Median house price
$1.33M
+14% change
NSW · Tweed Council
Tweed Heads West, 2485
Est. population · Jun 2025
6,574
Growth (1 yr)
+0.8%
Growth (5 yr)
+5.8%
Median age
47
Median income
$1,029/wk
Employment rate
45.8%
Median house price · October to December 2025
$1,326,000
Languages at home
8.1%non-English
Most common: Punjabi, Portuguese, Filipino
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- National parks
- Excellent transport
- Café precinct
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Tweed Heads West is a well-connected mid-sized suburb in Tweed Council with everyday amenities close at hand. It is a long way from Sydney, so life orients around regional towns and local hubs rather than the metro area. The area suits established families and long-term locals, with plenty of young families in the mix.
Everyday cafés are limited locally, with the wider metro area covering the bigger food and entertainment trips. Parks and open space are a real strength relative to many metro suburbs, easy for walks, sport and weekend downtime. Reasonably walkable — many errands reachable on foot or by bus, and buses help with longer trips.
Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers. Infill and new builds are slowly updating the area without overwhelming its existing character.
The overall desirability read is around average, pulled by softer community and employment compared with similar metro suburbs, though growth momentum remain brighter spots.
At a glance
Tweed Heads West snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$733/wk
Houses $820 · Units $660
Population (ERP)
6,574
+0.8% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
7.5%
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
#72
among Metro Sydney · Mature
Safety
93rd
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
60th
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
- 43.2/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 46% of New South Wales' suburbs
- National rank
- 3200th in Australia
- State rank
- 978th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #72 among Metro Sydney · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #632 among Metro Sydney suburbs
- Data confidence
- 85%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
- Flats / units (January to March 2026)
- $660
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $820
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $733
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 134
- Median house price (October to December 2025)
- $1,326,000
- Median price change
- +14.3%
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
6,574(June 2025)
+0.8% annual · +5.8% over 5 years · 60th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +0.8%
- 5-year growth
- +5.8%
- Change in 1 year
- +51
- Change in 5 years
- +362
- Growth rank in NSW
- 60th 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 (~6,900), extrapolated at +0.9% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 6,176
- Median age
- 47
- Median household income / week
- $1,029
- Dwelling vacancy
- 7.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 214 of 2,862
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,664
- Employment rate
- 45.8%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 1,497 / 582 / 549 (+ 18 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 increased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 1,005
- Against the person
- 137
- Against property
- 334
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 152.9
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 45 residents
- State safety percentile
- 92.5th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +7.2%
Most common offence types
- Breach Bail Conditions487
- Malicious Damage To Property126
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault109
- Other Offences296
- Steal From Retail Store233
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
67 public transport stops in this suburb
- 178 Kennedy Dr
- Kennedy Dr Before Gray St
- Kennedy Dr Before Limosa Rd
- Kennedy Dr Opp Limosa Rd
- Tweed Regional Museum, Kennedy Dr
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
50 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
1 restaurants · 1 cafes · 2 pharmacies · 3 fast food · 1 bakeries · 1 places of worship · 1 sports centres · 2 swimming pools
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Reasonably walkable — many errands reachable on foot or by bus
- Decent local green space — 7 parks in suburb
- Well connected by public transport — 67 public transport stops
- Walkability proxy
- 57/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0.16
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 0.97
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 1.13
Food & drink(6)
- Panorama Plaza BakeryBakery
- West Brew CoffeeCafe
- Fast food (2)
- PKG SeafoodsFast food
212 Kennedy Drive, Tweed Heads West
- Restaurant
Shopping(5)
- Butcher
- Convenience store
- SparConvenience store
Health & services(2)
- Pharmacy
- West Tweed ChemproPharmacy
Sport & outdoors(10)
- Boyd Family ParkPark
- Clarrie Englert ParkPark
- Park (2)
- Pioneer ParkPark
- William Campbell ParkPark
- Piggabeen Sports ComplexSports centre
- Sports field
- Swimming pool (2)
Entertainment(2)
- Tweed Regional MuseumMuseum
230 Kennedy Drive, Tweed Heads West
- Plane SpottingViewpoint
Transport(11)
11 bus stops
Other(9)
- Super Cellars Bottle ShopAlcohol
24-28 Scenic Drive, Tweed Heads West
- Drinking water
- Hairdresser
- Cobaki Nature ReserveNature Reserve
- Parking (6)
- Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's WitnessesPlace of worship
135 Piggabeen Road
- Tweed ShirePublic toilets
- Shelter (3)
- TelstraTelephone
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
6 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Boyd Family ParkPark
- Clarrie Englert ParkPark
- Cobaki Nature ReserveNature reserve
- Pioneer ParkPark
- William Campbell ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 26
- Parks (OSM)
- 7
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
1 places of worship within ~1.5 km
- Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
135 Piggabeen Road
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
- 1
- Nearest hospital
- Tugun Satellite Health Centre (Banyahrmabah) (3.3 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
- Emergency department in suburb
- Not in suburb
- West Tweed ChemproPharmacy
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)
- 182
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 27.7
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
- 29° / 20°
- Rainfall
- 628 mm · ~78 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 26° / 17°
- Rainfall
- 552 mm · ~69 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 21° / 10°
- Rainfall
- 240 mm · ~30 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 25° / 15°
- Rainfall
- 282 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.
