Median house price
$570k
+8.4% change
NSW · Clarence Valley Council
South Arm, 2460
Est. population · Jun 2025
208
Growth (1 yr)
+2.0%
Growth (5 yr)
+14.9%
Median age
56
Median income
$1,452/wk
Employment rate
50.9%
Median house price · October to December 2025
$570,000
Languages at home
3.7%non-English
Mostly English at home
2021 Census · usual residence
- Excellent transport
Suburb profile
In Clarence Valley Council, South Arm keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. It is a long way from Sydney, so life orients around regional towns and local hubs rather than the metro area. Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood.
Everyday basics may be close by, but bigger shopping and services typically require a trip to a nearby centre. Open space is thinner than in many comparable suburbs, so residents often travel a little further for a longer park day. Buses make commuting and cross-suburb trips straightforward.
Housing is more affordable than in many parts of the state. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
At a glance
South Arm snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$486/wk
Houses $530 · Units $450
Population (ERP)
208
+2.0% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
4.8%
Census unoccupied dwellings
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Safety
79th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
87th
percentile in NSW
Advantage (IRSAD)
3/10
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
- Flats / units (January to March 2026)
- $450
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $530
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $486
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 170
- Median house price (October to December 2025)
- $570,000
- Median price change
- +8.4%
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 (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
208(June 2025)
+2.0% annual · +14.9% over 5 years · 87th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +2.0%
- 5-year growth
- +14.9%
- Change in 1 year
- +4
- Change in 5 years
- +27
- Growth rank in NSW
- 87th 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 (~200), extrapolated at +1.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 196
- Median age
- 56
- Median household income / week
- $1,452
- Dwelling vacancy
- 4.8%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 4 of 84
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,441
- Employment rate
- 50.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 77 / 0 / 0
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 increased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 23
- Against the person
- 6
- Against property
- 9
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 110.6
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 33 residents
- State safety percentile
- 79.2th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +4.8%
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order298
- Breach Bail Conditions527
- Domestic Violence Related Assault274
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment387
- Malicious Damage To Property339
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
Public transport
32 public transport stops in this suburb
- 239 South Arm School Rd
- 693 Roberts Creek Rd
- Roberts Creek Rd At Gibbons Lane
- South Arm Rd Opp 556
- South Arm School Rd Opp Roberts Creek 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
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
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
Health access
- Nearest hospital
- Maclean District Hospital (8.0 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
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)
- 6
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 28.8
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
- 26° / 19°
- Rainfall
- 504 mm · ~63 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 23° / 15°
- Rainfall
- 522 mm · ~65 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 18° / 8°
- Rainfall
- 199 mm · ~25 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 23° / 13°
- Rainfall
- 270 mm · ~34 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· 1 proposal
May 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation264 SOUTH ARM SCHOOL ROAD SOUTH ARM 2460Additional Information Requested
2025· 5 proposals
July 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure227 SOUTH ARM ROAD SOUTH ARM 2449Determined
April 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure226 SIMPSONS RIDGE ROAD SOUTH ARM 2449Determined
March 2025
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure1160 SOUTH ARM ROAD SOUTH ARM 2449Determined
February 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Manufactured home1820 SOUTH ARM ROAD SOUTH ARM 2449Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Swimming pool978 SOUTH ARM ROAD SOUTH ARM 2460Determined
2024· 4 proposals
December 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Swimming pool637 ROBERTS CREEK ROAD SOUTH ARM 2460Determined
July 2024
- Shed; Erection of a new structure82 SOUTH ARM SCHOOL ROAD SOUTH ARM 2460Determined
March 2024
- Shed; Erection of a new structure3 SIMPSONS RIDGE ROAD SOUTH ARM 2449Determined
February 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Manufactured home1137 SOUTH ARM ROAD SOUTH ARM 2449Operational consent issued
2023· 2 proposals
October 2023
- Erection of a new structure; Commercial livestock grazing; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support620 SOUTH ARM ROAD SOUTH ARM 2460Determined
May 2023
- Dwelling; Pools / decks / fencing1086 SOUTH ARM ROAD SOUTH ARM 2449Determined
2022· 7 proposals
September 2022
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces3 BUSHLAND CLOSE SOUTH ARM 2460Determined
August 2022
- DwellingSouth Arm Road, South Arm 2460Determined
May 2022
- Dwelling110 MENZIES ROAD SOUTH ARM 2449Determined
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces; Other1177 SOUTH ARM ROAD SOUTH ARM 2449Determined
- Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs4502 LAWRENCE ROAD SOUTH ARM 2460Determined
April 2022
- Dwelling; Pools / decks / fencing408 MCHUGHS CREEK ROAD SOUTH ARM 2449Determined
March 2022
- Dwelling1820 SOUTH ARM ROAD SOUTH ARM 2449Determined
2021· 9 proposals
December 2021
- Dwelling205 SOUTH ARM SCHOOL ROAD SOUTH ARM 2460Determined
- Dwelling; Shed168 SOUTH ARM ROAD SOUTH ARM 2460Determined
November 2021
- Dwelling; Shed168 SOUTH ARM ROAD SOUTH ARM 2460Determined
- Dwelling; Shed168 SOUTH ARM ROAD SOUTH ARM 2460Determined
- Development Application783 ROBERTS CREEK ROAD SOUTH ARM 2460Determined
August 2021
- DwellingSOUTH ARM ROAD SOUTH ARM 2460Determined
July 2021
- Pools / decks / fencing1071 SOUTH ARM ROAD SOUTH ARM 2449Determined
- Shed50 SOUTH ARM SCHOOL ROAD SOUTH ARM 2460Determined
- Dwelling112 MENZIES ROAD SOUTH ARM 2449Determined
2020· 2 proposals
December 2020
- Subdivision of land42 RED HILL ROAD SOUTH ARM 2460Determined
October 2020
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces1202 SOUTH ARM ROAD SOUTH ARM 2460Determined
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
- Overlay applies
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
- Page
- Member of Parliament
- Kevin HOGAN (The Nationals)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 129,373
- Turnout (2025)
- 91.8%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +1.4 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 59.3%Labor 40.7%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 17.5 km away).
Coalition 62.3%Labor 37.7%
3.0 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +4.5 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- GulmarradLabor 36.5% · Coalition 63.5% TPP (2025)6.1 km away
- MacleanLabor 44.7% · Coalition 55.3% TPP (2025)6.1 km away
- LawrenceLabor 39.2% · Coalition 60.8% TPP (2025)7.6 km away
- Harwood IslandLabor 32.7% · Coalition 67.3% TPP (2025)11.3 km away
- CowperLabor 31.8% · Coalition 68.2% TPP (2025)11.5 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)
- 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 (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
More in Clarence Valley Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.