Median house price
$838k
+14% change
NSW · Lake Macquarie Council
Freemans Waterhole, 2323
Est. population · Jun 2025
140
Growth (1 yr)
+3.7%
Growth (5 yr)
+19.7%
Median age
39
Median income
$619/wk
Employment rate
40.4%
Median house price · October to December 2025
$838,000
Languages at home
Mostly English at home
2021 Census · usual residence
- Excellent transport
Suburb profile
Freemans Waterhole is a quieter smaller community in Lake Macquarie Council, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with plenty of young families in the mix. A genuine café and dining culture runs through the area, denser than many peers of a similar size.
With limited local amenities, residents regularly travel to a neighbouring town for shops, appointments and a wider choice. Parks and open space are a real strength relative to many comparable suburbs, easy for walks, sport and weekend downtime. A car helps for most daily errands, though buses still link the suburb further afield.
Housing is expensive relative to much of the state. Reported crime has been rising recently.
At a glance
Freemans Waterhole snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$590/wk
Houses $630 · Units $470
Population (ERP)
140
+3.7% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
6.1%
Census unoccupied dwellings
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Safety
78th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
96th
percentile in NSW
Advantage (IRSAD)
3/10
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)
- $470
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $630
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $590
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 185
- Median house price (October to December 2025)
- $838,000
- Median price change
- +13.6%
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
- DCJ rent and sales tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · January to March 2026; October to December 2025 · Updated · Quarterly releases
Population
Estimated resident population
140(June 2025)
+3.7% annual · +19.7% over 5 years · 96th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +3.7%
- 5-year growth
- +19.7%
- Change in 1 year
- +5
- Change in 5 years
- +23
- Growth rank in NSW
- 96th 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 (~150), extrapolated at +2.8% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 120
- Median age
- 39
- Median household income / week
- $619
- Dwelling vacancy
- 6.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 3 of 49
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,709
- Employment rate
- 40.4%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 27 / 0 / 0 (+ 12 other)
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
- Estimated Resident Population — Australian 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 Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 15
- Against the person
- 4
- Against property
- 7
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 107.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 30 residents
- State safety percentile
- 77.5th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +15.7%
Most common offence types
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment254
- Malicious Damage To Property260
- Steal From Motor Vehicle212
- Steal From Retail Store289
- Transport Regulatory Offences250
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW 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
6 public transport stops in this suburb
- Freemans Dr After Becks Rd
- Freemans Milkbar, Freemans Dr
- Freemans Milkbar, Freemans Dr
- Freemans Springs Caravan Park, Freemans Dr
- Freemans Springs Caravan Park, Freemans Dr
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
11 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
2 fast food · 2 petrol stations
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Limited walkable amenities nearby
- Great for outdoor family life — 1 parks mapped in suburb
- Walkability proxy
- 13/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 16.67
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 8.33
Food & drink(2)
- Oak Dairy BarFast food
- SubwayFast food
Sport & outdoors(1)
- Training Grounds (4x4)Park
Transport(2)
2 bus stops
Other(5)
- Caravan Site
- Parking (2)
- ShellPetrol station
- UnitedPetrol station
- Public toilets
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 insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Parks & reserves
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Training Grounds (4x4)Park
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 1
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
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
- OpenStreetMap green cover — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Nearest hospital
- Toronto Private Hospital (9.9 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 6
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 42.9
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
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
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 normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated
Future & Planning
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
8 planning-related records
2024· 1 proposal
September 2024
- Commercial development; Erection of a new structure; Recreation/Tourist Premise; Eco-tourist facility161 BECKS ROAD FREEMANS WATERHOLE 2323Determined
2023· 2 proposals
September 2023
- Other161 BECKS ROAD FREEMANS WATERHOLE 2323Determined
March 2023
- Demolition; Alterations and additions to commercial development; Other161 BECKS ROAD FREEMANS WATERHOLE 2323Withdrawn
2022· 3 proposals
July 2022
- Farm buildings78 BECKS ROAD FREEMANS WATERHOLE 2323Determined
May 2022
- Pools / decks / fencing78 BECKS ROAD FREEMANS WATERHOLE 2323Determined
March 2022
- Demolition; Other161 BECKS ROAD FREEMANS WATERHOLE 2323Determined
2021· 1 proposal
July 2021
- Demolition; Other161 BECKS ROAD FREEMANS WATERHOLE 2323Determined
2020· 1 proposal
July 2020
- Other161 BECKS ROAD FREEMANS WATERHOLE 2323Determined
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · 2020–2026 · Updated · Daily feed (from Oct 2018)
Roadworks & transport
2 active roadworks / incidents
- RoadworksFreemans Drive, Gills Lane09 Aug 2026 – 27 Sep 2026
- RoadworksFreemans Drive, Gap Road12 Feb 2023 – 29 Oct 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated
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 overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated
Politics & representation
- Federal electorate
- Hunter
- Member of Parliament
- Dan REPACHOLI (Australian Labor Party)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 132,184
- Turnout (2025)
- 91.9%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +4.7 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 40.5%Labor 59.5%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 10.9 km away).
Coalition 35.4%Labor 64.6%
5.1 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +4.9 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- BlackallsLabor 68.3% · Coalition 31.7% TPP (2025)8.4 km away
- BirabanLabor 72.3% · Coalition 27.7% TPP (2025)8.5 km away
- FassifernLabor 64.3% · Coalition 35.7% TPP (2025)8.7 km away
- MulbringLabor 52.5% · Coalition 47.5% TPP (2025)9.1 km away
- TorontoLabor 65.9% · Coalition 34.1% TPP (2025)10.2 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
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
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
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
More in Lake Macquarie Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.