NSW · Shoalhaven Council
Callala Bay, NSW, 2540
Desirability index
13.6/100
How this score is calculated#400 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Suburb snapshot
Callala Bay is a smaller suburban community in the Shoalhaven area, home to around 2,234 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 2,051 offences in Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 with falling year-on-year trends (-5%), roughly 918.1 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $571 (flats $465, houses $600), 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. Use the sections below for detailed population, safety, schools, and local activity data.
Population
- Population
- 2,234
- Median age
- 51
- Median household income / week
- $1,289
- Dwelling vacancy
- 29.2%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 365 of 1,251
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,697
- Employment rate
- 47.1%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 82 / 36 / 9
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)
- $465
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $600
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $571
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 300
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)
- 2,051
- Against the person
- 744
- Against property
- 826
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 918.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 3 residents
- State safety percentile
- 32.3th (lower crime is better)
- Year-on-year change
- -5.3%
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order135
- Domestic Violence Related Assault174
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment283
- Malicious Damage To Property261
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault146
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
- 971
- Callala 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
21 public transport stops in this suburb
- Bay St At Morton St
- Boorawine Tce Before Murray St
- Callala Bay Public School, Emmett St
- Emmett St Opp Callala Bay Shops
- Lackersteen St At Emmett St
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).
167 planning-related records
2026· 15 proposals
June 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation68 LACKERSTEEN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Garage, carport or carparking space12 HUON STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Under Assessment
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation57 MARINE PARADE CALLALA BAY 2540Under Assessment
May 2026
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation107 MURRAY STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Under Assessment
April 2026
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached); Residential Accommodation44 BAY STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation74C EMMETT STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Subdivision44 BOORAWINE TERRACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external); Residential Accommodation31 MITCHELL ROAD CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space19 SHEAFFE STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
March 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure5 FLEET WAY CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
February 2026
- Dual occupancy; Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)44 BOORAWINE TERRACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Manufactured home93 SHEAFFE STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
January 2026
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure4 MITCHELL ROAD CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Carport74B EMMETT STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Multi-dwelling housing; Medium Density Housing; Erection of a new structureSealark Road, Callala Bay - Lot 5 DP270589Determined
2025· 23 proposals
December 2025
- Demolition; Shed; Dwelling house; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure62 EMMETT STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
November 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool37A CHAPMAN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure5 REGAN CLOSE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
October 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure73 WATT STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Withdrawn
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Swimming pool62 LACKERSTEEN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure43A BOORAWINE TERRACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Shed; Erection of a new structure90 LACKERSTEEN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
September 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation26 CHAPMAN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Manufactured home; Residential Accommodation47 SYDNEY AVENUE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
August 2025
- Dwelling house; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia28A MITCHELL ROAD CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure15 SHEAFFE STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
July 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation68 LACKERSTEEN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation43 BOORAWINE TERRACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation10 WARREGO PLACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house43 BOORAWINE TERRACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
June 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure53 SHEAFFE STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
April 2025
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation12 CHAPMAN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
March 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Portable swimming pools and spas and child-resistant barriers61 MARINE PARADE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
February 2025
- Subdivision11 CHAPMAN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation1 BOORAWINE TERRACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Dual occupancy; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)59 MITCHELL ROAD CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
January 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure11 Woodhill St, Callala Bay - Lot 24 Sec 7 DP9063Operational consent issued
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)44 BOORAWINE TERRACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
2024· 21 proposals
December 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation76 CHAPMAN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Fences; Swimming pool41 MARINE PARADE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
2023· 27 proposals
27 proposals lodged in 2023. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2022· 32 proposals
32 proposals lodged in 2022. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2021· 47 proposals
47 proposals lodged in 2021. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2020· 2 proposals
2 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
17 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bicycle Parking
- Boorawine Tce before Murray StBus stop
- Callala Bay Public School, Emmett StBus stop
- Callala Bay Rd at Sydney AvBus stop
- Callala Bay Rd at Sydney AveBus stop
- Callala Bay Shops, Emmett StBus stop
- Emmett St opp Callala Bay ShopsBus stop
- Lackersteen St after Watt StBus stop
- Lackersteen St at Emmett StBus stop
- Lackersteen Street before Sheaffe 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
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 4/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 4/10
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)
- 3
- 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
- 13.6/100
- Cohort rank
- #400 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Bay St At Morton Sttransport
- Boorawine Tce Before Murray Sttransport
- Callala Bay Public School, Emmett Sttransport
- Emmett St Opp Callala Bay Shopstransport
- Lackersteen St At Emmett Sttransport
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Portable swimming pools and spas and child-resistant barriersplanning61 MARINE PARADE CALLALA BAY 2540Lodged 31 Mar 2025 · Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodationplanning57 MARINE PARADE CALLALA BAY 2540Lodged 01 Jun 2026 · Under Assessment
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Swimming poolplanning62 LACKERSTEEN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Lodged 28 Oct 2025 · Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling houseplanning43 BOORAWINE TERRACE CALLALA BAY 2540Lodged 04 Jul 2025 · Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external); Residential Accommodationplanning31 MITCHELL ROAD CALLALA BAY 2540Lodged 07 Apr 2026 · Determined
Data sources & freshness
- 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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