Median house price
$1.95M
+18% change
NSW · Sutherland Shire Council
Menai, 2234
Est. population · Jun 2025
10,227
Growth (1 yr)
-0.1%
Growth (5 yr)
-1.6%
Median age
39
Median income
$2,575/wk
Employment rate
66.5%
Median house price · October to December 2025
$1,945,000
Languages at home
17.8%non-English
Most common: Greek, Arabic, Macedonian
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- High desirability
- National parks
- Excellent transport
- Green suburb
- Café precinct
Suburb profile
Menai is a well-connected established suburb in Sutherland Shire Council with everyday amenities close at hand. Well placed between the city and outer suburbs, it offers practical access in every direction. Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with a strong presence of young families throughout.
A practical retail strip keeps errands local: groceries and daily services without a long trip. Green space punches above what many metro suburbs offer, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb. Most routine trips are on foot, while buses cover longer journeys across the metro area.
Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers. A trickle of new development is refreshing selected pockets without changing the overall feel.
Community and employment, plus growth momentum push the suburb to a good desirability read, even as schools and education, plus safety look more ordinary among similar metro suburbs.
At a glance
Menai snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$1,145/wk
Population (ERP)
10,227
-0.1% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
2.9%
Census unoccupied dwellings
Livability profile
Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Desirability
#78
among Metro Sydney · Established
Safety
2nd
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
8th
percentile in NSW
Advantage (IRSAD)
10/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
67th
percentile among schools with ICSEA
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
Desirability
Ranks & confidence
- Desirability score
- 63.5/100 — Good
- State standing
- Top 9% of New South Wales' suburbs
- National rank
- 685th in Australia
- State rank
- 182nd in NSW
- Peer rank
- #78 among Metro Sydney · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #130 among Metro Sydney suburbs
- Data confidence
- 100%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $1,300
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 42
- Median house price (October to December 2025)
- $1,945,000
- Median price change
- +17.9%
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
10,227(June 2025)
-0.1% annual · -1.6% over 5 years · 8th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- -0.1%
- 5-year growth
- -1.6%
- Change in 1 year
- -10
- Change in 5 years
- -172
- Growth rank in NSW
- 8th 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 (~10,100), extrapolated at -0.3% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 10,419
- Median age
- 39
- Median household income / week
- $2,575
- Dwelling vacancy
- 2.9%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 103 of 3,530
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,600
- Employment rate
- 66.5%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 2,583 / 739 / 108
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 decreased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 212
- Against the person
- 71
- Against property
- 81
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 20.7
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 147 residents
- State safety percentile
- 2.1th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -11.8%
Most common offence types
- Breach Bail Conditions33
- Domestic Violence Related Assault60
- Fraud72
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment86
- Malicious Damage To Property62
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
Schools & preschools
- Schools within 2 km
- 3
- Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
- 1,046
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 67th
School list
- Menai Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1036 · 62th percentile · LBOTE 28% · 154 students · Top SEA quarter 17% · 0.7 km awayView on My School →
- Menai High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1046 · 67th percentile · LBOTE 38% · 1,062 students · Top SEA quarter 20% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
