NSW · Central Coast (NSW) Council
Central Mangrove, 2250
Current weather
15.4°CClear sky
52% humidity · 17.5 km/h wind · 19.7° / 12.2° today · 5 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Excellent transport
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Set among the hills of Central Coast (NSW), Central Mangrove is a smaller community with bushland views and a cooler, leafier feel. Life revolves around the local community, with the wider region offering trips and services when needed. Elevated streets and bushland backdrops bring a sense of fresh country air to daily life.
Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
Reasonable public transport access helps with commuting and getting around locally. Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker growth momentum and local dining and lifestyle amenities against similar regional towns, even with community and employment holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 253
- Median age
- 46
- Median household income / week
- $2,388
- Dwelling vacancy
- 10.6%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 9 of 85
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,275
- Employment rate
- 65.6%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 9 / 0 / 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)
- $640
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $690
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $650
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 540
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)
- 29
- Against the person
- 6
- Against property
- 9
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 114.6
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 42 residents
- State safety percentile
- 80.1th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -6.2%
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Breach Bail Conditions922
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment540
- Malicious Damage To Property490
- Steal From Retail Store460
- Transport Regulatory Offences1947
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
- 886
- Central Mangrove 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
17 public transport stops in this suburb
- 1859 Wisemans Ferry Rd
- 1876 Wisemans Ferry Rd
- Hallards Rd At Wisemans Ferry Rd
- Wisemans Ferry Rd Opp 1564
- Wisemans Ferry Rd Opp Central Mangrove Public School
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).
14 planning-related records
2026· 1 proposal
May 2026
- Subdivision386 GEORGE DOWNES DRIVE CENTRAL MANGROVE 2250Under Assessment
2025· 3 proposals
December 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached)417 GEORGE DOWNES DRIVE CENTRAL MANGROVE 2250Determined
June 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure244 GEORGE DOWNES DRIVE CENTRAL MANGROVE 2250Determined
January 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Intensive plant agriculture; Horticulture138 GEORGE DOWNES DRIVE CENTRAL MANGROVE 2250Determined
2024· 1 proposal
July 2024
- Shed; Erection of a new structure231 GEORGE DOWNES DRIVE CENTRAL MANGROVE 2250Determined
2023· 4 proposals
December 2023
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure134 HALLARDS ROAD CENTRAL MANGROVE 2250Determined
August 2023
- Dual occupancy970 PEATS RIDGE ROAD CENTRAL MANGROVE 2250Determined
March 2023
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces1810 WISEMANS FERRY ROAD CENTRAL MANGROVE 2250Determined
February 2023
- Secondary dwelling; Farm buildings970 PEATS RIDGE ROAD CENTRAL MANGROVE 2250Withdrawn
2022· 3 proposals
March 2022
- Shed403 GEORGE DOWNES DRIVE CENTRAL MANGROVE 2250Determined
January 2022
- Dwelling; Pools / decks / fencing244 GEORGE DOWNES DRIVE CENTRAL MANGROVE 2250Determined
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces1810 WISEMANS FERRY ROAD CENTRAL MANGROVE 2250Determined
2021· 2 proposals
September 2021
- Alterations and additions to residential development1611 Wisemans Ferry Rd., Central Mangrove.NSWDetermined
January 2021
- Shed; Other39 THE LINK ROAD CENTRAL MANGROVE 2250Determined
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
7 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Central Mangrove Public School, Wisemans Ferry RdBus stop
- Hallards Rd at Wisemans Ferry RdBus stop
- Wisemans Ferry Rd opp Central Mangrove Public SchoolBus stop
- Wisemans Ferry Rd opp Hallards RdBus stop
- Mangrove Mountain Memorial ClubLicenced Club
- Parking
- Swimming pool
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)
- 9/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 9/10
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)
- 12
- 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
- 27.9/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5643rd in Australia
- State rank
- 1767th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #413 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #782 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
- Central Mangrove Public School, Wisemans Ferry Rdamenitiesbus_stop
- Hallards Rd at Wisemans Ferry Rdamenitiesbus_stop
- Mangrove Mountain Memorial Clubamenitieslicenced_club
- Parkingamenitiesparking
- Swimming poolamenitiesswimming_pool
- Wisemans Ferry Rd opp Central Mangrove Public Schoolamenitiesbus_stop
- Wisemans Ferry Rd opp Hallards Rdamenitiesbus_stop
- Breach Bail Conditionscrime922
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime540
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime490
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Central Coast (NSW) Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.