NSW · Lake Macquarie Council
Murrays Beach, NSW, 2281
Desirability index
#243 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Suburb snapshot
Murrays Beach is a small locality in the Lake Macquarie area, home to around 882 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 1,016 offences in Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 with relatively stable year-on-year trends (+2%), roughly 1151.9 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $725 (flats $550, houses $750), 7 public transport stops within the suburb, a quieter amenity profile than busier neighbouring suburbs, and notable planning and development activity on record. Use the sections below for detailed population, safety, schools, and local activity data.
Population
- Population
- 882
- Median age
- 44
- Median household income / week
- $2,303
- Dwelling vacancy
- 5.7%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 19 of 336
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,383
- Employment rate
- 60%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 12 / 0 / 0
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)
- $550
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $750
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $725
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 90
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)
- 1,016
- Against the person
- 260
- Against property
- 374
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 1,151.9
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 3 residents
- State safety percentile
- 35.5th (lower crime is better)
- Year-on-year change
- +2.5%
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order78
- Domestic Violence Related Assault78
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment96
- Malicious Damage To Property83
- Other Offences210
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
7 public transport stops in this suburb
- Old Pacific Hwy Before Jetty Point Dr
- Pacific Hwy
- Pacific Hwy At Cams Wharf Rd
- Pacific Hwy At Cams Wharf Rd
- Pacific Hwy Before Wallarah Peninsula Trk
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).
161 planning-related records
2026· 9 proposals
April 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure33 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
March 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure38 FREETAIL DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure35 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
February 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure28 FREETAIL DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation4 FOREST OWL CRESCENT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Additional Information Requested
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure41 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation2 HIBBERTIA RISE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure27 GREY GUM TRAIL MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
January 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah5 NIGHTSHADE CRESCENT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
2025· 17 proposals
November 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation4 FREETAIL DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation60 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Withdrawn
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure49 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
October 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure10 TAWNY CLOSE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation5 LAKE RIDGE LANE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
September 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure36 FRESHWATER CRESCENT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
July 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support28 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure6 CENTELLA RISE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
June 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure53 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
May 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Swimming pool13 HIBBERTIA RISE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool26 FREETAIL DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure28 BENTWING PARADE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Withdrawn
March 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool62 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure36 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
February 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure5 HIBBERTIA RISE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
January 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure11 SEAGRASS ROW MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure14 TAWNY CLOSE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
2024· 20 proposals
December 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah144 JETTY POINT DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure12 LAKE FOREST DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
November 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation6 TAWNY CLOSE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
October 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure22 FREETAIL DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure23 LAKE POINT WAY MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation28 FRESHWATER CRESCENT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
September 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure142 JETTY POINT DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure8 BRONZEWING PLACE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure77 LAKE FOREST DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
August 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure1 CENTELLA RISE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah3 BRONZEWING PLACE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure17 FRESHWATER CRESCENT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
May 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Landscaping structures; Swimming pool23 FRESHWATER CRESCENT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure29 APPLE GUM WAY MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
2023· 21 proposals
21 proposals lodged in 2023. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2022· 47 proposals
47 proposals lodged in 2022. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2021· 45 proposals
45 proposals lodged in 2021. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2020· 2 proposals
2 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
2 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Pacific HwyBus stop
- Pacific Hwy before Wallarah Peninsula TrkBus 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
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
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
Desirability index
- Desirability score
- 47.1/100
- Cohort rank
- #243 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
- Old Pacific Hwy Before Jetty Point Drtransport
- Pacific Hwytransport
- Pacific Hwy At Cams Wharf Rdtransport
- Pacific Hwy At Cams Wharf Rdtransport
- Pacific Hwy Before Wallarah Peninsula Trktransport
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandahplanning5 NIGHTSHADE CRESCENT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Lodged 05 Jan 2026 · Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Landscaping structures; Swimming poolplanning23 FRESHWATER CRESCENT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Lodged 14 May 2024 · Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodationplanning4 FREETAIL DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Lodged 16 Nov 2025 · Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structureplanning12 LAKE FOREST DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Lodged 10 Dec 2024 · Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structureplanning8 BRONZEWING PLACE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Lodged 12 Sep 2024 · Determined
Data sources & freshness
- 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
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