suburb.guide

NSW · Port Stephens Council

Boat Harbour, 2316

Current weather

19.8°CClear sky

59% humidity · 14.4 km/h wind · 22.4° / 16.8° today · 1.2 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

32.3/100
Below average

1566th in NSW

65% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Coastal
  • Green suburb
  • High desirability
What Boat Harbour is known for: Coastal, Green suburb, High desirability

Suburb profile

Life in Boat Harbour revolves around the coast, with the feel of a smaller community that never strays far from the water. The coast is the anchor, with regional towns nearby for markets, dining and weekend exploring. There is a lightness to the air here, with the coast never far from mind.

The area suits established families and long-term locals, with plenty of young families in the mix. Pocket parks and green corners give residents room to get outside without leaving the neighbourhood. Public transport is a genuine asset, linking residents to work, study and nearby neighbourhoods.

Property is in demand, reflecting the appeal of living in a place people actively choose. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.

On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and transport and access lag similar coastal suburbs, despite relative strength in parks and green space and community and employment. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

Population

Population
993
Median age
47
Median household income / week
$1,741
Dwelling vacancy
25.9%
Unoccupied private dwellings
125 of 483
Median monthly mortgage
$2,167
Employment rate
58.3%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
16 / 40 / 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

Houses (January to March 2026)
$740

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

Crime & safety

Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
44
Against the person
14
Against property
18
Rate per 1,000 residents
44.3
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 71 residents
State safety percentile
20.3th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate)
-4.1%

Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • Domestic Violence Related Assault32
  • Fraud29
  • Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment31
  • Malicious Damage To Property29
  • Other Offences19

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

20 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Blanch St After Emerald Cl
  • Blanch St Before Emerald Cl
  • Gan Gan Rd After Blanch St
  • Kingsley Dr At Noamunga St
  • Kingsley Dr At The Mainsail

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)

Amenities

52 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • Bbq (2)
  • Bench (9)
  • 348 Gan Gan RdBus stop
  • 351 Gan Gan RdBus stop
  • Blanch St after Emerald ClBus stop
  • Blanch St before Castaway ClBus stop
  • Blanch St before Emerald ClBus stop
  • Boat Harbour Tennis Courts, Blanch StBus stop
  • Gan Gan Rd after Blanch StBus stop
  • Gan Gan Rd after Koala PlBus stop

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

Parks & reserves

7 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Andrew Close ReservePark
  • Bangalee ReservePark
  • Boat Harbour beach south picnic areaPark
  • Boat Harbour park and dog walking areaPark
  • Boat Harbour Road ReservePark
  • Kingsley ParkPark
  • Noamunga street parkPark

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
8/10
IRSD decile (2021)
8/10

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

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)
7
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 features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Desirability Index

Desirability score
32.3/100 — Below average
National rank
4893rd in Australia
State rank
1566th in NSW
Peer rank
#82 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#153 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data confidence
65%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • 348 Gan Gan Rdamenitiesbus_stop
  • 351 Gan Gan Rdamenitiesbus_stop
  • Bbqamenitiesbbq
  • Bbqamenitiesbbq
  • Benchamenitiesbench
  • Benchamenitiesbench
  • Benchamenitiesbench
  • Benchamenitiesbench
  • Benchamenitiesbench
  • Benchamenitiesbench

Data sources & freshness

More in Port Stephens Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.