Nambucca Heads is a major regional centre in New South Wales, in Nambucca Valley Council, with mainly mixed commercial and residential development. It is close to the Nambucca River.
Everyday destinations are relatively walkable, well above typical levels for major regional centres. Local amenities is an exceptional strength. Housing is a little more affordable than typical for similar places, with median house prices 15% below the peer median. Green cover is an exceptional strength. The clearer weaknesses are lower school ICSEA scores and lower socio-economic advantage.
Overall, the suburb suits people prioritising walkability and local amenities over school quality.
Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.
Strengths and weaknesses
Major regional centre · compared with major regional centres in New South Wales (276)
Strengths
Everyday destinations are relatively walkable
Local amenity access is stronger than in most comparable places
Green cover is stronger than in comparable places
Housing is a little more affordable than typical for similar places
Weaknesses
School ICSEA scores are a relative weakness
Socio-economic advantage is well below comparable places
What stands out
Nambucca Heads Beach
Main Beach
Nambucca River
Who it suits
Stars are audience-fit ratings derived from Suburb.Guide data, not demographic counts or user reviews.
Families★★☆☆☆
Professionals★☆☆☆☆
Retirees★★☆☆☆
Students★★☆☆☆
Budget buyers★★★☆☆
Housing, growth and risk
How Nambucca Heads compares
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median house price
$675k
-5.6% change
Median rent
$530/wk
Houses $593 · Units $365
Population (ERP)
6,995
+0.9% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
10.0%
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
#110
among Country & regional · Mature
Crime rate
61st
percentile in state (higher = more crime)
Pop. growth
64th
percentile in NSW
Rented dwellings
35%
2021 Census tenure
Advantage (IRSAD)
1/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
9th
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
49.1/100 — Average
State standing
Top 35% of New South Wales' suburbs
National rank
2173rd in Australia
State rank
732nd in NSW
Peer rank
#110 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#192 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
94%
Data sources & freshness
Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
Flats / units (January to March 2026)
$365
Houses (January to March 2026)
$593
All types (January to March 2026)
$530
Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
78
Median house price (October to December 2025)
$675,000
Median price change
-5.6%
Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
+0.9% annual · +3.2% over 5 years · 64th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.9%
5-year growth
+3.2%
Change in 1 year
+64
Change in 5 years
+214
Growth rank in NSW
64th 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 (~7,150), extrapolated at +0.4% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
Population
6,675
Median age
57
Median household income / week
$839
Dwelling vacancy
10%
Unoccupied private dwellings
328 of 3,281
Median monthly mortgage
$1,300
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$280
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
48.1% / 16.9% / 34.9%
Employment rate
33.6%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
8.3% / 0.2% / 73.5%
Walked or cycled to work
3.4%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
2,132 / 380 / 328 (+ 75 other)
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)
Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus
Data sources & freshness
2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
10.4% of adults have a university degree, compared with 27.8% across New South Wales. 19.9% have a trade or vocational qualification.
University qualified10.4% · 27.8% NSW
Diploma qualified7.3% · 9.3% NSW
Trade / vocational19.9% · 15% NSW
Year 12 or below62.4% · 47.9% NSW
Highest qualification field
Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).
Management and commerce18.7%
Engineering and related technologies17.1%
Society and culture14.9%
Health12.2%
Education10.7%
Architecture and building8.3%
How these groups are defined
Measure
Definition
University qualified
Bachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualified
Advanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocational
Certificate III + IV
Year 12
Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12
Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below
People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)
University qualifications from the 2021 Census
Data sources & freshness
2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Tax & income
Median taxable income (2023–24)
$45,452
13th percentile in NSW · -23% vs Australia
Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$51,784
11th percentile in NSW · -20% vs Australia
Residents with rental investments
13.0%
40th percentile in NSW · -6% vs Australia
Median super balance (2023–24)
$66,484
44th percentile in NSW · +5% vs Australia
Residents with business income
11.0%
55th percentile in NSW · +6% vs Australia
Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2448 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.
Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
4,869
Taxpayers reporting net rent
630
Median net rent
$2,099
Taxpayers reporting business income
557
Taxable income vs state median
-19%
Salary / wages vs state median
-17%
Rental investment vs state median
-7%
Super vs state median
-6%
Business income vs state median
+10%
Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in NSW, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.
