NSW · Coffs Harbour Council
Arrawarra, 2456
Current weather
18.7°CMainly clear
77% humidity · 15.3 km/h wind · 21.6° / 14.7° today · 0.4 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Arrawarra is a regional centre in Coffs Harbour that balances local services with a more relaxed pace of life. A strong local centre anchors daily routines, while the surrounding region adds variety for weekends away. A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric.
Local shops, markets and community spots keep everyday life grounded in the town itself. Reasonable public transport access helps with commuting and getting around locally. Homes are relatively affordable, which helps families and first-time residents put down roots.
A trickle of new development is refreshing selected pockets without changing the overall feel.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker community and employment and local dining and lifestyle amenities against similar regional towns, even with housing affordability holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 591
- Median age
- 66
- Median household income / week
- $718
- Dwelling vacancy
- 5.6%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 18 of 324
- Median monthly mortgage
- $659
- Employment rate
- 28%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 35 / 3 / 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 · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Housing
- Flats / units (January to March 2026)
- $545
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $700
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $665
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 124
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 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)
- 40
- Against the person
- 11
- Against property
- 16
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 67.7
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 54 residents
- State safety percentile
- 46.2th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +11.4%
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order88
- Breach Bail Conditions76
- Domestic Violence Related Assault88
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment113
- Malicious Damage To Property102
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 · 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
14 public transport stops in this suburb
- Darlington Beach Holiday Park, Eggins Dr
- Pacific Hwy At Arawarra Beach Rd
- Solitary Islands Way After Arrawarra Beach Rd
- Solitary Islands Way Before Arrawarra Beach Rd
- Solitary Islands Way Before Stringybark 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 · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed (updated nightly)
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
16 planning-related records
2026· 2 proposals
June 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure27 ARRAWARRA BEACH ROAD ARRAWARRA 2456Determined
February 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space27 ARRAWARRA BEACH ROAD ARRAWARRA 2456Determined
2025· 2 proposals
December 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure34 ARRAWARRA BEACH ROAD ARRAWARRA 2456Determined
October 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Carport8 LORIKEET LANE ARRAWARRA 2456Determined
2024· 2 proposals
December 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure43 ARRAWARRA BEACH ROAD ARRAWARRA 2456Determined
June 2024
- Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Supporting Development46 ARRAWARRA BEACH ROAD ARRAWARRA 2456Determined
2023· 2 proposals
April 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development36 ARRAWARRA BEACH ROAD ARRAWARRA 2456Determined
March 2023
- Other17 EGGINS CLOSE ARRAWARRA 2456Determined
2021· 5 proposals
December 2021
- Alterations and additions to residential development49 ARRAWARRA BEACH ROAD ARRAWARRA 2456Determined
September 2021
- Other1 2564 SOLITARY ISLANDS WAY ARRAWARRA 2456Determined
August 2021
- Pools / decks / fencing12 ELLEM CLOSE ARRAWARRA 2456Determined
March 2021
- Other210 EGGINS CLOSE ARRAWARRA 2456Determined
February 2021
- Other1 2564 SOLITARY ISLANDS WAY ARRAWARRA 2456Withdrawn
2020· 3 proposals
November 2020
- Other210 EGGINS CLOSE ARRAWARRA 2456Determined
May 2020
- Shed7 ARRAWARRA BEACH ROAD ARRAWARRA 2456Determined
January 2020
- Other1 2564 SOLITARY ISLANDS WAY ARRAWARRA 2456Determined
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 · Period: 2020–2026 · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
Amenities
20 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bbq
- Playground
- Post Box
- Spinifex RestaurantRestaurant
- Sanitary Dump Station
- Shelter (5)
- Sports field
- Swimming pool (3)
- Telephone
- Waste Basket (5)
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 1/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 1/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
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.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 2
- Parks (OSM)
- 0
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 features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 28.9/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5501st in Australia
- State rank
- 1734th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #397 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #761 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 70%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Bbqamenitiesbbq
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Post Boxamenitiespost_box
- Sanitary Dump Stationamenitiessanitary_dump_station
- Shelteramenitiesshelter
- Shelteramenitiesshelter
- Shelteramenitiesshelter
- Shelteramenitiesshelter
- Shelteramenitiesshelter
- Spinifex Restaurantamenitiesrestaurant
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Coffs Harbour Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.