NSW · Shoalhaven Council
Callala Bay, 2540
Current weather
15.5°CClear sky
59% humidity · 12.4 km/h wind · 20.3° / 13.8° today · 2 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Coastal
- Cycling
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Callala Bay is a coastal smaller community where beach life and relaxed outdoor living shape the local character. 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.
An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. Public transport is a genuine asset, linking residents to work, study and nearby neighbourhoods. Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment.
Active development is adding new homes and refreshed pockets throughout the suburb.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker transport and access and local dining and lifestyle amenities against similar coastal suburbs, even with growth momentum holding up better.
Population
- Population
- 2,234
- Median age
- 51
- Median household income / week
- $1,289
- Dwelling vacancy
- 29.2%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 365 of 1,251
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,697
- Employment rate
- 47.1%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 82 / 36 / 9
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)
- $465
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $600
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $571
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 300
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)
- 96
- Against the person
- 35
- Against property
- 38
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 43
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 64 residents
- State safety percentile
- 18.5th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -4.7%
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order135
- Domestic Violence Related Assault174
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment283
- Malicious Damage To Property261
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault146
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
- 971
- Callala 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
21 public transport stops in this suburb
- Bay St At Morton St
- Boorawine Tce Before Murray St
- Callala Bay Public School, Emmett St
- Emmett St Opp Callala Bay Shops
- Lackersteen St At Emmett St
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).
167 planning-related records
2026· 15 proposals
June 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation68 LACKERSTEEN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Garage, carport or carparking space12 HUON STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Under Assessment
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation57 MARINE PARADE CALLALA BAY 2540Under Assessment
May 2026
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation107 MURRAY STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Under Assessment
April 2026
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached); Residential Accommodation44 BAY STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation74C EMMETT STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Subdivision44 BOORAWINE TERRACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external); Residential Accommodation31 MITCHELL ROAD CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space19 SHEAFFE STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
March 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure5 FLEET WAY CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
February 2026
- Dual occupancy; Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)44 BOORAWINE TERRACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Manufactured home93 SHEAFFE STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
January 2026
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure4 MITCHELL ROAD CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Carport74B EMMETT STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Multi-dwelling housing; Medium Density Housing; Erection of a new structureSealark Road, Callala Bay - Lot 5 DP270589Determined
2025· 23 proposals
December 2025
- Demolition; Shed; Dwelling house; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure62 EMMETT STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
November 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool37A CHAPMAN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure5 REGAN CLOSE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
October 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure73 WATT STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Withdrawn
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Swimming pool62 LACKERSTEEN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure43A BOORAWINE TERRACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Shed; Erection of a new structure90 LACKERSTEEN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
September 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation26 CHAPMAN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Manufactured home; Residential Accommodation47 SYDNEY AVENUE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
August 2025
- Dwelling house; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia28A MITCHELL ROAD CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure15 SHEAFFE STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
July 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation68 LACKERSTEEN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation43 BOORAWINE TERRACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation10 WARREGO PLACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house43 BOORAWINE TERRACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
June 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure53 SHEAFFE STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
April 2025
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation12 CHAPMAN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
March 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Portable swimming pools and spas and child-resistant barriers61 MARINE PARADE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
February 2025
- Subdivision11 CHAPMAN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation1 BOORAWINE TERRACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Dual occupancy; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)59 MITCHELL ROAD CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
January 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure11 Woodhill St, Callala Bay - Lot 24 Sec 7 DP9063Operational consent issued
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)44 BOORAWINE TERRACE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
2024· 2 proposals
December 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation76 CHAPMAN STREET CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Fences; Swimming pool41 MARINE PARADE CALLALA BAY 2540Determined
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
18 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bicycle Parking
- Boorawine Tce before Murray StBus stop
- Callala Bay Public School, Emmett StBus stop
- Callala Bay Rd at Sydney AvBus stop
- Callala Bay Rd at Sydney AveBus stop
- Callala Bay Shops, Emmett StBus stop
- Emmett St opp Callala Bay ShopsBus stop
- Lackersteen St after Watt StBus stop
- Lackersteen St at Emmett StBus stop
- Lackersteen Street before Sheaffe StBus 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
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 4/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 4/10
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)
- 3
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
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
- 33.7/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4636th in Australia
- State rank
- 1483rd in NSW
- Peer rank
- #75 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #143 among Coastal & beach 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
- Bicycle Parkingamenitiesbicycle_parking
- Boorawine Tce before Murray Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Callala Bay Public School, Emmett Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Callala Bay Rd at Sydney Avamenitiesbus_stop
- Callala Bay Rd at Sydney Aveamenitiesbus_stop
- Callala Bay Shops, Emmett Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Callala Beach Post Officeamenities55 Emmett Streetpost_office
- Emmett St opp Callala Bay Shopsamenitiesbus_stop
- IGA Callala Bayamenitiessupermarket
- Lackersteen St after Watt Stamenitiesbus_stop
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Shoalhaven Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.