NSW · Lake Macquarie Council
Brightwaters, NSW, 2264
Desirability index
#703 among Metro Sydney suburbs
Suburb snapshot
Brightwaters is a small locality in the Lake Macquarie area, home to around 875 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 1,365 offences in Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 with falling year-on-year trends (-13%), roughly 1560.0 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $610, 1 school and preschool site in the area, strong public transport coverage with many public transport stops, a quieter amenity profile than busier neighbouring suburbs, and notable planning and development activity on record. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb.
Population
- Population
- 875
- Median age
- 50
- Median household income / week
- $1,419
- Dwelling vacancy
- 14.9%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 60 of 403
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,000
- Employment rate
- 49.5%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 18 / 5 / 7
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
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $628
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 99
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)
- 1,365
- Against the person
- 348
- Against property
- 515
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 1,560
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 3 residents
- State safety percentile
- 40.6th (lower crime is better)
- Year-on-year change
- -13.2%
Most common offence types
- Domestic Violence Related Assault97
- Fraud105
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment115
- Malicious Damage To Property97
- Transport Regulatory Offences251
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
- 1,001
- Brightwaters Christian CollegeCombined
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
27 public transport stops in this suburb
- Dandaraga Rd After Buttaba Rd
- Dandaraga Rd At Kimbul Rd
- Dandaraga Rd Opp Buttaba Rd
- Fishery Point Rd At Yarrawonga Park Rd
- Fishery Point Rd Opp Yarrawonga Park Rd
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).
105 planning-related records
2026· 4 proposals
May 2026
- Demolition; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached)29 DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Additional Information Requested
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure43 DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Under Assessment
April 2026
- Shed; Erection of a new structure; Supporting Development12 PILLAPAI ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Under Assessment
March 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure22 PILLAPAI ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
2025· 13 proposals
November 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation102A DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
October 2025
- Secondary dwelling; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure62 PILLAPAI ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool31 DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure; Non-standard Housing24 PILLAPAI ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
September 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation32 PILLAPAI ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Water recreation structure37 DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
August 2025
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure24 BUTTABA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
July 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Waterway structures - minor alterations2 PILLAPAI ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
April 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool37 DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
March 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah68 BULGONIA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
February 2025
- Secondary dwelling; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure54 BULGONIA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Jetty; Boat launching ramp64A BUTTABA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
January 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure; Awnings, blinds and canopies67 DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
2024· 10 proposals
July 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure97 BUTTABA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation45 DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
May 2024
- Temporary building, structure or use; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support12 BULGONIA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Carport30 BULGONIA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool7B KIMBUL ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure5 KALLAROO ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
April 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Supporting Development11 DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
March 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure57C BUTTABA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation68A BUTTABA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation62 DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
2023· 16 proposals
November 2023
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure54 BUTTABA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
September 2023
- Subdivision56 BUTTABA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
August 2023
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces69 DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
- Shed37 DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
July 2023
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces; Shed14 BULGONIA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
- Dwelling; Demolition32 PILLAPAI ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential development24 BUTTABA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential development28 BUTTABA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
June 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development50 DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
May 2023
- Dwelling14 BULGONIA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
March 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development1 DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
- Pools / decks / fencing78 BULGONIA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Withdrawn
February 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development44 BUTTABA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Determined
2022· 33 proposals
33 proposals lodged in 2022. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2021· 22 proposals
22 proposals lodged in 2021. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2020· 7 proposals
7 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
9 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Brightwaters Christian College, Bulgonia RdBus stop
- Bulgonia Rd at Hall StBus stop
- Bulgonia Rd opp Brightwaters Christian CollegeBus stop
- Bulgonia Rd opp Hall StBus stop
- Dandaraga Rd after Buttaba RdBus stop
- Dandaraga Rd opp Buttaba RdBus stop
- Rhodes Pde opp Asquith AvBus stop
- Picnic Table (2)
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
- Brightwaters Hall ReservePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 6/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 6/10
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
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)
- 1
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
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
- 5.1/100
- Cohort rank
- #703 among Metro Sydney suburbs
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Dandaraga Rd After Buttaba Rdtransport
- Dandaraga Rd At Kimbul Rdtransport
- Dandaraga Rd Opp Buttaba Rdtransport
- Fishery Point Rd At Yarrawonga Park Rdtransport
- Fishery Point Rd Opp Yarrawonga Park Rdtransport
- Brightwaters Hall Reservegovernmentpark
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning24 BUTTABA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Lodged 27 Jul 2023 · Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning28 BUTTABA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Lodged 12 Jul 2023 · Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning50 DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Lodged 05 Jun 2023 · Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning1 DANDARAGA ROAD BRIGHTWATERS 2264Lodged 31 Mar 2023 · Determined
Data sources & freshness
- 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
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