Median house price
$1.17M
+7.1% change
NSW · Shellharbour Council
Shellharbour City Centre, 2529
Est. population · Jun 2025
539
Growth (1 yr)
+0.4%
Growth (5 yr)
+4.9%
Median age
71
Median income
$949/wk
Employment rate
26.9%
Median house price · October to December 2025
$1,173,000
Languages at home
18%non-English
Most common: Macedonian, Vietnamese, Greek
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Education hub
- Excellent transport
- Café precinct
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Shellharbour City Centre hums with inner-city energy, a smaller community where there is always something happening nearby. An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with education options woven into the neighbourhood. There is a dense cluster of schools and early-learning options nearby.
For metro suburbs, the café and dining scene is notably rich, with locals returning to favourite spots. There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play. Daily life works well on foot, with buses also serving the suburb.
Homes cost more here than in most comparable suburbs. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
The desirability picture is around average, weighed down by softer community and employment relative to similar metro suburbs.
At a glance
Shellharbour City Centre snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$760/wk
Houses $800 · Units $650
Population (ERP)
539
+0.4% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
6.2%
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
#50
among Metro Sydney · Mature
Safety
56th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
46th
percentile in NSW
Advantage (IRSAD)
3/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
25th
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
- 46.4/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 38% of New South Wales' suburbs
- National rank
- 2668th in Australia
- State rank
- 807th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #50 among Metro Sydney · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #554 among Metro Sydney suburbs
- Data confidence
- 93%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
- Flats / units (January to March 2026)
- $650
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $800
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $760
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 190
- Median house price (October to December 2025)
- $1,173,000
- Median price change
- +7.1%
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 (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- DCJ rent and sales tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · January to March 2026; October to December 2025 · Updated · Quarterly releases
Population
Estimated resident population
539(June 2025)
+0.4% annual · +4.9% over 5 years · 46th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +0.4%
- 5-year growth
- +4.9%
- Change in 1 year
- +2
- Change in 5 years
- +25
- Growth rank in NSW
- 46th 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 (~550), extrapolated at +0.7% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 457
- Median age
- 71
- Median household income / week
- $949
- Dwelling vacancy
- 6.2%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 14 of 224
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,798
- Employment rate
- 26.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 57 / 59 / 94
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs 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
Community & culture
No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
Reported offences are unchanged compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 40
- Against the person
- 7
- Against property
- 15
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 74.2
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 65 residents
- State safety percentile
- 55.5th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +0.3%
Most common offence types
- Breach Bail Conditions667
- Fraud135
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment161
- Steal From Motor Vehicle128
- Steal From Retail Store211
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- 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
- 10
- Median school ICSEA (10 schools)
- 948.5
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 25th
School list
- Nazareth Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1052 · 69th percentile · LBOTE 7% · 413 students · Top SEA quarter 22% · 0.4 km awayView on My School →
- Oak Flats High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 932 · 19th percentile · LBOTE 9% · 648 students · Top SEA quarter 2% · 0.6 km awayView on My School →
- Balarang Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 974 · 35th percentile · LBOTE 11% · 268 students · Top SEA quarter 9% · 0.8 km awayView on My School →
- Barrack Heights Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 873 · 7th percentile · LBOTE 9% · 192 students · Top SEA quarter 2% · 1.0 km awayView on My School →
- Mount Warrigal Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 885 · 8th percentile · LBOTE 9% · 185 students · Top SEA quarter 2% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →
- Oak Flats Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 959 · 28th percentile · LBOTE 9% · 416 students · Top SEA quarter 4% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
- Warilla Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 937 · 20th percentile · LBOTE 13% · 279 students · Top SEA quarter 5% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