- Tharawal Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1085 · 80th percentile · LBOTE 25% · 328 students · Top SEA quarter 34% · 2.0 km awayView on My School →
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
Childcare
1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap
- Rise and Shine Kindergartenchildcare
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated
Public transport
120 public transport stops in this suburb
- Allison Cres Opp Pioneer Dr
- Allison Cres Opp Schofield Pl
- Club Central Menai, Allison Cres
- Menai Community Health Centre, Allison Cres
- Menai Marketplace, Duncomb Pl
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
107 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
4 restaurants · 1 cafes · 3 supermarkets · 4 fast food · 1 libraries · 1 places of worship · 5 playgrounds · 1 sports centres
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Highly walkable for everyday errands
- Great for outdoor family life — 11 parks mapped in suburb, 5 playgrounds nearby
- Well connected by public transport — 120 public transport stops
- Good everyday shopping nearby — 6 shops and services
- Walkability proxy
- 73/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0.1
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 0.86
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 1.06
Food & drink(9)
- 6 Shooter CafeCafe
- Domino'sFast food
- KFCFast food
- McDonald'sFast food
- SubwayFast food
- Mie Thai MenaiRestaurant
- Pharaoh's Lounge MenaiRestaurant
Unit 2 72-80 Allison Crescent, Menai
- Pizza HutRestaurant
- Restaurant
Shopping(6)
- 7-ElevenConvenience store
- Ampol FoodaryConvenience store
- EG AustraliaConvenience store
- ALDISupermarket
509 Old Illawarra Road, Menai
- Harris FarmSupermarket
- WoolworthsSupermarket
Community(2)
- Menai LibraryLibrary
- Menai Public SchoolSchool
4R Hall Drive, Menai
Sport & outdoors(10)
- Buckle ReservePark
- Park
- Power Place ReservePark
- Playground (5)
- Sports centre
- Sports field
Entertainment(1)
- Viewpoint
Transport(19)
19 bus stops
Other(37)
- BWSAlcohol
- Dan Murphy'sAlcohol
Building C, Menai Central Old Ilawarra Road
- Commonwealth BankBank
- WestpacBank
- Bbq
- Bicycle Parking
- Supercheap AutoCar Parts
5-21 Carter Road
- Ampol FoodaryCar wash
- Car wash (2)
- Just JeansClothes
- LowesClothes
- Big WDepartment Store
152-194 Allison Crescent
- Drinking water (3)
- Menai Fire StationFire station
297 Menai Road
- Garden (2)
- Menai MarketplaceMall
- iCare Massage AcupunctureMassage
Shop F1.05A Carter Road
- Menai Conservation ParkNature Reserve
- Nature Reserve
- Parking (15)
- Parking Entrance (2)
- Parking Space
- PetbarnPet
- 7-ElevenPetrol station
- AmpolPetrol station
- EG AustraliaPetrol station
- Picnic Table (2)
- Hope Community Church MenaiPlace of worship
- Police Dog UnitPolice
- Post Box
- Menai Central Post OfficePost office
- Public toilets
- Return and EarnRecycling
- Shelter (4)
- Flight CentreTravel Agency
- Vehicle Inspection
- Waste Basket
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
9 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Buckle ReservePark
- Konrads Place ReservePark
- Mathers Place ReservePark
- Menai Conservation ParkNature reserve
- Parc MenaiPark
- Park or reserveNature reserve
- Power Place ReservePark
- Sandy Point ReservePark
- The Woods Circuit ReservePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 47
- Parks (OSM)
- 11
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
Places of worship
1 places of worship within ~1.5 km
- Hope Community Church Menai
From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
- 1
- Nearest hospital
- Holsworthy Health Centre (4.8 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
- Emergency department in suburb
- Not in suburb
- Allison Crescent Medical CentreClinic
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)
- 284
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 27.8
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
- 25° / 17°
- Rainfall
- 321 mm · ~40 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 22° / 14°
- Rainfall
- 359 mm · ~45 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 17° / 8°
- Rainfall
- 263 mm · ~33 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 21° / 12°
- Rainfall
- 242 mm · ~30 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.
