NSW · Cessnock Council
Congewai, 2325
Current weather
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58% humidity · 15 km/h wind · 21.7° / 14.5° today · 5.2 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Education hub
- High desirability
- Excellent transport
- Café precinct
Suburb profile
Congewai offers a slower smaller community life in Cessnock, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. The community is self-contained in the best sense. Local life comes first, with the region opening up beyond. Leafy streets and shaded corners make the suburb feel greener and more established than many nearby.
A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Green space is a real strength, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb.
Property is in demand, reflecting the appeal of living in a place people actively choose. Steady development is bringing new homes and gradual renewal to parts of the suburb.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, with transport and access and local dining and lifestyle amenities the main drags compared with similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 206
- Median age
- 56
- Median household income / week
- $1,687
- Dwelling vacancy
- 16.8%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 17 of 101
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Employment rate
- 56.5%
- 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)
- $463
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $570
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $550
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 271
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)
- 22
- Against the person
- 7
- Against property
- 9
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 106.8
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 29 residents
- State safety percentile
- 75.3th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +0.3%
Reported offences are unchanged compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order198
- Breach Bail Conditions379
- Domestic Violence Related Assault299
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment371
- Malicious Damage To Property332
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
- 888
- Congewai 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
2 public transport stops in this suburb
- Congewai Public School, Congewai Rd
- Congewai Public School, Congewai Rd
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).
27 planning-related records
2026· 2 proposals
February 2026
- Secondary dwelling; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure300 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
January 2026
- Shed; Erection of a new structure; Supporting Development304 HAYES ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
2025· 1 proposal
August 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool1592 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
2024· 4 proposals
December 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure1724 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
September 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool65 QUINCE TREE LANE CONGEWAI 2325Determined
August 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure83 NORTHAMS ROAD CONGEWAI NSW 2325Determined
July 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool88 QUINCE TREE LANE CONGEWAI 2325Determined
2023· 6 proposals
October 2023
- Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached)87 EGLINFORD LANE CONGEWAI 2325Determined
August 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development83 NORTHAMS ROAD CONGEWAI NSW 2325Determined
July 2023
- Dwelling1724 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
June 2023
- Dwelling; Dual occupancy; Pools / decks / fencing; Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Alterations and additions to residential development; Retaining walls, protection of trees; Garages, carports and car parking spaces1592 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
May 2023
- Shed346 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
January 2023
- Dwelling; Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Garages, carports and car parking spaces236 Quince Tree Lane, CongewaiDetermined
2022· 7 proposals
December 2022
- Dwelling; Dual occupancy; Alterations and additions to residential development342 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
August 2022
- Subdivision of land168 EGLINFORD LANE CONGEWAI 2325Determined
June 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development83 NORTHAMS ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
May 2022
- Dwelling; Pools / decks / fencing; Shed1724 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
- Shed438 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
- Subdivision of land179 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
April 2022
- Other165 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
2021· 5 proposals
September 2021
- Subdivision of land83 LOWES ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
August 2021
- Subdivision of land168 EGLINFORD LANE CONGEWAI 2325Determined
June 2021
- Shed438 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
- Dwelling; Other83 NORTHAMS ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
March 2021
- Shed438 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
2020· 2 proposals
November 2020
- Pools / decks / fencing165 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
February 2020
- Dwelling; Farm buildings300 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Determined
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)
- 5/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 5/10
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)
- 13
- 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
- 17.1/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6725th in Australia
- State rank
- 2089th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #568 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #1018 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 Ordercrime198
- Breach Bail Conditionscrime379
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime299
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime371
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime332
- Congewai Public School, Congewai Rdtransport
- Congewai Public School, Congewai Rdtransport
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning83 NORTHAMS ROAD CONGEWAI NSW 2325Lodged 11 Aug 2023 · Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning83 NORTHAMS ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Lodged 30 Jun 2022 · Determined
- Dwellingplanning1724 CONGEWAI ROAD CONGEWAI 2325Lodged 11 Jul 2023 · Determined
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
- 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 Cessnock Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.