NSW · Lake Macquarie Council
Cardiff Heights, NSW, 2305
Desirability index
#595 among Metro Sydney suburbs
Suburb snapshot
Cardiff Heights is a small locality in the Lake Macquarie area, home to around 1,384 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 676 offences in Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 with relatively stable year-on-year trends (-3%), roughly 488.4 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $720 (flats $550, houses $760), 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
- 1,384
- Median age
- 44
- Median household income / week
- $1,850
- Dwelling vacancy
- 3.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 17 of 554
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,050
- Employment rate
- 57.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 25 / 93 / 0
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)
- $550
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $760
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $720
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 107
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)
- 676
- Against the person
- 152
- Against property
- 392
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 488.4
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 9 residents
- State safety percentile
- 24.2th (lower crime is better)
- Year-on-year change
- -3.2%
Most common offence types
- Break And Enter Dwelling49
- Fraud83
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment42
- Malicious Damage To Property54
- Steal From Motor Vehicle80
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
Public transport
31 public transport stops in this suburb
- Cardiff Heights Baptist Church, Main Rd
- Lynden Grove Retirement Village, Main Rd
- Main Rd Opp 50
- Main Rd Opp Cockburns Lane
- Main Rd Opp Highfield Tce
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).
48 planning-related records
2026· 3 proposals
June 2026
- Subdivision238 WALLSEND ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Under Assessment
February 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation85A MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Additional Information Requested
January 2026
- Seniors housing; Independent living units; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure187 WALLSEND ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
2025· 9 proposals
December 2025
- Attached dwelling; Demolition; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure15 MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
November 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure200 WALLSEND ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
- Seniors housing; Independent living units; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure187 WALLSEND ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
October 2025
- Demolition4 NADRIAN CLOSE CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
July 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation85A MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure16 NADRIAN CLOSE CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Withdrawn
May 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure6A RAINBOW CLOSE CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure71 MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
January 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Privacy screens140 RESERVOIR ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
2024· 3 proposals
October 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool6A RAINBOW CLOSE CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
August 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Minor building alterations (internal)15 MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Withdrawn
January 2024
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure79 MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
2023· 9 proposals
December 2023
- Shed; Temporary building, structure or use198 WALLSEND ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
November 2023
- Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah140 RESERVOIR ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
August 2023
- Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs140 RESERVOIR ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Withdrawn
- Dwelling; Dual occupancy122 MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
July 2023
- Seniors housing187 WALLSEND ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
- Secondary dwelling67 MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Withdrawn
May 2023
- Pools / decks / fencing77 MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
March 2023
- Demolition121 MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
- Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Alterations and additions to residential development125 RESERVOIR ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
2022· 16 proposals
December 2022
- Dwelling; Pools / decks / fencing130 RESERVOIR ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
November 2022
- Signage; Educational establishment; Earthworks / change in levels6 HARRISONS LANE CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
- Other79B MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
October 2022
- Demolition6 HARRISONS LANE CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
- Demolition; Alterations and additions to residential development23 NADRIAN CLOSE CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
September 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development191 RESERVOIR ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces57 MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
June 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development191 RESERVOIR ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
May 2022
- Dwelling; Subdivision of land122 MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
- Subdivision of land117 MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
March 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development191 RESERVOIR ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
- Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs140 RESERVOIR ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
February 2022
- Signage131 MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Withdrawn
- Shed24 COCKBURNS LANE CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
January 2022
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces85A MAIN ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
- Other180 WALLSEND ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Determined
2021· 8 proposals
8 proposals lodged in 2021. 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: 2020–2026; 2021; 2022… · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
Amenities
17 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bus Station
- 54 Main RdBus stop
- Cardiff Heights Baptist Church, Main RdBus stop
- Cardiff Rd at Daintree ClBus stop
- Cardiff Rd at Rainbow ClBus stop
- Lynden Grove Retirement Village, Main RdBus stop
- Main Rd after Cockburns LaneBus stop
- Main Rd opp 50Bus stop
- Main Rd opp Cardiff Heights Baptist ChurchBus stop
- Main Rd opp Cockburns LaneBus 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
- Hancock ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 9/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 8/10
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)
- 10
- 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
- 19.6/100
- Cohort rank
- #595 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
- Cardiff Heights Baptist Church, Main Rdtransport
- Lynden Grove Retirement Village, Main Rdtransport
- Main Rd Opp 50transport
- Main Rd Opp Cockburns Lanetransport
- Main Rd Opp Highfield Tcetransport
- Hancock Parkgovernmentpark
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning191 RESERVOIR ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Lodged 21 Sep 2022 · Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning191 RESERVOIR ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Lodged 21 Jun 2022 · Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning191 RESERVOIR ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Lodged 21 Mar 2022 · Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Privacy screensplanning140 RESERVOIR ROAD CARDIFF HEIGHTS 2285Lodged 11 Jan 2025 · 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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