NSW · Wollongong Council
Scarborough (NSW), NSW, 2515
Desirability index
#407 among Metro Sydney suburbs
Suburb snapshot
Scarborough (NSW) is a small locality in the Wollongong area, home to around 325 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 566 offences in Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 with rising year-on-year trends (+26%), roughly 1741.5 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $900 (flats $675, houses $1,063), strong public transport coverage with many public transport stops, a quieter amenity profile than busier neighbouring suburbs, and some planning and development activity on record. Use the sections below for detailed population, safety, schools, and local activity data.
Population
- Population
- 325
- Median age
- 41
- Median household income / week
- $2,571
- Dwelling vacancy
- 16.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 19 of 116
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,500
- Employment rate
- 60.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 0 / 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)
- $675
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $1,063
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $900
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 69
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)
- 566
- Against the person
- 117
- Against property
- 220
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 1,741.5
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 3 residents
- State safety percentile
- 42.4th (lower crime is better)
- Year-on-year change
- +25.8%
Most common offence types
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment36
- Malicious Damage To Property48
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault28
- Steal From Motor Vehicle36
- Transport Regulatory Offences137
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
18 public transport stops in this suburb
- Lawrence Hargrave Dr Opp Scarborough Public School
- Railway Av Bridge
- STR Railway Av E
- STR Railway Av W
- Scarborough Station
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).
1 planning-related records
2023· 1 proposal
November 2023
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure28 Goodrich Street ScarboroughDetermined
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Period: 2020–2026; 2023 · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
Amenities
14 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- 404 Lawrence Hargrave DrBus stop
- 415 Lawrence Hargrave DrBus stop
- Lawrence Hargrave Dr at Fifth StBus stop
- Lawrence Hargrave Dr at Railway TceBus stop
- Lawrence Hargrave Dr at Seventh StBus stop
- Lawrence Hargrave Dr opp Scarborough Public SchoolBus stop
- Scarborough Public School, Lawrence Hargrave DrBus stop
- AusPostPost Box
- Ticket Validator (3)
- ScarboroughTrain station
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
Heritage
1 state heritage place
- Scarborough Railway Station groupFirst Street, ScarboroughSHR
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
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
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 1
- Parks (OSM)
- 0
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
- 44.7/100
- Cohort rank
- #407 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
- Lawrence Hargrave Dr Opp Scarborough Public Schooltransport
- Railway Av Bridgetransport
- STR Railway Av Etransport
- STR Railway Av Wtransport
- Scarborough Stationtransport
- Scarborough Railway Station groupheritageFirst Street, ScarboroughSHR
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structureplanning28 Goodrich Street ScarboroughLodged 27 Nov 2023 · Determined
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime36
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime48
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime28
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · 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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