NSW · Shoalhaven Council

Terara, 2540

Est. population · Jun 2025

320

Growth (1 yr)

+0.3%

Growth (5 yr)

+6.7%

Median age

59

Median income

$825/wk

Employment rate

36.9%

University qualified

11.3%

Work from home

19.2%

Median house price · October to December 2025

$866,000

Languages at home

4.8%non-English

Most common: Thai

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

42.3/100
Average

1307th in NSW

Verified 94% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Excellent transport
  • Rural living
What Terara is known for: Excellent transport, Rural living

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Terara, NSW suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Terara, NSW Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/nsw/terara

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Suburb profile

Terara is a rural locality in New South Wales, in Shoalhaven Council.

Local amenities are a relative strength, placing it among the highest-ranked rural localities. School access is strong, with school access 100% above the peer median. Population has been growing faster than in comparable places, with population growth 87% above the peer median. Trade-offs centre on higher housing costs and weaker employment, with median house prices 24% above the peer median.

Terara is a better fit for people who value local amenities and school access more than lower housing costs.

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

Rural locality · compared with rural localities in New South Wales (2685)

Strengths

  • Local amenities are a relative strength
  • School access is strong
  • Population has been growing faster than in comparable places

Weaknesses

  • Housing is expensive relative to comparable places
  • Employment rates sit below those of comparable places

What stands out

Nothing distinctive beyond the usual profile.

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Terara compares

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

Median house price

$866k

+1.9% change

Median rent

$571/wk

Houses $600 · Units $465

Population (ERP)

320

+0.3% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

6.8%

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

#280

among Country & regional · Mature

Crime rate

20th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

44th

percentile in NSW

Rented dwellings

16%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

4/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

37th

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
42.3/100 — Average
National rank
3811th in Australia
State rank
1307th in NSW
Peer rank
#280 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#496 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
94%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Housing

Flats / units (January to March 2026)
$465
Houses (January to March 2026)
$600
All types (January to March 2026)
$571
Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
300
Median house price (October to December 2025)
$866,000
Median price change
+1.9%

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

320(June 2025)

+0.3% annual · +6.7% over 5 years · 44th percentile in NSW

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.3%
5-year growth
+6.7%
Change in 1 year
+1
Change in 5 years
+20
Growth rank in NSW
44th 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 +1.7% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
305
Median age
59
Median household income / week
$825
Dwelling vacancy
6.8%
Unoccupied private dwellings
11 of 161
Median monthly mortgage
$1,600
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$210
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
74% / 10.2% / 15.7%
Employment rate
36.9%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
19.2% / 0% / 65.7%
Walked or cycled to work
6.1%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
66 / 0 / 0 (+ 65 other)

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

11.3% of adults have a university degree, compared with 27.8% across New South Wales. 18.4% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified11.3% · 27.8% NSW
  • Diploma qualified7.1% · 9.3% NSW
  • Trade / vocational18.4% · 15% NSW
  • Year 12 or below63.2% · 47.9% NSW

Highest qualification field

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

  • Society and culture18.3%
  • Management and commerce17.4%
  • Education13%
  • Engineering and related technologies13%
  • Architecture and building11.3%
  • Health10.4%
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)
$51,296

34th percentile in NSW · -13% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$57,324

33rd percentile in NSW · -12% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
15.0%

61st percentile in NSW · +9% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$82,222

66th percentile in NSW · +30% vs Australia

Residents with business income
10.0%

51st percentile in NSW · -4% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2540 — 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
25,872
Taxpayers reporting net rent
3,921
Median net rent
$2,139
Taxpayers reporting business income
2,668
Taxable income vs state median
-8%
Salary / wages vs state median
-9%
Rental investment vs state median
+7%
Super vs state median
+17%
Business income vs state median
0%

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

4.8% speak a language other than English at home; 13.6% born overseas

Language at home
259 English only · 13 other
Non-English at home
4.8%
Born overseas
36 (13.6%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
14 (4.6%)
Australian citizens
259
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
1

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Thai6 · 100%

Religion

48.2%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 48.2%, while 36.4% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion36.4%32.8%
Christianity48.2%47.6%
Other / not stated15.4%19.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Anglican19.7%11.9%
Catholic13.4%22.4%
Christian (not further defined)4.3%2.4%
Uniting Church3.3%2.1%

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 2540, which is shared with other suburbs.

Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
13
Against the person
5
Against property
5
Rate per 1,000 residents
40.6
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 61 residents
State crime-rate percentile
19.9th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate)
-6.9%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
6
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
18.75

Most common offence types

  • Domestic Violence Related Assault1
  • Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment2
  • Malicious Damage To Property2
  • Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault1
  • Steal From Motor Vehicle1

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

Schools within 2 km
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
976.5
Median ICSEA percentile
37th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
4
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
3
School list
  • Terara Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1009 · 51th percentile · LBOTE 7% · 96 students · Top SEA quarter 9% · 0.2 km awayView on My School →
  • Nowra High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 944 · 22th percentile · LBOTE 8% · 777 students · Top SEA quarter 7% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
  • Bomaderry HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Bomaderry PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Nowra EPSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Nowra HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Nowra PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Shoalhaven HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Terara 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

Public transport

10 public transport stops in this suburb

  • 73 Millbank Rd
  • Millbank Rd After South St
  • South St At Holme St
  • South St Opp Holme St
  • Terara Public School, Millbank Rd

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

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

12 mapped amenities

1 swimming pools · 1 caravan parks

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Reasonable bus and transport access — 10 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
15/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Community(1)
  • Terara Public SchoolSchool

    20 Millbank Road, Terara

Sport & outdoors(4)
  • BBQ
  • Public toilets
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool
Camping & holiday parks(1)
  • Shoalhaven Caravan VillageCaravan park
Transport(2)

1 bus stops · 1 ferry terminals

Other(3)
  • Picnic Table (2)
  • Shelter
  • Shower

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
24°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
Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital (3.1 km)
Nearest hospital type
Public 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)
16
Participants per 1,000 residents
50.0

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
24° / 17°
Rainfall
301 mm · ~38 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
21° / 15°
Rainfall
396 mm · ~50 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
16° / 10°
Rainfall
292 mm · ~36 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
20° / 13°
Rainfall
274 mm · ~34 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· 8 proposals
  • August 2026

  • Temporary building, structure or use; Function centre
    330 COMERONG ISLAND ROAD TERARA 2540Determined
  • July 2026

  • Function centre; Hours of operation and trading
    111 TERARA ROAD TERARA 2540Additional Information Requested
  • April 2026

  • Temporary building, structure or use; Temporary structure
    135 TERARA ROAD TERARA 2540Determined
  • Shed; Erection of a new structure
    MILLBANK ROAD TERARA LOT 3 DP 420653Determined
  • March 2026

  • Shed; Erection of a new structure
    5 HOLME STREET TERARA 2540Determined
  • February 2026

  • Temporary building, structure or use; Temporary structure
    330 COMERONG ISLAND ROAD TERARA 2540Determined
  • January 2026

  • Demolition; Shed; Erection of a new structure
    180 SOUTH STREET TERARA 2540Withdrawn
  • Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Caravan park
    17 TERARA ROAD TERARA 2540Under Assessment
2025· 3 proposals
  • November 2025

  • Demolition; Shed; Erection of a new structure
    139 TERARA ROAD TERARA 2540Determined
  • July 2025

  • Shed; Erection of a new structure
    420 COMERONG ISLAND ROAD TERARA 2540Determined
  • January 2025

  • Function centre; Hours of operation and trading
    111 TERARA ROAD TERARA 2540Determined
2024· 1 proposal
  • August 2024

  • Function centre; Hours of operation and trading
    174 MILLBANK ROAD TERARA 2540Determined
2023· 6 proposals
  • December 2023

  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    1 NOBBLERS LANE TERARA 2540Determined
  • October 2023

  • Subdivision; Crop or fodder production; Dairy (pasture-based)
    TERARA ROAD TERARA 2540Determined
  • September 2023

  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    344 COMERONG ISLAND ROAD TERARA 2540Determined
  • August 2023

  • Demolition; Other
    135 TERARA ROAD TERARA 2540Determined
  • July 2023

  • Alterations and additions to residential development
    151 SOUTH STREET TERARA 2540Determined
  • March 2023

  • Other
    77 MILLBANK ROAD TERARA 2540Withdrawn
2022· 4 proposals
  • August 2022

  • Other
    2 WEST BERRY STREET TERARA 2540Determined
  • June 2022

  • Subdivision of land; Other
    92 MILLBANK ROAD TERARA 2540Determined
  • May 2022

  • Alterations and additions to residential development
    27A MILLBANK ROAD TERARA 2540Determined
  • Dwelling
    151 SOUTH STREET TERARA 2540Determined
2021· 4 proposals
  • July 2021

  • Pools / decks / fencing; Other
    77 MILLBANK ROAD TERARA 2540Determined
  • May 2021

  • Other
    TERARA ROAD TERARA 2540Determined
  • March 2021

  • Pools / decks / fencing
    55 TERARA ROAD TERARA 2540Determined
  • February 2021

  • Other
    330 COMERONG ISLAND ROAD TERARA 2540Determined

Data sources & freshness

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
Gilmore
Member of Parliament
Fiona PHILLIPS (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
128,995
Turnout (2025)
92.5%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+5.0 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 44.9%Labor 55.1%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 5.1 km away).

Coalition 45.2%Labor 54.8%

0.4 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +10.3 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • TeraraLabor 54.3% · Coalition 45.7% TPP (2025)0.4 km away
  • Nowra EastLabor 63.8% · Coalition 36.2% TPP (2025)2.4 km away
  • Nowra CentreLabor 59.9% · Coalition 40.1% TPP (2025)2.6 km away
  • NowraLabor 57.7% · Coalition 42.3% TPP (2025)2.8 km away
  • BomaderryLabor 58.4% · Coalition 41.6% TPP (2025)3.0 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 Shoalhaven Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.