around 2,338 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 3,329 offences in Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 with relatively stable year-on-year trends (+2%), roughly 1423.9 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $550 (flats $463, houses $570), 1 school and preschool site in the area, strong public transport coverage with many public transport stops, a solid spread of nearby amenities and everyday services, and notable planning and development activity on record. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb.
Population
- Population
- 2,338
- Median age
- 34
- Median household income / week
- $1,427
- Dwelling vacancy
- 5.9%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 51 of 867
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,600
- Employment rate
- 55%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 82 / 63 / 3
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Housing
- Flats / units (January to March 2026)
- $463
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $570
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $550
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 271
Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Data sources & freshness
- DCJ rent tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · Period: January to March 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 3,329
- Against the person
- 1,049
- Against property
- 1,325
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 1,423.9
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 2 residents
- State safety percentile
- 39.1th (lower crime is better)
- Year-on-year change
- +2.1%
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order198
- Breach Bail Conditions379
- Domestic Violence Related Assault299
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment371
- Malicious Damage To Property332
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Period: Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 907
- Bellbird Public SchoolPrimary
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Public transport
63 public transport stops in this suburb
- Edden St At Charlton St
- Edden St Before Mary St
- Mary St At Edden St
- Wollombi Rd After George St
- Wollombi Rd Opp Bellbird Hotel
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
486 planning-related records
2026· 27 proposals
June 2026
- Shed; Erection of a new structure23 HARMONY CLOSE BELLBIRD 2325Additional Information Requested
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation79 TENNANT STREET BELLBIRD 2325Under Assessment
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure48 Atkinson Street, Bellbird, NSW 2325Additional Information Requested
- Shed; Erection of a new structure70 EDDEN STREET BELLBIRD 2325Under Assessment
May 2026
- Dual occupancy; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)26 MOUNTAIN RIDGE BELLBIRD 2325Under Assessment
- Shed; Erection of a new structure351 WOLLOMBI ROAD BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Demolition; Subdivision; Residential Accommodation48 KENDALL STREET BELLBIRD 2325Under Assessment
- Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)73 ABBOTSFORD STREET BELLBIRD 2325Additional Information Requested
- Demolition; Subdivision2 CHARLTON STREET BELLBIRD 2325Under Assessment
- Shed; Erection of a new structure8 KENDALL STREET BELLBIRD 2325Determined
April 2026
- SubdivisionBALANGARA WAY BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Dual occupancy; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached); Residential Accommodation21 BRANDY WAY BELLBIRD 2325Under Assessment
- Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Exhibition home7 WILDFLOWER CIRCUIT BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Exhibition home9 WILDFLOWER CIRCUIT BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- SubdivisionBALANGARA WAY BELLBIRD 2325Withdrawn
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation60 RUBY STREET BELLBIRD 2325Determined
March 2026
- Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)111 PILLAR STREET BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Demolition; Subdivision580 WOLLOMBI ROAD BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Subdivision42 KALINGO STREET BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Dual occupancy; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)74 ABBOTSFORD STREET BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah24 KEARSLEY STREET BELLBIRD 2325Determined
February 2026
- Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Exhibition home4 MAJESTY STREET BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space10 KENDALL STREET BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Secondary dwelling; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure44 BOUQUET DRIVE BELLBIRD 2325Determined
January 2026
- Attached dwelling; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure112 PILLAR STREET BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Exhibition home6 MAJESTY STREET BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation13 PILLAR STREET BELLBIRD 2325Determined
2025· 46 proposals
December 2025
- Erection of a new structure; CarportBIMBADEEN ROAD BELLBIRD 2325Determined
November 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure12 FLOURISH WAY BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- SubdivisionBALANGARA WAY BELLBIRD 2325Determined
October 2025
- Secondary dwelling; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure32 CROSSING STREET BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure7 PILLAR STREET BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Subdivision50 TENNANT STREET BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure30 KALINGO STREET BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure22 BIRMINGHAM CIRCUIT BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure31 BEAUFORT AVENUE BELLBIRD 2325Determined
September 2025
- SubdivisionBALANGARA WAY BELLBIRD 2325Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure25 BRANDY WAY BELLBIRD 2325Determined
August 2025
- Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Exhibition home10 MAJESTY STREET BELLBIRD 2325Withdrawn
- Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Exhibition home8 MAJESTY STREET BELLBIRD 2325Withdrawn
2024· 71 proposals
71 proposals lodged in 2024. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2023· 123 proposals
123 proposals lodged in 2023. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2022· 96 proposals
96 proposals lodged in 2022. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2021· 79 proposals
79 proposals lodged in 2021. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2020· 44 proposals
44 proposals lodged in 2020. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Period: 2020; 2020–2026; 2021… · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
Amenities
28 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Atkinson St before Bird StBus stop
- Atkinson St opp Bird StBus stop
- Bellbird Hotel, Wollombi RdBus stop
- Bellbird Public School, Doyle StBus stop
- Carmichael Park, Sparke StBus stop
- Doyle St before Wollombi RdBus stop
- Doyle St opp Atkinson StBus stop
- Doyle St opp Kearsley StBus stop
- Doyle St opp Sparke StBus stop
- Edden St at Charlton StBus stop
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Bellbird Miners Memorial ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 1/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Childcare
1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap
- Bellbird Pre Schoolkindergarten
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- Overlay applies
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 6
- Parks (OSM)
- 2
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability index
- Desirability score
- 21.7/100
- Cohort rank
- #738 among Country & regional suburbs
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Edden St At Charlton Sttransport
- Edden St Before Mary Sttransport
- Mary St At Edden Sttransport
- Wollombi Rd After George Sttransport
- Wollombi Rd Opp Bellbird Hoteltransport
- Bellbird Pre Schoolchildcarekindergarten
- Bellbird Miners Memorial Parkgovernmentpark
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandahplanning24 KEARSLEY STREET BELLBIRD 2325Lodged 03 Mar 2026 · Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodationplanning60 RUBY STREET BELLBIRD 2325Lodged 01 Apr 2026 · Determined
- Attached dwelling; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structureplanning112 PILLAR STREET BELLBIRD 2325Lodged 30 Jan 2026 · Determined
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Updated on site
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Similar suburbs
Suburbs with a comparable population profile, socio-economic decile, and location.