NSW · Shoalhaven Council
Dolphin Point, 2539
Current weather
14.5°CClear sky
63% humidity · 14 km/h wind · 19.1° / 10.9° today · 4.5 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Coastal
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Dolphin Point wears its coastal identity openly, a smaller community built around sand, sea and an easy outdoor rhythm. Set on the coast at a distance from the capital, it trades city proximity for a slower, beach-led rhythm. Sea breezes and coastal air are part of everyday life, especially on warmer evenings.
Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Transport options are solid enough for daily errands and regular trips further afield. 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, pulled down chiefly by weaker growth momentum and local dining and lifestyle amenities relative to similar coastal suburbs. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 354
- Median age
- 47
- Median household income / week
- $1,488
- Dwelling vacancy
- 27.6%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 51 of 185
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,167
- Employment rate
- 53.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 10 / 3 / 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)
- $440
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $600
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $600
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 113
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)
- 15
- Against the person
- 5
- Against property
- 6
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 42.4
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 71 residents
- State safety percentile
- 17.3th (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
- Domestic Violence Related Assault75
- Fraud69
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment89
- Malicious Damage To Property84
- Trespass59
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
12 public transport stops in this suburb
- Bimbla Av At Galiga Cres
- Dolphin Point Tourist Park, Dolphin Point Rd
- Highview Dr At Vista Dr
- Highview Dr Opp Bonito Av
- Seaside Pde Before Bonito Av
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).
82 planning-related records
2026· 1 proposal
June 2026
- Home business; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool33 BARA PARADE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
2025· 8 proposals
December 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool40 VISTA DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
October 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure14 HIGHVIEW DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
August 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation34 VISTA DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
July 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure12 HIGHVIEW DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool8 MIRIDA DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
April 2025
- Subdivision14 BIMBLA AVENUE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation40 VISTA DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
March 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)14 BIMBLA AVENUE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
2024· 3 proposals
September 2024
- Shed; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure4 MIRIDA DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
July 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation49 SEASIDE PARADE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
June 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure14 HIGHVIEW DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
2023· 9 proposals
October 2023
- Demolition; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Fences; Privacy screens60 DOLPHIN POINT ROAD DOLPHIN POINT 2539Withdrawn
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure19 HIGHVIEW DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
September 2023
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure1 VISTA DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
June 2023
- Dwelling; Retaining walls, protection of trees44 VISTA DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
May 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development29 SEASIDE PARADE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Withdrawn
March 2023
- Dwelling6 GADU STREET DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
- Demolition1 SEASIDE PARADE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential development29 SEASIDE PARADE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
January 2023
- Earthworks / change in levels; Retaining walls, protection of trees13 GADU STREET DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
2022· 19 proposals
December 2022
- Subdivision of land1 SEASIDE PARADE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
November 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development2 VISTA DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
- Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Alterations and additions to residential development60 DOLPHIN POINT ROAD DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
October 2022
- Retaining walls, protection of trees16 MIRIDA DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential development21 SEASIDE PARADE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
August 2022
- Earthworks / change in levels15 GADU STREET DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
- Dwelling28 VISTA DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
June 2022
- Dwelling6 GADU STREET DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
- Pools / decks / fencing1 GADU STREET DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
May 2022
- Dwelling8 MIRIDA DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
- Dwelling18 MIRIDA DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
- Dwelling31 BARA PARADE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
- Dwelling23 VISTA DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
- Dwelling16 MIRIDA DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
April 2022
- Dwelling25 BARA PARADE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
March 2022
- Retaining walls, protection of trees16 MIRIDA DRIVE DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
February 2022
- Pools / decks / fencing13 GADU STREET DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces15 GALIGA CRESCENT DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
- Dwelling3 GADU STREET DOLPHIN POINT 2539Determined
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
1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Picnic Table
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
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Dolphin ReservePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 7/10
- 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
- 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)
- 2
- 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
- 20.5/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6512th in Australia
- State rank
- 2033rd in NSW
- Peer rank
- #118 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #194 among Coastal & beach suburbs
- Data confidence
- 70%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Picnic Tableamenitiespicnic_table
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime75
- Fraudcrime69
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime89
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime84
- Trespasscrime59
- Bimbla Av At Galiga Crestransport
- Dolphin Point Tourist Park, Dolphin Point Rdtransport
- Highview Dr At Vista Drtransport
- Highview Dr Opp Bonito Avtransport
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)
- 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.