NSW · Shoalhaven Council
Erowal Bay, NSW, 2540
Desirability index
#355 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Suburb snapshot
Erowal Bay is a small locality in the Shoalhaven area, home to around 652 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 2,051 offences in Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 with falling year-on-year trends (-5%), roughly 3145.7 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $571 (flats $465, houses $600), 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
- 652
- Median age
- 49
- Median household income / week
- $1,407
- Dwelling vacancy
- 38%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 161 of 424
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Employment rate
- 47.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 30 / 0 / 6
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
- 3,145.7
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 1 residents
- State safety percentile
- 52.6th (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
Public transport
22 public transport stops in this suburb
- Jervis Bay Rd At Erowal Bay Rd
- Killarney Rd At First Av
- Naval Pde After King George St
- Naval Pde At Kallaroo Rd
- Naval Pde At Killarney 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).
77 planning-related records
2026· 5 proposals
May 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation14 HIGH STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
March 2026
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation173 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Additional Information Requested
- Erection of a new structure; Jetty85 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Additional Information Requested
February 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation2 KALLAROO ROAD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation123 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Under Assessment
2025· 10 proposals
November 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure8 GURUMBI LANE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure49 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
October 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah85 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house37 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
August 2025
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space7 KALLAROO ROAD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
April 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Landscaping structures123 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
March 2025
- Temporary building, structure or use; Driveways and hard stand spaces31 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation81 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
February 2025
- Secondary dwelling; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure181 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
January 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Jetty79 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
2024· 6 proposals
October 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure126 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
July 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Residential Accommodation7 HIGH STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
June 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure149 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
April 2024
- Demolition; Boarding house3 KING GEORGE STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Withdrawn
March 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation30 SECOND AVENUE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Garage, carport or carparking space67 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
2023· 17 proposals
December 2023
- Temporary building, structure or use; Manufactured home16 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
November 2023
- Demolition; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Waterway structures - minor alterations; Jetty; Boat launching ramp43 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation23 GRANDVIEW STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
August 2023
- Dwelling5 KING GEORGE STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling; Secondary dwelling12 WHARF ROAD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dual occupancy; Garages, carports and car parking spaces1 MURRAY STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Deferred Commencement
- Other169 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling; Pools / decks / fencing; Earthworks / change in levels; Garages, carports and car parking spaces52 GRANDVIEW STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
June 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development68 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
April 2023
- Dwelling14A KALLAROO ROAD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces71 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling23 GRANDVIEW STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Withdrawn
- Pools / decks / fencing99 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
March 2023
- Dwelling16 HIGH STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
February 2023
- Subdivision of land; Retaining walls, protection of trees20 KALLAROO ROAD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling; Demolition79 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Mixed use development42 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
2022· 14 proposals
October 2022
- Secondary dwelling; Pools / decks / fencing2 KALLAROO ROAD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
September 2022
- Dwelling43 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
2021· 25 proposals
25 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
10 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Boat Rental
- Erowal Bay Post Office, Naval PdeBus stop
- Grandview St before Second AvBus stop
- Killarney Rd at First AvBus stop
- Naval Pde at High StBus stop
- ShopConvenience store
- Picnic Table
- Playground
- Erowal Bay Post OfficePost office
42 Naval Parade
- Public toilets
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
- Fire Brigade ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 3/10
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
- 23.2/100
- Cohort rank
- #355 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
- Jervis Bay Rd At Erowal Bay Rdtransport
- Killarney Rd At First Avtransport
- Naval Pde After King George Sttransport
- Naval Pde At Kallaroo Rdtransport
- Naval Pde At Killarney Rdtransport
- Fire Brigade Parkgovernmentpark
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning68 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Lodged 08 Jun 2023 · Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandahplanning85 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Lodged 24 Oct 2025 · Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodationplanning2 KALLAROO ROAD EROWAL BAY 2540Lodged 24 Feb 2026 · Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodationplanning81 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Lodged 11 Mar 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
Similar suburbs
Suburbs with a comparable population profile, socio-economic decile, and location.