NSW · Lake Macquarie Council
Est. population · Jun 2025
4,233
Growth (1 yr)
+1.2%
Growth (5 yr)
+6.1%
Median age
49
Median income
$1,628/wk
Employment rate
51.2%
University qualified
20.7%
Work from home
24.7%
Median house price · October to December 2025
$1,170,000
Languages at home
4.1%non-English
Most common: Filipino, Japanese, Serbian
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
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Suburb profile
Caves Beach is a coastal town in New South Wales, in Lake Macquarie Council. It is close to the Caves Beach and Lake Macquarie.
Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places. Childcare access is strong, with childcare access 100% above the peer median. Recorded road-crash rates are lower than in comparable places, with recorded road crashes 61% below the peer median, and household incomes are a relative strength, with household incomes 10% above the peer median. Trade-offs centre on thinner mapped green cover within the suburb boundary and higher rents.
Overall, the suburb suits people prioritising daily services and childcare over lower rents.
Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.
Strengths and weaknesses
Coastal town · compared with coastal towns in New South Wales (162)
Who it suits
Housing, growth and risk
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median house price
$1.17M
+8.8% change
Median rent
$725/wk
Houses $750 · Units $550
Population (ERP)
4,233
+1.2% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
13.7%
Census unoccupied dwellings
Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Desirability
#58
among Coastal & beach · Mature
Crime rate
37th
percentile in state (higher = more crime)
Pop. growth
73rd
percentile in NSW
Rented dwellings
18%
2021 Census tenure
Advantage (IRSAD)
7/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
55th
percentile among schools with ICSEA
Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years
Dwelling types from the 2021 Census
Quick scan — open a section below for full context
Data sources & freshness
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 (10%) · Future Growth (6%)
Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band
Data sources & freshness
Estimated resident population
4,233(June 2025)
+1.2% annual · +6.1% over 5 years · 73th percentile in NSW
ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.
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 (~4,500), extrapolated at +1.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)
Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus
Data sources & freshness
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
20.7% of adults have a university degree, compared with 27.8% across New South Wales. 21.2% have a trade or vocational qualification.
Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).
| Measure | Definition |
|---|---|
| University qualified | Bachelor degree or higher |
| Diploma qualified | Advanced Diploma / Diploma |
| Trade / vocational | Certificate III + IV |
| Year 12 | Year 12 as highest attainment |
| Below Year 12 | Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below |
People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)
University qualifications from the 2021 Census
Data sources & freshness
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
52nd percentile in NSW · -4% vs Australia
53rd percentile in NSW · -2% vs Australia
63rd percentile in NSW · +16% vs Australia
88th percentile in NSW · +83% vs Australia
11th percentile in NSW · -23% vs Australia
Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2281 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.
Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in NSW, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.
Data sources & freshness
4.1% speak a language other than English at home; 11.9% born overseas
Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).
54.1%Most common religion · Christianity
Christianity is the most common response at 54.1%, while 40.2% reported no religion.
| Measure | Suburb | State |
|---|---|---|
| No religion | 40.2% | 32.8% |
| Christianity | 54.1% | 47.6% |
| Other / not stated | 5.7% | 19.6% |
| Denomination | Suburb | State |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 21.5% | 22.4% |
| Anglican | 17.1% | 11.9% |
| Uniting Church | 4.3% | 2.1% |
| Baptist | 3.1% | 1.2% |
| Presbyterian and Reformed | 2.7% | 1.9% |
| Christian (not further defined) | 2.4% | 2.4% |
2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.
Data sources & freshness
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Offence counts are estimated for this suburb from postcode 2281, which is shared with other suburbs.
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)
Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates
Data sources & freshness
Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.
Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)
Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts
Data sources & freshness
2 childcare services from OpenStreetMap
Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)
Childcare centres per 1,000 residents
Data sources & freshness
59 public transport stops in this suburb
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)
Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability
Data sources & freshness
99 mapped amenities
1 restaurants · 2 cafes · 1 pubs · 2 supermarkets · 1 pharmacies · 1 fast food · 1 places of worship · 1 playgrounds
Caves Beach
Caves Beach
30 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. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
3 named sporting clubs in this suburb
Surf Life Saving
Tennis
Tennis
Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.
Data sources & freshness
Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)
Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000
Data sources & freshness
1 places of worship within ~1.5 km
From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.
Data sources & freshness
GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).
Australian Government–subsidised services from the AIHW GEN list (30 June 2025), assigned to this suburb by location.
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)
Hospitals, GPs and aged care
Data sources & freshness
Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.
For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.
Data sources & freshness
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.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal.
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December 2025
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December 2024
Data sources & freshness
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping. Flood cover uses NSW flood planning polygons against the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)
Bushfire and flood hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
Two-party preferred (2025)
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 8.1 km away).
2.5 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +3.7 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
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
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).
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 (12%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)
Data sources & freshness
Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.