NSW · North Sydney Council
Lavender Bay, 2060
Current weather
17.1°CClear sky
51% humidity · 17.1 km/h wind · 21.2° / 13.8° today · 2.5 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Lavender Bay hums with inner-city energy, a smaller community where there is always something happening nearby. Sitting close to the city centre, it is easy to dip into neighbouring suburbs for work, dining and events. Leafy streets and shaded corners make the suburb feel greener and more established than many nearby.
Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with renters and young professionals well represented. Everyday errands and local outings are straightforward, with the wider metro area adding variety. There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play.
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, weighed down by weaker housing affordability and local dining and lifestyle amenities against similar metro suburbs, even with community and employment and parks and green space holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 870
- Median age
- 43
- Median household income / week
- $2,379
- Dwelling vacancy
- 22.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 123 of 549
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,984
- Employment rate
- 64.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 25 / 101 / 289
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)
- $850
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $1,225
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $873
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 358
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)
- 41
- Against the person
- 9
- Against property
- 16
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 47.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 97 residents
- State safety percentile
- 24.2th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -10.6%
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Breach Bail Conditions110
- Fraud65
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment53
- Other Theft46
- Steal From Retail Store41
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
6 public transport stops in this suburb
- Lavender St Before Walker St
- Lavender St Before Walker St
- Lavender St Opp Cliff St
- Lavender St Opp Cliff St
- Lavender St Opp Walker 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)
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
56 planning-related records
2026· 5 proposals
June 2026
- Demolition; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Supporting Development1 23B BAY VIEW STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Under Assessment
April 2026
- Attached dwelling; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure28 ARTHUR STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure47 EAST CRESCENT STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces11 KING GEORGE STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
February 2026
- Attached dwelling; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation20 WAIWERA STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
2025· 11 proposals
December 2025
- Demolition; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Supporting Development1 23B BAY VIEW STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Withdrawn
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation3 WALKER STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
November 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation20 BAY VIEW STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
October 2025
- Attached dwelling; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure35 WALKER STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Semi-detached dwelling4 WAIWERA STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
July 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation3 WALKER STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
May 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Semi-detached dwelling47 EAST CRESCENT STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Operational consent issued
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation3 WALKER STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Semi-detached dwelling30B LAVENDER STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
April 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation20 BAY VIEW STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
March 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces11 KING GEORGE STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
2024· 7 proposals
December 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure26 WALKER STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
October 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure37 BAY VIEW STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Deferred Commencement
September 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure35 BAY VIEW STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
August 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure20 WALKER STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
July 2024
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation35 EAST CRESCENT STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
April 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Multi-dwelling housing (terraces)30 ARTHUR STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
January 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure2 WAIWERA STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
2023· 6 proposals
October 2023
- Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation37 BAY VIEW STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
September 2023
- Attached dwelling; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure1/19 Lavender Street Lavender BayDetermined
- Alterations and additions to residential development24 WAIWERA STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
August 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development5 WILONA AVENUE LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
July 2023
- Dwelling21 KING GEORGE STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
February 2023
- Centre based childcare28 LAVENDER STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
2022· 9 proposals
December 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development9 BAY VIEW STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Rejected
- Centre based childcare10 WALKER STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Rejected
October 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development5 WILONA AVENUE LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential development38 WAIWERA STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential development19 WALKER STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
September 2022
- Dual occupancy; Alterations and additions to residential development9-11 WAIWERA STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
July 2022
- Pools / decks / fencing35 BAY VIEW STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
June 2022
- Pools / decks / fencing35 BAY VIEW STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Rejected
May 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development30B LAVENDER STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
2021· 2 proposals
December 2021
- Dwelling; Alterations and additions to residential development15 WAIWERA STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential development9 BAY VIEW STREET LAVENDER BAY 2060Determined
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
79 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bench (36)
- Lavender St before Walker StBus stop
- Lavender St opp Cliff StBus stop
- Drinking water (3)
- Fountain
- Jan Cork’s GardenGarden
- Parking Entrance (2)
- Picnic Table (8)
- Watt Park PlaygroundPlayground
- Australia PostPost Box
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
4 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Clark ParkPark
- Middlemiss ReservePark
- Walker Street Road ReservePark
- Watt ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 10/10
- 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
Heritage
1 state heritage place
- Ildemere11-11a Bayview Point McMahons PointSHR
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
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)
- 11
- Parks (OSM)
- 5
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
- 36.1/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4193rd in Australia
- State rank
- 1324th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #342 among Metro Sydney · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #701 among Metro Sydney 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
- Australia Postamenitiespost_box
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in North Sydney Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.