NSW · Central Coast Council

Bushells Ridge, 2259

Est. population · Jun 2025

8

Growth (1 yr)

0.0%

Growth (5 yr)

0.0%

Median age

60

Median income

$1,125/wk

Employment rate

30%

Median house price · October to December 2025

$940,000

Languages at home

30.8%non-English

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

  • Green suburb
  • Excellent transport
What Bushells Ridge is known for: Green suburb, Excellent transport

Suburb profile

Bushells Ridge sits up in the Central Coast Council hills, a smaller community where elevation and tree cover define the mood. A strong local centre anchors daily routines, while the surrounding region adds variety for weekends away. Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood.

Shops and services are limited locally: a short trip to a nearby centre covers the fuller weekly shop. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here, with buses covering longer trips across the wider area.

Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.

At a glance

Bushells Ridge snapshot

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

Median house price

$940k

+6.8% change

Median rent

$680/wk

Houses $700 · Units $500

Population (ERP)

8

0.0% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

No data available

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Safety

87th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

14th

percentile in NSW

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

Flats / units (January to March 2026)
$500
Houses (January to March 2026)
$700
All types (January to March 2026)
$680
Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
472
Median house price (October to December 2025)
$940,000
Median price change
+6.8%

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

Population

Estimated resident population

8(June 2025)

0.0% annual · 0.0% over 5 years · 14th percentile in NSW

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
0.0%
5-year growth
0.0%
Change in 1 year
0
Change in 5 years
0
Growth rank in NSW
14th 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 (~0), extrapolated at +1.0% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
8
Median age
60
Median household income / week
$1,125
Unoccupied private dwellings
0 of 0
Median monthly mortgage
$0
Employment rate
30%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
4 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

  • Estimated Resident PopulationAustralian 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 ProfileAustralian 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)
1
Against the person
0
Against property
0
Rate per 1,000 residents
125
State safety percentile
87.1th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate)
+0.3%

Most common offence types

  • Breach Bail Conditions789
  • Domestic Violence Related Assault437
  • Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment636
  • Malicious Damage To Property530
  • Transport Regulatory Offences1055

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

  • BOCSAR postcode crime statisticsNSW 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

Public transport

4 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Bushells Ridge Rd
  • Bushells Ridge Rd Opp 374
  • Bushells Ridge Rd Opp 374
  • Bushells Ridge Rd Opp 482

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

1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
Walkability proxy
6/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Transport(1)

1 bus stops

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 insightsSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
12
Parks (OSM)
0

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

Health access

Nearest hospital
Wyong Hospital (6.4 km)
Nearest hospital type
Public hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

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
27° / 18°
Rainfall
295 mm · ~37 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
23° / 14°
Rainfall
366 mm · ~46 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
18° / 8°
Rainfall
272 mm · ~34 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
23° / 13°
Rainfall
230 mm · ~29 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

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

6 planning-related records

2024· 1 proposal
  • August 2024

  • Industrial development; Subdivision
    555 BUSHELLS RIDGE ROAD BUSHELLS RIDGE 2259Under Assessment
2023· 2 proposals
  • September 2023

  • Industrial development
    203 TOOHEYS ROAD BUSHELLS RIDGE 2259Under Assessment
  • March 2023

  • Industrial development
    55 TOOHEYS ROAD BUSHELLS RIDGE 2259Determined
2022· 2 proposals
  • December 2022

  • Subdivision of land
    452 BUSHELLS RIDGE ROAD BUSHELLS RIDGE 2259Determined
  • July 2022

  • Demolition; Subdivision of land
    555 BUSHELLS RIDGE ROAD BUSHELLS RIDGE 2259Determined
2020· 1 proposal
  • September 2020

  • Other
    203 TOOHEYS ROAD BUSHELLS RIDGE 2259Determined

Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)

Development and planning activity

Data sources & freshness

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies

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 overlaysState government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Dobell
Member of Parliament
Emma McBRIDE (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
122,541
Turnout (2025)
91.5%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+2.9 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 40.6%Labor 59.4%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 6.3 km away).

Coalition 36.1%Labor 63.9%

4.5 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +4.0 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Blue HavenLabor 67.5% · Coalition 32.5% TPP (2025)2.8 km away
  • CharmhavenLabor 65.4% · Coalition 34.6% TPP (2025)3.8 km away
  • WoongarrahLabor 57.4% · Coalition 42.6% TPP (2025)4.3 km away
  • Hamlyn TerraceLabor 63.3% · Coalition 36.7% TPP (2025)5.3 km away
  • Lake HavenLabor 65.3% · Coalition 34.7% TPP (2025)5.3 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)
7/10

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

More in Central Coast Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.