NSW · Shoalhaven Council
Old Erowal Bay, NSW, 2540
Desirability index
#368 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Suburb snapshot
Old Erowal Bay is a small locality in the Shoalhaven area, home to around 1,080 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 2,051 offences in Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 with falling year-on-year trends (-5%), roughly 1899.1 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $571 (flats $465, houses $600), strong public transport coverage with many public transport stops, a quieter amenity profile than busier neighbouring suburbs, and notable planning and development activity on record. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb.
Population
- Population
- 1,080
- Median age
- 40
- Median household income / week
- $1,246
- Dwelling vacancy
- 19.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 98 of 502
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Employment rate
- 48.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 44 / 0 / 3
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)
- $465
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $600
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $571
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 300
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)
- 2,051
- Against the person
- 744
- Against property
- 826
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 1,899.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 1 residents
- State safety percentile
- 44.2th (lower crime is better)
- Year-on-year change
- -5.3%
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order135
- Domestic Violence Related Assault174
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment283
- Malicious Damage To Property261
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault146
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
27 public transport stops in this suburb
- Christiansen Av At Woodhill St
- MacGibbon Pde After The Wool Rd
- The Wool Rd After MacGibbon Pde
- The Wool Rd At Mernie St
- Woodhill St At Tibbles Av
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).
36 planning-related records
2026· 2 proposals
May 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Carport; Supporting Development13 ROBERTS STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Under Assessment
February 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation5 PAGE STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
2025· 3 proposals
December 2025
- Secondary dwelling; Demolition; Erection of a new structure20 PAGE STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
August 2025
- Subdivision24 FITZPATRICK STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Carport4 SHEERAN STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
2024· 4 proposals
August 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation4 PAGE STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
May 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Carport6 TIBBLES AVENUE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)24 Tibbles Avenue OLD EROWAL BAY NSW 2540Determined
- Subdivision24 Tibbles Avenue OLD EROWAL BAY NSW 2540Determined
2023· 6 proposals
December 2023
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure3 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
July 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development3 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential development36 FITZPATRICK STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
June 2023
- Shed32 MCGOWEN STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
February 2023
- Demolition; Subdivision of land; Stormwater management systems; Earthworks / change in levels; Shed1 BETHS STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
January 2023
- Dwelling4 PAGE STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
2022· 11 proposals
November 2022
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces24 MCGOWEN STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
September 2022
- Secondary dwelling; Shed35 MERNIE STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dual occupancy; Demolition; Subdivision of land19 CHRISTIANSEN AVENUE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
July 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development32 TIBBLES AVENUE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Withdrawn
June 2022
- Dwelling54 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Withdrawn
May 2022
- Shed2 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Withdrawn
April 2022
- Secondary dwelling20 TIBBLES AVENUE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
March 2022
- Demolition; Subdivision of land75 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Pools / decks / fencing; Alterations and additions to residential development63 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
February 2022
- Shed91 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
January 2022
- Dwelling34 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
2021· 10 proposals
December 2021
- Pools / decks / fencing; Alterations and additions to residential development85 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
November 2021
- Demolition; Alterations and additions to residential development63 PRENTICE AVENUE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dual occupancy; Subdivision of land17 HUNT STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
October 2021
- Demolition54 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling54 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
September 2021
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces88 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
August 2021
- Pools / decks / fencing35 TIBBLES AVENUE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling; Stormwater management systems79 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
June 2021
- Secondary dwelling32 TIBBLES AVENUE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
May 2021
- Demolition19 BLAIR STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Period: 2020–2026; 2021; 2022… · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
Amenities
3 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Prentice Av at MacDonald StBus stop
- Crest DivingDive Centre
- Playground
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
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Elsie Young Memorial ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 2/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
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
- 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)
- 1
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
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
- 20.4/100
- Cohort rank
- #368 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
- Christiansen Av At Woodhill Sttransport
- MacGibbon Pde After The Wool Rdtransport
- The Wool Rd After MacGibbon Pdetransport
- The Wool Rd At Mernie Sttransport
- Woodhill St At Tibbles Avtransport
- Elsie Young Memorial Parkgovernmentpark
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning3 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Lodged 25 Jul 2023 · Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning36 FITZPATRICK STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Lodged 25 Jul 2023 · Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning32 TIBBLES AVENUE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Lodged 18 Jul 2022 · Withdrawn
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Carportplanning4 SHEERAN STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Lodged 07 Aug 2025 · Determined
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- 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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