Median house price
$579k
-14% change
NSW · Nambucca Valley Council
South Arm, 2449
Est. population · Jun 2025
323
Growth (1 yr)
+1.3%
Growth (5 yr)
+6.3%
Median age
49
Median income
$900/wk
Employment rate
34.1%
Median house price · October to December 2025
$579,000
Languages at home
3.7%non-English
Most common: Australian Indigenous languages
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Excellent transport
- High desirability
Suburb profile
In Nambucca Valley Council, South Arm keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting.
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 regional towns, so residents often travel a little further for a longer park day. Buses make commuting and cross-suburb trips straightforward.
Homes are relatively cheap compared with the wider market, which keeps entry costs lower. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
Versus similar regional towns, the suburb reads below average on desirability, chiefly because growth momentum trail behind. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
At a glance
South Arm snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
—
No data available
Population (ERP)
323
+1.3% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
15.1%
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
#361
among Country & regional · Mature
Safety
47th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
74th
percentile in NSW
Advantage (IRSAD)
2/10
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
Desirability
Ranks & confidence
- Desirability score
- 32.1/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5217th in Australia
- State rank
- 1680th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #361 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #699 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 71%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
- Median house price (October to December 2025)
- $579,000
- Median price change
- -14.2%
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 · October to December 2025 · Updated · Quarterly releases
Population
Estimated resident population
323(June 2025)
+1.3% annual · +6.3% over 5 years · 74th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +1.3%
- 5-year growth
- +6.3%
- Change in 1 year
- +4
- Change in 5 years
- +19
- Growth rank in NSW
- 74th 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 (~350), extrapolated at +0.9% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 311
- Median age
- 49
- Median household income / week
- $900
- Dwelling vacancy
- 15.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 19 of 126
- Median monthly mortgage
- $921
- Employment rate
- 34.1%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 108 / 0 / 0 (+ 5 other)
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 decreased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 21
- Against the person
- 9
- Against property
- 6
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 65
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 35 residents
- State safety percentile
- 47.3th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -4.3%
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order17
- Domestic Violence Related Assault16
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment27
- Malicious Damage To Property27
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault21
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
40 public transport stops in this suburb
- 1073 South Arm Rd
- 1136 South Arm Rd
- 1137 South Arm Rd
- 957 South Arm Rd
- Mchughs Creek Rd At South Arm 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
- Macksville Hospital (19.5 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)
- 12
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 37.2
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
- 27° / 19°
- Rainfall
- 439 mm · ~55 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 24° / 16°
- Rainfall
- 494 mm · ~62 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 19° / 10°
- Rainfall
- 252 mm · ~32 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 23° / 14°
- Rainfall
- 279 mm · ~35 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 (lodged 2020–2026).
4 planning-related records
2024· 1 proposal
December 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure06//1299354Determined
2021· 3 proposals
October 2021
- Other160 mchughs creek rd south arm bowravilleDetermined
July 2021
- DwellingLot 59 Angler Court, Bonville NSW 2450Determined
June 2021
- Signagemichael@beattiesfurniture.com.auDetermined
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 · 2020–2026 · 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
- Cowper
- Member of Parliament
- Pat CONAGHAN (The Nationals)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 131,639
- Turnout (2025)
- 90.8%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +0.5 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 59.1%Labor 40.9%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 23.0 km away).
Coalition 63.5%Labor 36.5%
4.4 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: -0.3 pp toward Coalition
Nearest polling places
- Taylors ArmLabor 35.7% · Coalition 64.3% TPP (2025)9.3 km away
- UtungunLabor 29.9% · Coalition 70.1% TPP (2025)13.2 km away
- BowravilleLabor 42.8% · Coalition 57.2% TPP (2025)15.7 km away
- MissabottiLabor 49.2% · Coalition 50.8% TPP (2025)17.8 km away
- Warrell CreekLabor 26.9% · Coalition 73.1% TPP (2025)20.5 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)
- 2/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 1/10
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 Nambucca 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.