NSW · Shoalhaven Council
Erowal Bay, 2540
Current weather
15.8°CClear sky
55% humidity · 15.6 km/h wind · 19.4° / 13.1° today · 1.9 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Erowal Bay is a quieter smaller community in Shoalhaven, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. Life revolves around the local community, with the wider region offering trips and services when needed. Open skies and rolling countryside set a calm backdrop to everyday routines.
A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Public transport is a genuine asset, linking residents to work, study and nearby neighbourhoods.
The area offers approachable housing costs alongside a lifestyle that still feels complete. Active development is adding new homes and refreshed pockets throughout the suburb.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, with housing affordability and parks and green space the main drags compared with similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 652
- Median age
- 49
- Median household income / week
- $1,407
- Dwelling vacancy
- 38%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 161 of 424
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Employment rate
- 47.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 30 / 0 / 6
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)
- 28
- Against the person
- 10
- Against property
- 11
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 42.9
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 65 residents
- State safety percentile
- 18.3th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -3.2%
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
Public transport
22 public transport stops in this suburb
- Jervis Bay Rd At Erowal Bay Rd
- Killarney Rd At First Av
- Naval Pde After King George St
- Naval Pde At Kallaroo Rd
- Naval Pde At Killarney 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).
77 planning-related records
2026· 5 proposals
May 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation14 HIGH STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
March 2026
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation173 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Additional Information Requested
- Erection of a new structure; Jetty85 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Additional Information Requested
February 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation2 KALLAROO ROAD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation123 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Under Assessment
2025· 10 proposals
November 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure8 GURUMBI LANE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure49 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
October 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah85 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house37 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
August 2025
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space7 KALLAROO ROAD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
April 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Landscaping structures123 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
March 2025
- Temporary building, structure or use; Driveways and hard stand spaces31 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation81 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
February 2025
- Secondary dwelling; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure181 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
January 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Jetty79 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
2024· 6 proposals
October 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure126 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
July 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Residential Accommodation7 HIGH STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
June 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure149 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
April 2024
- Demolition; Boarding house3 KING GEORGE STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Withdrawn
March 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation30 SECOND AVENUE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Erection of a new structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Garage, carport or carparking space67 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
2023· 17 proposals
December 2023
- Temporary building, structure or use; Manufactured home16 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
November 2023
- Demolition; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Waterway structures - minor alterations; Jetty; Boat launching ramp43 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation23 GRANDVIEW STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
August 2023
- Dwelling5 KING GEORGE STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling; Secondary dwelling12 WHARF ROAD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dual occupancy; Garages, carports and car parking spaces1 MURRAY STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Deferred Commencement
- Other169 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling; Pools / decks / fencing; Earthworks / change in levels; Garages, carports and car parking spaces52 GRANDVIEW STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
June 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development68 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
April 2023
- Dwelling14A KALLAROO ROAD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces71 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling23 GRANDVIEW STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Withdrawn
- Pools / decks / fencing99 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
March 2023
- Dwelling16 HIGH STREET EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
February 2023
- Subdivision of land; Retaining walls, protection of trees20 KALLAROO ROAD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling; Demolition79 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Demolition; Mixed use development42 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
2022· 2 proposals
October 2022
- Secondary dwelling; Pools / decks / fencing2 KALLAROO ROAD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
September 2022
- Dwelling43 NAVAL PARADE EROWAL 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
11 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Boat Rental
- Erowal Bay Post Office, Naval PdeBus stop
- Grandview St before Second AvBus stop
- Killarney Rd at First AvBus stop
- Naval Pde at High StBus stop
- ShopConvenience store
- Picnic Table
- Playground
- Erowal Bay Post OfficePost office
42 Naval Parade
- Public toilets
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
- Fire Brigade ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 3/10
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)
- 1
- 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
- 23.0/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6282nd in Australia
- State rank
- 1955th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #499 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #922 among Country & regional 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
- Boat Rentalamenitiesboat_rental
- Erowal Bay Post Officeamenities42 Naval Paradepost_office
- Erowal Bay Post Office, Naval Pdeamenitiesbus_stop
- Grandview St before Second Avamenitiesbus_stop
- Killarney Rd at First Avamenitiesbus_stop
- Naval Pde at High Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Picnic Tableamenitiespicnic_table
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Public toiletsamenitiestoilets
- Shopamenitiesconvenience
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.