- Peterborough SchoolSpecial · Government · ICSEA 938 · 21th percentile · LBOTE 15% · 115 students · Top SEA quarter 5% · 1.9 km awayView on My School →
- Warilla High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 968 · 32th percentile · LBOTE 18% · 1,020 students · Top SEA quarter 7% · 1.9 km awayView on My School →
- Corpus Christi Catholic High SchoolSecondary · Catholic · ICSEA 1045 · 66th percentile · LBOTE 11% · 1,126 students · Top SEA quarter 20% · 2.0 km awayView on My School →
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
Public transport
22 public transport stops in this suburb
- College Av After Benson Av
- New Lake Entrance Rd At Minga Av
- Stockland Retail Park, New Lake Entrance Rd
- Stockland Shellharbour
- Stockland Shellharbour, Lake Entrance Rd
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · current · Updated · Nightly GTFS feed
Amenities
81 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
4 supermarkets · 1 pharmacies · 6 fast food · 2 places of worship · 1 playgrounds · 1 swimming pools · 1 ev charging · 1 petrol stations
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Highly walkable for everyday errands
- Great for outdoor family life — 1 parks mapped in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
- Well connected by public transport — 22 public transport stops
- Walkability proxy
- 82/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 13.13
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 2.19
Food & drink(6)
- Grill'dFast food
- Hungry Jack'sFast food
- KFCFast food
- McDonald'sFast food
- Red RoosterFast food
- SubwayFast food
Shopping(6)
- EG AustraliaConvenience store
- AldiSupermarket
5 Holm Place
- ColesSupermarket
- WoolworthsSupermarket
- WoolworthsSupermarket
New Lake Entrance Road, Shellharbour City Centre
Community(2)
- Blackbutt Youth CentreCommunity centre
- Nazareth Catholic Primary SchoolSchool
3 Glider Avenue
Health & services(2)
- My Smile Team ShellharbourDentist
10 College Avenue
- Chemist WarehousePharmacy
Unit 9A New Lake Entrance Road, Shellharbour City Centre
Sport & outdoors(5)
- Anytime FitnessGym
- Harrison ParkPark
- Playground
- Sports field
- Swimming pool
Entertainment(1)
- Event Cinemas ShellharbourCinema
Transport(9)
9 bus stops
Other(30)
- Dan Murphy'sAlcohol
- Baby BuntingBaby Goods
Unit 18 5 Range Road, Shellharbour City Centre
- ANZBank
- Best & LessClothes
- RiversClothes
10 Range Road, Shellharbour City Centre
- Harris ScarfeDepartment Store
- KmartDepartment Store
211 Lake Entrance Road
- MyerDepartment Store
- TargetDepartment Store
- TK MaxxDepartment Store
- JB Hi-FiElectronics
- AmpChargeEV charging
- Fantastic FurnitureFurniture
- Gambling
- TabGambling
- Roni'sHouseware
Unit 21 5 Range Road, Shellharbour City Centre
- The Tumble ClubLaundry
- Mall
- Stockland ShellharbourMall
211 Lake Entrance Road
- Parking (22)
- CakeBizPastry
Unit 2 2 Memorial Drive
- PetbarnPet
Unit 5 5 Range Road, Shellharbour City Centre
- PetOPet
- EG AustraliaPetrol station
- Place of worship
- Shellharbour City Anglican ChurchPlace of worship
- Australia PostPost office
- Schoolyard
- RebelSports
- Taxi
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Parks & reserves
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Harrison ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 1
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Places of worship
2 places of worship within ~1.5 km
- Place of worship
- Shellharbour City Anglican Church
From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
- 2
- Nearest hospital
- Shellharbour Hospital (0.7 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Public hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
- Emergency department in suburb
- Not in suburb
- Chemist WarehouseNew Lake Entrance RoadPharmacy
- My Smile Team ShellharbourCollege AvenueDentist
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 16
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 29.7
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
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
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
- 25° / 17°
- Rainfall
- 321 mm · ~40 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 22° / 14°
- Rainfall
- 359 mm · ~45 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 17° / 8°
- Rainfall
- 263 mm · ~33 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 21° / 12°
- Rainfall
- 242 mm · ~30 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
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
April 2026
- Signage; Advertising and signageBENSON AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Under Assessment
January 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Other Infrastructure5 RANGE ROAD SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
2025· 10 proposals
December 2025
- Seniors housing; Residential care facility; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support7 WALLAROO DRIVE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
November 2025
- Demolition; Seniors housing; Independent living units; Erection of a new structure171 WATTLE ROAD SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
- Office Premise; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure16 COLLEGE AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
October 2025
- Temporary building, structure or use; Recreation facility (outdoor)191 WATTLE ROAD SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
