Median house price
$745k
+13% change
NSW · Cessnock Council
Watagan, 2325
Est. population · Jun 2025
39
Growth (1 yr)
0.0%
Growth (5 yr)
+11.4%
Median age
57
Median income
$675/wk
Employment rate
35.7%
Median house price · October to December 2025
$745,000
Languages at home
Mostly English at home
2021 Census · usual residence
Suburb profile
Watagan is a quieter smaller community in Cessnock Council, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. The capital is not on the doorstep: Sydney is a proper journey, while nearby towns cover more day-to-day needs. An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life.
Local shops are sparse, so a fuller set of amenities usually means travelling to a neighbouring town or regional hub. Local green pockets are modest, with bigger outdoor outings usually found in neighbouring areas. A car helps for most daily errands, with fewer amenities clustered within an easy walk.
Homes cost more here than in most comparable suburbs. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
At a glance
Watagan snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$550/wk
Houses $570 · Units $463
Population (ERP)
39
0.0% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
53.3%
Census unoccupied dwellings
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Safety
75th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
37th
percentile in NSW
Advantage (IRSAD)
6/10
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)
- $463
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $570
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $550
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 271
- Median house price (October to December 2025)
- $745,000
- Median price change
- +12.5%
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
39(June 2025)
0.0% annual · +11.4% over 5 years · 37th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- 0.0%
- 5-year growth
- +11.4%
- Change in 1 year
- 0
- Change in 5 years
- +4
- Growth rank in NSW
- 37th 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 (~50), extrapolated at +2.1% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 37
- Median age
- 57
- Median household income / week
- $675
- Dwelling vacancy
- 53.3%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 16 of 30
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,000
- Employment rate
- 35.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 20 / 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 are unchanged compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 4
- Against the person
- 1
- Against property
- 2
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 102.6
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 37 residents
- State safety percentile
- 75.1th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +0.3%
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order198
- Breach Bail Conditions379
- Domestic Violence Related Assault299
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment371
- Malicious Damage To Property332
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
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
- Cessnock Hospital (24.0 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)
- 1
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 25.6
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° / 16°
- Rainfall
- 308 mm · ~38 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 22° / 12°
- Rainfall
- 258 mm · ~32 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 16° / 6°
- Rainfall
- 150 mm · ~19 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 22° / 11°
- Rainfall
- 203 mm · ~25 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
June 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Passenger transport facility262/-/DP19290Under Assessment
2025· 1 proposal
January 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Carport; Swimming pool1032 WATAGAN CREEK ROAD WATAGANWithdrawn
2024· 1 proposal
July 2024
- Subdivision138 CRUMP LANE WATAGAN 2325Determined
2020· 1 proposal
June 2020
- Dwelling; Earthworks / change in levels; Garages, carports and car parking spaces; Other1348 Watagan Creek Road WataganDetermined
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
- Hunter
- Member of Parliament
- Dan REPACHOLI (Australian Labor Party)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 132,184
- Turnout (2025)
- 91.9%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +4.7 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 40.5%Labor 59.5%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 23.1 km away).
Coalition 38.4%Labor 61.6%
2.1 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +5.0 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- WollombiLabor 64.2% · Coalition 35.8% TPP (2025)13.5 km away
- EllalongLabor 62.8% · Coalition 37.2% TPP (2025)13.6 km away
- MillfieldLabor 56.4% · Coalition 43.6% TPP (2025)15.1 km away
- CooranbongLabor 55.9% · Coalition 44.1% TPP (2025)19.1 km away
- BellbirdLabor 62.4% · Coalition 37.6% TPP (2025)19.5 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)
- 6/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 7/10
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 Cessnock Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.