NSW · Lake Macquarie Council
Hillsborough, 2290
Current weather
16.9°CClear sky
67% humidity · 13.5 km/h wind · 20.8° / 13.8° today · 3.1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Set among the hills of Lake Macquarie, Hillsborough is a smaller community with bushland views and a cooler, leafier feel. Still within reach of the city while offering more breathing room, it suits those who want balance over bustle. Ridge-top pockets and tree cover give the area a cooler, greener hillside feel.
Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Daily life is practical and well connected, with the city and nearby suburbs easy to tap into. Local parks and tree cover add a welcome outdoor dimension to suburban life.
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.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and transport and access against similar metro suburbs, even with housing affordability holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 641
- Median age
- 40
- Median household income / week
- $1,970
- Dwelling vacancy
- 2.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 6 of 240
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,950
- Employment rate
- 61.8%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 15 / 0 / 3
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)
- $575
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $720
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $670
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 207
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)
- 47
- Against the person
- 11
- Against property
- 26
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 73.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 58 residents
- State safety percentile
- 51.5th (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 Assault162
- Fraud206
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment188
- Malicious Damage To Property201
- Steal From Retail Store455
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
15 public transport stops in this suburb
- Hillsborough Rd After Higham St
- Hillsborough Rd After Higham St
- Hillsborough Rd Opp Chadwick St
- Hillsborough Rd Opp Chadwick St
- Moody St At Higham 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)
Amenities
4 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Hillsborough Rd after Higham StBus stop
- Hillsborough Rd opp Chadwick StBus stop
- Post Box
- Sports field
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)
- 5/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 6/10
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)
- 7
- 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
- 29.5/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5409th in Australia
- State rank
- 1703rd in NSW
- Peer rank
- #379 among Metro Sydney · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #790 among Metro Sydney suburbs
- Data confidence
- 65%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Hillsborough Rd after Higham Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Hillsborough Rd opp Chadwick Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Post Boxamenitiespost_box
- Sports fieldamenitiespitch
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime162
- Fraudcrime206
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime188
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime201
- Steal From Retail Storecrime455
- Hillsborough Rd After Higham Sttransport
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 Lake Macquarie Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.