August 2025
- Temporary building, structure or use; Recreation facility (outdoor)191 WATTLE ROAD SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
- Entertainment facility; Temporary building, structure or use; Recreation facility (major)BENSON AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
April 2025
- Advertising and signage; Food and drink premiseTenancy 2021B, Shellharbour City Square Cnr CollegDetermined
- Temporary building, structure or use; Temporary structureLamerton Crescent, Shelllharbour City CentreDetermined
February 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Other InfrastructureBENSON AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
January 2025
- Seniors housing; Independent living units; Erection of a new structure171 WATTLE ROAD SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
2024· 4 proposals
November 2024
- Shop top housing; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure13 BENSON AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
- Temporary building, structure or use; Entertainment associated with existing premises191 WATTLE ROAD SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
September 2024
- Entertainment facility; Temporary building, structure or use; Temporary structure191 WATTLE ROAD SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
April 2024
- Signage; Advertising and signageBENSON AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
2023· 7 proposals
November 2023
- Demolition; Business premises; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Retail PremiseBENSON AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
October 2023
- Hotel or motel accomodation; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Tourist and visitor accommodation5 MEMORIAL DRIVE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
- Subdivision2 EVELYN COURT SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
September 2023
- Temporary building, structure or use; Temporary structureBENSON AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
July 2023
- Retail premises75 CYGNET AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
February 2023
- Mixed use development16 COLLEGE AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
- Other1 RANGE ROAD SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
2022· 12 proposals
December 2022
- Alterations and additions to commercial development9 RANGE ROAD SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
November 2022
- Shop top housing; Mixed use development; Business premises16 COLLEGE AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
October 2022
- Retail premises75 CYGNET AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
September 2022
- Other76 CYGNET AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
- Take-away food and drink premises; OtherBENSON AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Withdrawn
July 2022
- Alterations and additions to commercial development5 BURRA PLACE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
June 2022
- Change of use3 6 BENSON AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
- Mixed use development; Centre based childcare73 CYGNET AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
- Alterations and additions to commercial development; Signage3 RANGE ROAD SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
March 2022
- Stratum / community title subdivision16 COLLEGE AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
February 2022
- Signage73 CYGNET AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
- Signage4 MEMORIAL DRIVE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
2021· 5 proposals
December 2021
- Alterations and additions to commercial development3 MEMORIAL DRIVE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
November 2021
- OtherCollege & Benson Avenues and Lamerton Crescent, ShDetermined
October 2021
- Stratum / community title subdivision4 BENSON AVENUE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
- Pub3 MEMORIAL DRIVE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
- Signage3 MEMORIAL DRIVE SHELLHARBOUR CITY CENTRE 2529Determined
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · 2026 · Updated · Daily feed (from Oct 2018)
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated
Politics & representation
- Federal electorate
- Whitlam
- Member of Parliament
- Carol BERRY (Australian Labor Party)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 130,093
- Turnout (2025)
- 93.2%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- -2.1 pp toward Coalition
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 43.8%Labor 56.3%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 2.4 km away).
Coalition 37.5%Labor 62.5%
6.3 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: -4.2 pp toward Coalition
Nearest polling places
- BlackbuttLabor 62.2% · Coalition 37.8% TPP (2025)0.6 km away
- Oak Flats EastLabor 62.0% · Coalition 38.0% TPP (2025)0.8 km away
- Barrack HeightsLabor 63.6% · Coalition 36.4% TPP (2025)1.1 km away
- Mount WarrigalLabor 68.1% · Coalition 31.9% TPP (2025)1.5 km away
- Oak FlatsLabor 59.4% · Coalition 40.6% TPP (2025)1.7 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
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
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 (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
Compare with
Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.
More in Shellharbour Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.