NSW · Kiama Council
Werri Beach, NSW, 2534
Desirability index
#30 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Suburb snapshot
Werri Beach is a small locality in the Kiama area, home to around 510 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 112 offences in Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 with falling year-on-year trends (-42%), roughly 219.6 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $705, strong public transport coverage with many public transport stops, a solid spread of nearby amenities and everyday services, and notable planning and development activity on record. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb.
Population
- Population
- 510
- Median age
- 47
- Median household income / week
- $1,941
- Dwelling vacancy
- 36.3%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 106 of 292
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,513
- Employment rate
- 55.5%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 15 / 25 / 6
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Housing
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $770
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 32
Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Data sources & freshness
- DCJ rent tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · Period: January to March 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 112
- Against the person
- 27
- Against property
- 58
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 219.6
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 19 residents
- State safety percentile
- 16.6th (lower crime is better)
- Year-on-year change
- -41.7%
Most common offence types
- Domestic Violence Related Assault8
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment10
- Liquor Offences8
- Motor Vehicle Theft8
- Steal From Motor Vehicle11
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Period: Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
Public transport
33 public transport stops in this suburb
- 63 Renfrew Rd
- Pacific Av At Miller St
- Pacific Av Opp 61
- Pacific Av Opp Moore St
- Renfrew Rd At Werri St
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
65 planning-related records
2026· 1 proposal
March 2026
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Carport; Swimming pool110 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Under Assessment
2025· 12 proposals
July 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space16 WERRI STREET WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure30 WERRI STREET WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation52 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
May 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation11 WERRI STREET WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool69 WERRI STREET WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
- Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)71 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
April 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure10 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation20 PACIFIC AVENUE WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation67 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure11 WERRI STREET WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
March 2025
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached)50 PACIFIC AVENUE WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
January 2025
- Dual occupancy; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Dual occupancy (attached); Residential Accommodation31 PACIFIC AVENUE WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
2024· 13 proposals
December 2024
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation132 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
October 2024
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached)50 PACIFIC AVENUE WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
September 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached)88 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure8 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
June 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure65 PACIFIC AVENUE WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure51 WERRI STREET WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
May 2024
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation22 WERRI STREET WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool116 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure12 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
April 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool69 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
February 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool52 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Deferred Commencement
- Demolition; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)71 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
January 2024
- Multi-dwelling housing; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure73 PACIFIC AVENUE WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
2023· 8 proposals
December 2023
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure15 PACIFIC AVENUE WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
September 2023
- Demolition; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)71 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
August 2023
- Demolition56 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
- Dwelling56 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
- Dwelling; Pools / decks / fencing; Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Demolition65 PACIFIC AVENUE WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
- Dual occupancy; Subdivision of land88 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
July 2023
- Pools / decks / fencing; Demolition; Alterations and additions to residential development; Subdivision of land52 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
February 2023
- Dwelling; Pools / decks / fencing; Demolition; Subdivision of land136 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
2022· 10 proposals
November 2022
- Dwelling69 WERRI STREET WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
August 2022
- Dwelling; Demolition14 WERRI STREET WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
July 2022
- Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs62 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential development54 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
June 2022
- Dual occupancy; Demolition; Subdivision of land88 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Operational consent issued
May 2022
- Dwelling; Demolition73 RENFREW ROAD WERRI BEACH 2534Determined
2021· 19 proposals
19 proposals lodged in 2021. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2020· 2 proposals
2 proposals lodged in 2020. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Period: 2020; 2020–2026; 2021… · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
Amenities
20 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bbq
- Bench
- Pacific Av opp Werri Beach Fish ShopBus stop
- Drinking water (3)
- Fitness Station
- Karrawarra ReserveNature Reserve
- Lloyd Rees ReservePark
- Parking
- Picnic Table (5)
- Public toilets
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
5 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Birriebungie ReservePark
- Bungulla ReservePark
- James Muir Miller ReservePark
- Karrawarra ReserveNature reserve
- Lloyd Rees ReservePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 10/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 10/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- Overlay applies
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 4
- Parks (OSM)
- 4
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability index
- Desirability score
- 92.7/100
- Cohort rank
- #30 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- 63 Renfrew Rdtransport
- Pacific Av At Miller Sttransport
- Pacific Av Opp 61transport
- Pacific Av Opp Moore Sttransport
- Renfrew Rd At Werri Sttransport
- Birriebungie Reservegovernmentpark
- Bungulla Reservegovernmentpark
- James Muir Miller Reservegovernmentpark
- Karrawarra Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
- Lloyd Rees Reservegovernmentpark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
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