Data sources & freshness
Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary
Community & culture
3.8% speak a language other than English at home; 12.6% born overseas
Language at home
5,869 English only · 229 other
Non-English at home
3.8%
Born overseas
755 (12.6%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
672 (10.1%)
Australian citizens
5,901
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
14
Top languages other than English
Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).
Australian Indigenous languages9 · 12.2%
Malayalam9 · 12.2%
Mandarin9 · 12.2%
Italian8 · 10.8%
French6 · 8.1%
Nepali5 · 6.8%
Afrikaans4 · 5.4%
Hindi4 · 5.4%
Religion
48.4%Most common religion · Christianity
Christianity is the most common response at 48.4%, while 38.6% reported no religion.
Measure
Suburb
State
No religion
38.6%
32.8%
Christianity
48.4%
47.6%
Other / not stated
13%
19.6%
Christian denominations
Denomination
Suburb
State
Catholic
17.7%
22.4%
Anglican
16.6%
11.9%
Presbyterian and Reformed
3.9%
1.9%
Uniting Church
3.1%
2.1%
2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.
Data sources & freshness
2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
Offence counts are estimated for this suburb from postcode 2448, which is shared with other suburbs.
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
586
Against the person
184
Against property
226
Rate per 1,000 residents
83.8
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 36 residents
State crime-rate percentile
61th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate)
-14.6%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
53
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
7.58
Most common offence types
Breach Apprehended Violence Order36
Domestic Violence Related Assault54
Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment62
Malicious Damage To Property63
Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault38
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)
Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates
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)
890
Median ICSEA percentile
9th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
3
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
2
School list
Frank Partridge VC Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 886 · 8th percentile · LBOTE 18% · 217 students · Top SEA quarter 5% · 0.6 km awayView on My School →
Nambucca Heads High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 890 · 9th percentile · LBOTE 9% · 314 students · Top SEA quarter 4% · 0.6 km awayView on My School →
Nambucca Valley Christian Community SchoolCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1042 · 65th percentile · LBOTE 8% · 555 students · Top SEA quarter 24% · 0.8 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
Frank Partridge VC PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Macksville HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
Macksville PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Nambucca Hds HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
Nambucca Hds PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.
Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)
Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts
Data sources & freshness
NSW government school intake zones — NSW Department of Education · current · Updated · Open catchment polygons where published
Nambucca Valley Visitor Information CentreInformation
Illawong VillageNursing Home
Nambucca Heads Island Golf ClubParking
Parking (9)
TAFE Nambucca HeadsParking
Picnic Table (17)
Place of worship (2)
Australia PostPost Box
Shelter (2)
Illawong VillageSocial Facility
Riverside GardensSocial Facility
TelstraTelephone
BridgestoneTyres
The Reject ShopVariety Store
Waste Basket (6)
Nambucca's Little ShoppeYes
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.
Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)
Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000
Data sources & freshness
OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries
Places of worship
2 places of worship within ~1.5 km
Place of worship (2)
From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.
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.
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° / 19°
Rainfall
439 mm · ~55 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
Usual max / min
24° / 16°
Rainfall
494 mm · ~62 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
Usual max / min
19° / 10°
Rainfall
252 mm · ~32 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
Usual max / min
23° / 14°
Rainfall
279 mm · ~35 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)
Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space
10 ROYAL TAR CRESCENT NAMBUCCA HEADS 2448Operational consent issued
Secondary dwelling; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
46 WEST STREET NAMBUCCA HEADS 2448Operational consent requested
Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure; Moveable dwelling
51 PALMER STREET NAMBUCCA HEADS 2448Determined
May 2026
Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Fences; Residential Accommodation; Supporting Development
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping. Flood cover uses NSW flood planning polygons against the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)
Bushfire and flood hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated
Politics & representation
Federal electorate
Cowper
Member of Parliament
Pat CONAGHAN (The Nationals)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
131,639
Turnout (2025)
90.8%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+0.5 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 59.1%Labor 40.9%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 16.5 km away).
Coalition 57.0%Labor 43.0%
2.1 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: -2.5 pp toward Coalition
Nambucca HeadsLabor 47.9% · Coalition 52.1% TPP (2025)1.5 km away
Valla BeachLabor 52.2% · Coalition 47.8% TPP (2025)5.7 km away
MacksvilleLabor 34.8% · Coalition 65.2% TPP (2025)10.2 km away
Scotts HeadLabor 55.0% · Coalition 45.0% TPP (2025)12.0 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.
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 (12%)