NSW · Kempsey Council
Bellbrook, 2440
Current weather
14.7°CClear sky
74% humidity · 7.2 km/h wind · 23.2° / 11° today · 1.1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
In Kempsey, Bellbrook keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. Open skies and rolling countryside set a calm backdrop to everyday routines.
A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting. Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state.
Light infill development is updating a few streets while the wider area stays largely unchanged.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, with local dining and lifestyle amenities and community and employment the main drags compared with similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 339
- Median age
- 49
- Median household income / week
- $858
- Dwelling vacancy
- 14.8%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 21 of 142
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,000
- Employment rate
- 40.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 14 / 4 / 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)
- $380
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $490
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $480
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 112
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)
- 60
- Against the person
- 16
- Against property
- 23
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 177
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 21 residents
- State safety percentile
- 95.5th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +5.6%
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order264
- Breach Bail Conditions556
- Domestic Violence Related Assault317
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment411
- Malicious Damage To Property362
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
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 732
- Bellbrook Public SchoolPrimary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Public transport
6 public transport stops in this suburb
- Armidale Rd At Nulla Nulla Creek Rd
- Armidale Rd At Nulla Nulla Creek Rd
- Bellbrook Public School, Main St
- Bellbrook Public School, Main St
- Main St At Thunghutti 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)
Roadworks & transport
1 active roadworks / incidents
- Check signage. Exercise caution. Follow directions on site. <strong>Regional Roads - Construction, Rehabilitation & Maintenance Program</strong><span class="ql-cursor"></span>Linemarking - To commenceArmidale Road24 Apr 2026 – 03 Jul 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
15 planning-related records
2025· 3 proposals
September 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Air-conditioning units; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Carport1800 NULLA NULLA CREEK ROAD BELLBROOK 2440Determined
January 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Recreation/Tourist Premise; Camping ground2-4 MAIN STREET BELLBROOK 2440Determined
- Secondary dwelling; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia39 MAIN STREET BELLBROOK 2440Determined
2023· 5 proposals
October 2023
- Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Storage premises40 OREEN STREET BELLBROOK 2440Withdrawn
September 2023
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure30 ROSSITERS ROAD BELLBROOK 2440Determined
May 2023
- Dwelling; Shed74 FIFES CREEK ROAD BELLBROOK 2440Determined
- Dwelling1 ARMIDALE ROAD BELLBROOK 2440Determined
April 2023
- Dwelling; Garages, carports and car parking spaces132 ROSSITERS ROAD BELLBROOK 2440Determined
2022· 4 proposals
December 2022
- Change of use191 Thunghutti Drive BellbrookDetermined
July 2022
- Dwelling432 TOOSE ROAD BELLBROOK 2440Withdrawn
- Dwelling1 ARMIDALE ROAD BELLBROOK 2440Determined
January 2022
- Dual occupancy; Garages, carports and car parking spacesTHUNGHUTTI DRIVE BELLBROOK 2440Determined
2021· 3 proposals
December 2021
- Dwelling30 ROSSITERS ROAD BELLBROOK 2440Determined
September 2021
- Alterations and additions to residential development42 PEE DEE ROAD BELLBROOK 2440Determined
- Shed7-11 NULLA NULLA STREET BELLBROOK 2440Determined
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
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
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
Heritage
1 state heritage place
- Homewood - Childhood Home of 'Slim Dusty'1279 Nulla Nulla Creek Road Nulla Nulla CreekSHR
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
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)
- 2
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
- 15.3/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6836th in Australia
- State rank
- 2122nd in NSW
- Peer rank
- #582 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #1037 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 78%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Breach Apprehended Violence Ordercrime264
- Breach Bail Conditionscrime556
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime317
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime411
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime362
- Armidale Rd At Nulla Nulla Creek Rdtransport
- Armidale Rd At Nulla Nulla Creek Rdtransport
- Bellbrook Public School, Main Sttransport
- Bellbrook Public School, Main Sttransport
- Main St At Thunghutti Drtransport
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · Updated on site · GTFS static feed (updated nightly)
More in Kempsey Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.