2026· 27 proposals
July 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Carport; Minor building alterations (external); Swimming pool20 JACARANDA AVENUE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Under Assessment
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external)31 LALINA AVENUE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Under Assessment
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external)12 LAKES DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Under Assessment
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure; Non-standard Housing8 LIMOSA ROAD TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Under Assessment
June 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Jetty37 TRINGA STREET TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Under Assessment
- Erection of a new structure; Fences; Swimming pool; Supporting Development42 GOLLAN DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Additional Information Requested
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation53 TRINGA STREET TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Business premises; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure3 PIGGABEEN ROAD TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Under Assessment
May 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool7 1-23 CUPANIA COURT TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Under Assessment
- Demolition; Multi-dwelling housing; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia137 KENNEDY DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Additional Information Requested
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool; Supporting Development30 SUNSET BOULEVARD TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Additional Information Requested
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure35 TRINGA STREET TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Additional Information Requested
April 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Carport; Minor building alterations (external); Swimming pool28 ST KILDA CRESCENT TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Under Assessment
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Carport; Fences; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external)12 RED BASS AVENUE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Under Assessment
- Shed; Erection of a new structure172 KENNEDY DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Additional Information Requested
March 2026
- Subdivision11 LALINA AVENUE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Under Assessment
- Commercial development; Erection of a new structure237 KENNEDY DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Under Assessment
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool11 SUNSET BOULEVARD TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support118 KENNEDY DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation53 TRINGA STREET TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation17 GOLLAN DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
February 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external)14 1-23 CUPANIA COURT TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Carport; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external); Swimming pool164 KENNEDY DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
January 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool7 LAUREL PLACE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support160 KENNEDY DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support162 KENNEDY DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Dual occupancy (detached)174 KENNEDY DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Withdrawn
2025· 17 proposals
December 2025
- Demolition; Subdivision; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support1 LALINA AVENUE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Under Assessment
November 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support91 SUNSET BOULEVARD TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Subdivision179 KENNEDY DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
October 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Carport; Minor building alterations (external); Swimming pool20 JACARANDA AVENUE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Carport53 GOLLAN DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Fences26 PLOVER PLACE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
September 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Carport; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Fences; Swimming pool23 BENSON STREET TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
August 2025
- Dual occupancy; Subdivision; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Dual occupancy (attached)154 KENNEDY DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Mooring7 GOLLAN DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah1 JACARANDA AVENUE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Fences; Swimming pool; Residential Accommodation1 SUNSET BOULEVARD TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Fences; Swimming pool19 GOLLAN DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Carport; Minor building alterations (internal)14 PLOVER PLACE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Swimming pool32 JACARANDA AVENUE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external); Swimming pool10 LALINA AVENUE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
July 2025
- Subdivision53 INLET DRIVE TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Withdrawn
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure2 69 TRINGA STREET TWEED HEADS WEST 2485Determined
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)
Roadworks & transport
1 active roadworks / incidents
- RoadworksM1 Pacific Motorway, Tugun Bypass Tunnel17 Aug 2026 – 20 Aug 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated
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
- Richmond
- Member of Parliament
- Justine ELLIOT (Australian Labor Party)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 126,814
- Turnout (2025)
- 89.5%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +1.8 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 40.0%Labor 60.0%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 5.7 km away).
Coalition 42.1%Labor 57.9%
2.1 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +2.3 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- Tweed Heads WestLabor 57.1% · Coalition 42.9% TPP (2025)1.6 km away
- Tweed Heads SouthLabor 59.0% · Coalition 41.0% TPP (2025)3.4 km away
- Tweed Heads CentralLabor 61.0% · Coalition 39.0% TPP (2025)3.7 km away
- Tweed HeadsLabor 59.4% · Coalition 40.6% TPP (2025)3.8 km away
- Banora Point WestLabor 59.0% · Coalition 41.0% TPP (2025)4.0 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
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 2/10
- 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
More in Tweed Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.