suburb.guide

NSW · Mid-Coast Council

Seal Rocks, 2423

Est. population · Jun 2025

60

Growth (1 yr)

+3.5%

Growth (5 yr)

+9.1%

Median age

46

Median income

$1,416/wk

Employment rate

44.7%

University qualified

30%

Work from home

42.9%

Median house price · October to December 2025

$587,000

Languages at home

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

  • Beach
  • National parks
  • Holiday parks
  • Country town
What Seal Rocks is known for: Beach, National parks, Holiday parks, Country town

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Seal Rocks, NSW suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Seal Rocks, NSW Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/nsw/seal-rocks

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Suburb profile

Seal Rocks is a regional town in New South Wales, in Mid-Coast Council. It is close to Point Lighthouse. Notable landmarks include Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse.

Working from home is an exceptional strength, placing it among the highest-ranked regional towns, and university qualifications are more common than in comparable places, and population has been growing faster than in comparable places. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high. Trade-offs centre on thinner mapped green cover within the suburb boundary and thinner park access, with green cover 100% below the peer median.

Overall, the suburb suits people prioritising university qualifications over open space.

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

Regional town · compared with regional towns in New South Wales (192)

Strengths

  • Working from home is a relative strength
  • University qualifications are more common than in comparable places
  • Population has been growing faster than in comparable places

Weaknesses

  • Green cover is thinner than in comparable places
  • Park access is thinner than in comparable places

What stands out

  • Seal Rocks Beach
  • Sandbar Beach
  • Point Lighthouse
  • Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse
  • Space is a strength, but car dependence is high

Who it suits

  • StudentsInsufficient data
  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Seal Rocks compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

$587k

-3.4% change

Median rent

$515/wk

Population (ERP)

60

+3.5% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

67.3%

Census unoccupied dwellings

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Crime rate

61st

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

96th

percentile in NSW

Rented dwellings

14%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

4/10

national SEIFA decile

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

Housing

All types (January to March 2026)
$515
Median house price (October to December 2025)
$587,000
Median price change
-3.4%

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 (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

60(June 2025)

+3.5% annual · +9.1% over 5 years · 96th percentile in NSW

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+3.5%
5-year growth
+9.1%
Change in 1 year
+2
Change in 5 years
+5
Growth rank in NSW
96th 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 (~50), extrapolated at +1.8% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
56
Median age
46
Median household income / week
$1,416
Dwelling vacancy
67.3%
Unoccupied private dwellings
37 of 55
Median monthly mortgage
$3,350
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$250
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
57.1% / 28.6% / 14.3%
Employment rate
44.7%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
42.9% / 0% / 23.8%
Walked or cycled to work
14.3%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
21 / 0 / 0

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.

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

30% of adults have a university degree, compared with 27.8% across New South Wales. 0% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified30% · 27.8% NSW
  • Diploma qualified10% · 9.3% NSW
  • Year 12 or below60% · 47.9% NSW

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Engineering and related technologies28.6%
  • Management and commerce25%
  • Creative arts17.9%
  • Society and culture17.9%
  • Education10.7%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 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)
$41,226

6th percentile in NSW · -30% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$46,868

3rd percentile in NSW · -28% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
12.0%

35th percentile in NSW · -13% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$64,814

41st percentile in NSW · +2% vs Australia

Residents with business income
13.0%

84th percentile in NSW · +25% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2423 — 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
1,751
Taxpayers reporting net rent
218
Median net rent
$4,663
Taxpayers reporting business income
233
Taxable income vs state median
-26%
Salary / wages vs state median
-25%
Rental investment vs state median
-14%
Super vs state median
-8%
Business income vs state median
+30%

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

Language at home
48 English only · 0 other
Non-English at home
0%
Born overseas
0 (0%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
4 (7.1%)
Australian citizens
48

Religion

44.6%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 44.6%, while 26.8% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion26.8%32.8%
Christianity44.6%47.6%
Other / not stated28.6%19.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic21.4%22.4%

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 2423, which is shared with other suburbs.

