NSW · Northern Beaches Council
Freshwater (NSW), NSW, 2096
Desirability index
#38 among Metro Sydney suburbs
Suburb snapshot
Freshwater (NSW) is a mid-sized suburb in the Northern Beaches area, home to around 9,186 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 311 offences in Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 with falling year-on-year trends (-9%), roughly 33.9 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $923 (flats $860, houses $1,820), 3 school and preschool sites in the area, strong public transport coverage with many public transport stops, a higher concentration of local shops, services, and recreation amenities, 1 active roadworks or transport incidents on nearby routes, and notable planning and development activity on record. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb and hospitals or GP clinics within the suburb.
Population
- Population
- 9,186
- Median age
- 37
- Median household income / week
- $2,726
- Dwelling vacancy
- 7.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 290 of 3,866
- Median monthly mortgage
- $3,055
- Employment rate
- 70.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 167 / 167 / 1,899
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)
- $860
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $1,820
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $923
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 184
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)
- 311
- Against the person
- 95
- Against property
- 159
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 33.9
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 97 residents
- State safety percentile
- 1.6th (lower crime is better)
- Year-on-year change
- -9.1%
Most common offence types
- Domestic Violence Related Assault22
- Fraud54
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment21
- Malicious Damage To Property42
- Sexual Assault27
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
- 3
- Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
- 1,134
- Harbord Public SchoolPrimary
- Northern Beaches Secondary College Freshwater Senior CampusSecondary
- St John the Baptist Catholic Primary 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
102 public transport stops in this suburb
- Harbord Rd After Soldiers Av
- Harbord Rd At Wyuna Av
- Harbord Rd Opp Coles Rd
- Lawrence St Opp Cavill St
- Oliver St After Lawrence St
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Roadworks & transport
1 active roadworks / incidents
- RoadworksPittwater Road, Corrie Road28 Jun 2026 – 30 Jul 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
514 planning-related records
2026· 27 proposals
June 2026
- Residential flat building; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation26-28 ROWE STREET FRESHWATER 2096Additional Information Requested
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure7 MOORE ROAD FRESHWATER 2096Additional Information Requested
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah90 LAWRENCE STREET FRESHWATER 2096Under Assessment
- Residential flat building; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation37 MOORE ROAD FRESHWATER 2096Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure11 LOCH STREET FRESHWATER 2096Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure65 OLIVER STREET FRESHWATER 2096Additional Information Requested
May 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Awnings, blinds and canopies77 80 Evans Street FreshwaterUnder Assessment
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure40 OLIVER STREET FRESHWATER 2096Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure27 KOOLOORA AVENUE FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation11 OCEAN VIEW ROAD FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Subdivision15A OZONE STREET FRESHWATER 2096Under Assessment
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool47 WYADRA AVENUE FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure1 COASTVIEW PLACE FRESHWATER 2096Additional Information Requested
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure1 KOOLOORA AVENUE FRESHWATER 2096Under Assessment
April 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure4 MARLBOROUGH AVENUE FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Demolition; Seniors housing; Independent living units34 BRIGHTON STREET FRESHWATER 2096Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure65 UNDERCLIFF ROAD FRESHWATER 2096Determined
March 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure3 DICK STREET FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure8 LOCH STREET FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Dual occupancy; Demolition; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached); Swimming pool33 UNDERCLIFF ROAD FRESHWATER 2096Determined
February 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Privacy screens21 CARLTON STREET FRESHWATER 2096Determined
January 2026
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure10 HUBERT STREET FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Dual occupancy (detached)90 HARBORD ROAD FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Secondary dwelling; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia47 WILSON STREET FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation7 DICK STREET FRESHWATER 2096Under Assessment
- Demolition; Advertising and signage; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Recreation/Tourist Premise; Recreation facility (indoor); Hours of operation and trading10 WAINE STREET FRESHWATER 2096Additional Information Requested
- Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Fences; Garage, carport or carparking space; Landscaping structures; Rainwater tanks; Swimming pool76A WYUNA AVENUE FRESHWATER 2096Determined
2025· 66 proposals
December 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Dual occupancy (attached)20 BRIDGE ROAD FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure12 ROWE STREET FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure23 LOCH STREET FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Dual occupancy; Demolition; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)35 MOORE ROAD FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation39 ROBERT STREET FRESHWATER 2096Determined
November 2025
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure31 CHARLES STREET FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure161 WYNDORA AVENUE FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Carport22 GLEN STREET FRESHWATER 2096Withdrawn
October 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Garage, carport or carparking space; Swimming pool13 SURFERS PARADE FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure9 OZONE STREET FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Attached dwelling; Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation47 WYADRA AVENUE FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Secondary dwelling; Demolition; Erection of a new structure127 WYNDORA AVENUE FRESHWATER 2096Determined
- Demolition; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached); Swimming pool25 LOCH STREET FRESHWATER 2096Determined
2024· 71 proposals
71 proposals lodged in 2024. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2023· 78 proposals
78 proposals lodged in 2023. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2022· 101 proposals
101 proposals lodged in 2022. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2021· 111 proposals
111 proposals lodged in 2021. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2020· 60 proposals
60 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
143 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- ATM
- Bakers DelightBakery
- Mrs Jones the bakerBakery
- Stowaway BarBar
- Bbq (3)
- Bench (20)
- Bicycle Parking (6)
- Brighton St after Waratah StBus stop
- Brighton St at Oliver StBus stop
- Bus 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
7 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Corella Street ReservePark
- Duke Kahanamoku ParkNature reserve
- Evans ReservePark
- Freshwater Beach ReservePark
- Harbord ParkPark
- Jacka ParkPark
- Palomar ReservePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 1
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- Shelley’s PharmacyHarbord Roadpharmacy
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 10/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 10/10
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
Childcare
3 childcare services from OpenStreetMap
- childcarechildcare
- childcarechildcare
- kindergartenkindergarten
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
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)
- 16
- Parks (OSM)
- 7
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
- 94.0/100
- Cohort rank
- #38 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
- Harbord Rd After Soldiers Avtransport
- Harbord Rd At Wyuna Avtransport
- Harbord Rd Opp Coles Rdtransport
- Lawrence St Opp Cavill Sttransport
- Oliver St After Lawrence Sttransport
- childcarechildcarechildcare
- childcarechildcarechildcare
- kindergartenchildcarekindergarten
- Shelley’s PharmacyhealthHarbord Roadpharmacy
- Corella Street Reservegovernmentpark
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Updated on site
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
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