2026· 11 proposals
August 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Car park5-21 CARTER ROAD MENAI 2234Withdrawn
July 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure66 HALL DRIVE MENAI 2234Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation10 DAVIDSON ROAD MENAI 2234Under Assessment
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Transport depot555-561 OLD ILLAWARRA ROAD MENAI 2234Under Assessment
June 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation6 BUTLER CLOSE MENAI 2234Under Assessment
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Centre-based child care1D ANZAC ROAD MENAI 2234Under Assessment
April 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool22 FERRIER DRIVE MENAI 2234Determined
March 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure70 THE WOODS CIRCUIT MENAI 2234Determined
February 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Swimming pool111 MONASH ROAD MENAI 2234Determined
January 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support10 BEAUMARIS DRIVE MENAI 2234Withdrawn
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure32 ROSEWALL DRIVE MENAI 2234Determined
2025· 26 proposals
November 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure3 MECKIFF CLOSE MENAI 2234Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Retail Premise152-194 ALLISON CRESCENT MENAI 2234Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure18 WINDLE PLACE MENAI 2234Determined
October 2025
- Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Group home; Group home (permanent)56 CARTER ROAD MENAI 2234Determined
- Recreation facility (indoor); Hours of operation and trading12-16 MACMAHON PLACE MENAI 2234Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure17 BARNES CRESCENT MENAI 2234Determined
September 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool2 LONG CLOSE MENAI 2234Determined
August 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool27 LLANBERIS DRIVE MENAI 2234Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure18 WINDLE PLACE MENAI 2234Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation5 O'NEILL ROAD MENAI 2234Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool3 LANDY CLOSE MENAI 2234Determined
July 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Centre-based child care593 OLD ILLAWARRA ROAD MENAI 2234Determined
- Place of public worship; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia593 OLD ILLAWARRA ROAD MENAI 2234Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure5 NAGLE CLOSE MENAI 2234Determined
- Signage; Advertising and signage; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external)231-233 ALLISON CRESCENT MENAI 2234Determined
June 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation10 DAVIDSON ROAD MENAI 2234Determined
May 2025
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure17 MILLER PLACE MENAI 2234Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure12 LLANBERIS DRIVE MENAI 2234Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation3 104-106 BEAUMARIS DRIVE MENAI 2234Determined
April 2025
- Commercial development; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure4 BRADMAN ROAD MENAI 2234Determined
March 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Retail Premise152-194 ALLISON CRESCENT MENAI 2234Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure12 LLANBERIS DRIVE MENAI 2234Determined
February 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support11 BEAUMARIS DRIVE MENAI 2234Determined
January 2025
- Subdivision14 BEAUMARIS DRIVE MENAI 2234Rejected
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Take away food and drink152-194 ALLISON CRESCENT MENAI 2234Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation1 GROUT PLACE MENAI 2234Withdrawn
2024· 8 proposals
December 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Cabanas, cubby houses, ferneries, garden sheds, gazebos and greenhouses28 LINK CIRCUIT MENAI 2234Determined
November 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure5 GOOLAGONG PLACE MENAI 2234Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool5 STOLLE CLOSE MENAI 2234Withdrawn
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure54 BEAUMARIS DRIVE MENAI 2234Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure25 O'NEILL ROAD MENAI 2234Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool22 THE WOODS CIRCUIT MENAI 2234Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure43 ANDERSON PLACE MENAI 2234Determined
October 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure70 THE WOODS CIRCUIT MENAI 2234Determined
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 · 2026 · Updated · Daily feed (from Oct 2018)
Roadworks & transport
1 active roadworks / incidents
- RoadworksHeathcote Road, New Illawarra Road21 Jul 2026 – 16 Sep 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
- Hughes
- Member of Parliament
- David MONCRIEFF (Australian Labor Party)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 114,887
- Turnout (2025)
- 93.6%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +6.5 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 46.9%Labor 53.1%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 3.3 km away).
Coalition 53.6%Labor 46.4%
6.7 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +9.3 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- MenaiLabor 48.8% · Coalition 51.2% TPP (2025)1.1 km away
- Menai CentralLabor 46.6% · Coalition 53.4% TPP (2025)1.6 km away
- Menai NorthLabor 47.2% · Coalition 52.8% TPP (2025)1.6 km away
- Alfords PointLabor 44.3% · Coalition 55.7% TPP (2025)2.0 km away
- Bangor NorthLabor 41.8% · Coalition 58.2% TPP (2025)2.2 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)
- 10/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 9/10
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
Compare with
Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.
More in Sutherland Shire Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.