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
5
Against the person
2
Against property
1
Rate per 1,000 residents
83.3
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 28 residents
State crime-rate percentile
60.8th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate)
+0.3%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
3
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
50

Most common offence types

  • Domestic Violence Related Assault0
  • Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment1
  • Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault0
  • Sexual Assault0
  • Sexual Touching, Sexual Act And Other Sexual Offences0

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

School list
School catchments
  • Bulahdelah CSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Bungwahl PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • GLC ForsterGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • GLC Snr CGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Tea Gardens 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

Amenities

15 mapped amenities

10 beaches · 2 campgrounds

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
Walkability proxy
0/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Sport & outdoors(13)
  • Beach (7)
  • Lighthouse BeachBeach
  • Sandbar BeachBeach
  • Treachery BeachBeach
  • Mining Road to Old Gibber Road cycling trailCycling route
  • Hunter Special Purpose Zone (Trawl)Nature reserve
  • Seal Rocks Nature ReserveNature reserve
Camping & holiday parks(2)
  • Reflections Seal Rocks - Holiday ParkCampground

    Kinka Road, Seal Rocks

  • Treachery CampCampground

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
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
0%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
0
Parks (OSM)
0
Typical summer maximum
28°C

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

Health access

Nearest hospital
Forster Private Hospital (26.1 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
1
Participants per 1,000 residents
16.7

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

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
28° / 16°
Rainfall
372 mm · ~46 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
23° / 12°
Rainfall
329 mm · ~41 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
17° / 6°
Rainfall
148 mm · ~18 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
23° / 11°
Rainfall
218 mm · ~27 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

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· 2 proposals

  • June 2026

  • Erection of a new structure; Caravan park
    1002 SEAL ROCKS ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined

  • March 2026

  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    20 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined
2025· 4 proposals

  • July 2025

  • Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
    29 THOMAS ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined

  • May 2025

  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    18 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined

  • April 2025

  • Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
    52 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined

  • January 2025

  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    20 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined
2024· 3 proposals

  • December 2024

  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    42 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined

  • June 2024

  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    22 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined
  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    20 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined
2023· 4 proposals

  • August 2023

  • Alterations and additions to residential development
    20 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined

  • July 2023

  • Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Alterations and additions to residential development
    22 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined

  • June 2023

  • Alterations and additions to residential development
    64 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined

  • January 2023

  • Dwelling
    52 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined
2022· 3 proposals

  • August 2022

  • Dwelling; Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Demolition
    62 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined

  • May 2022

  • Dwelling
    65 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined
  • Demolition
    65 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined
2021· 4 proposals

  • November 2021

  • Alterations and additions to commercial development
    166 THOMAS ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined
  • Demolition; Retaining walls, protection of trees; Garages, carports and car parking spaces
    38 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined
  • Dwelling
    40 KINKA ROAD SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined

  • July 2021

  • Dwelling
    4 HORGAN PLACE SEAL ROCKS 2423Determined

Data sources & freshness

Heritage

1 heritage place

  • Sugarloaf Point Light Station Group Seal Rocks Road, Myall Lakes National Park, Seal RocksSHR

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

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
Lyne
Member of Parliament
Alison PENFOLD (The Nationals)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
129,584
Turnout (2025)
92.9%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+4.0 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 59.8%Labor 40.2%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 27.9 km away).

Coalition 48.9%Labor 51.1%

10.9 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +2.0 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • BungwahlLabor 51.8% · Coalition 48.2% TPP (2025)6.6 km away
  • Pacific PalmsLabor 55.1% · Coalition 44.9% TPP (2025)10.2 km away
  • Coomba ParkLabor 49.6% · Coalition 50.4% TPP (2025)20.5 km away
  • Forster KeysLabor 42.4% · Coalition 57.6% TPP (2025)23.1 km away
  • Forster SouthLabor 45.0% · Coalition 55.0% TPP (2025)24.7 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

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
4/10
IRSD decile (2021)
4/10

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 (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

More in Mid-Coast Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.