suburb.guide

NSW · Hawkesbury Council

Lower Portland, 2756

Current weather

16.2°CClear sky

50% humidity · 16.6 km/h wind · 20.5° / 12.1° today · 5.4 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

24.9/100
Below average

1900th in NSW

78% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • High desirability
  • Green suburb
What Lower Portland is known for: High desirability, Green suburb

Suburb profile

In Hawkesbury, Lower Portland keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. The community is self-contained in the best sense. Local life comes first, with the region opening up beyond. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.

The area suits established families and long-term locals, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Homes here are sought-after, with many people drawn to the lifestyle the area offers.

A busy pipeline of new development is gradually changing the look and feel of the streets.

On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and housing affordability lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in growth momentum and community and employment. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

Population

Population
711
Median age
46
Median household income / week
$1,965
Dwelling vacancy
20%
Unoccupied private dwellings
53 of 265
Median monthly mortgage
$2,342
Employment rate
58.5%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
14 / 5 / 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)
$495
Houses (January to March 2026)
$700
All types (January to March 2026)
$630
Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
157

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

Crime & safety

Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
47
Against the person
14
Against property
16
Rate per 1,000 residents
66.1
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 51 residents
State safety percentile
44.5th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate)
-1.8%

Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • Breach Bail Conditions331
  • Domestic Violence Related Assault157
  • Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment251
  • Malicious Damage To Property173
  • Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault144

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
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
884.5
  • Portland Central SchoolCombined
  • St Joseph's Catholic Primary School PortlandPrimary

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

4 public transport stops in this suburb

  • 1073 River Rd
  • 1073 River Rd
  • 1930 Wheelbarrow Ridge Rd
  • 1930 Wheelbarrow Ridge 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)

Roadworks & transport

1 active roadworks / incidents

  • OtherLower Portland Ferry, River Road07 Jul 2026 – 08 Jul 2026

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported

Planning & development

Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).

214 planning-related records

2026· 13 proposals

  • June 2026

  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    23 Williwa Street PORTLANDUnder Assessment

  • May 2026

  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure
    1324 RIVER ROAD LOWER PORTLAND 2756Determined
  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation
    203 PORTLAND SUNNY CORNER ROAD PORTLAND 2847Determined

  • April 2026

  • Temporary building, structure or use; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support
    315 RIVER ROAD LOWER PORTLAND 2756Additional Information Requested

  • March 2026

  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    23 Williwa Street PORTLANDDetermined
  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    90 LIMESTONE CREEK ROAD PORTLAND 2847Determined
  • Subdivision
    38 WILLIWA STREET PORTLAND 2847Determined

  • February 2026

  • Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
    3 MARTINDALE PLACE PORTLAND 2847Additional Information Requested
  • Demolition; Shed; Erection of a new structure
    25 PARK STREET PORTLAND 2847Determined
  • Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
    955 PIPERS FLAT ROAD PORTLAND 2847Under Assessment
  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    23 Williwa Street PORTLANDDetermined

  • January 2026

  • Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
    677 GREENS ROAD LOWER PORTLAND 2756Withdrawn
  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation
    51 WALLERAWANG ROAD PORTLAND 2847Determined
2025· 27 proposals

  • November 2025

  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    4 LAURIE STREET PORTLAND 2847Determined
  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation
    91 PEAT PLACE LOWER PORTLAND 2756Withdrawn
  • Shed; Erection of a new structure
    478 CLIFTONVILLE ROAD LOWER PORTLAND 2756Withdrawn

  • October 2025

  • Subdivision
    25 DRUMKEEN LANE PORTLAND 2847Determined
  • Farm buildings; Erection of a new structure
    615 RIVER ROAD LOWER PORTLAND 2756Determined

  • September 2025

  • Shed; Erection of a new structure
    1162 WEST PORTLAND ROAD LOWER PORTLAND 2756Determined
  • Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation
    82 PARK VIEW AVENUE PORTLAND 2847Determined
  • Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support
    38 WILLIWA STREET PORTLAND 2847Under Assessment
  • Subdivision
    273 PORTLAND CULLEN BULLEN ROAD PORTLAND 2847Determined
  • Erection of a new structure; Extensive agriculture
    615 RIVER ROAD LOWER PORTLAND 2756Determined

  • August 2025

  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    90 LIMESTONE CREEK ROAD PORTLAND 2847Determined
  • Shed; Erection of a new structure
    237B PORTLAND CULLEN BULLEN ROAD PORTLAND 2847Determined
  • Shed; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool
    21 BELL STREET PORTLAND 2847Determined

  • July 2025

  • Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Mobile food and drink outlet; Outdoor dining - general; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Food and drink premise
    38 WILLIWA STREET PORTLAND 2847Determined
  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure
    1324 RIVER ROAD LOWER PORTLAND 2756Determined
  • Shed; Erection of a new structure
    3 MARY AVENUE PORTLAND 2847Determined

  • June 2025

  • Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
    23 Williwa Street PORTLANDDetermined
  • Subdivision
    495 BACK CULLEN BULLEN ROAD PORTLAND 2847Determined
  • Subdivision
    23 LIME STREET PORTLAND 2847Determined

  • May 2025

  • Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space
    16 DULHUNTY STREET PORTLAND 2847Additional Information Requested
  • Farm buildings; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
    615 RIVER ROAD LOWER PORTLAND 2756Determined
  • Restaurant or cafe; Food and drink premise; Hours of operation and trading
    766 RIVER ROAD LOWER PORTLAND 2756Determined

  • April 2025

  • Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
    60 WOLGAN STREET PORTLAND 2847Determined

  • February 2025

  • Erection of a new structure; Barbecues and other outdoor cooking structures; Cabanas, cubby houses, ferneries, garden sheds, gazebos and greenhouses; Landscaping structures; Swimming pool
    109 HEBRON ROAD LOWER PORTLAND 2756Determined

  • January 2025

  • Shed; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
    445 BACK CULLEN BULLEN ROAD PORTLAND 2847Determined
  • Subdivision
    6-8 WOLGAN STREET PORTLAND 2847Determined
  • Subdivision
    20 PURCHAS STREET PORTLAND 2847Determined

Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)

Development and planning activity

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

2 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • Ferry Terminal (2)

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

  • Skeleton Rocks ReservePark

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
8/10
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

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
24.9/100 — Below average
National rank
6082nd in Australia
State rank
1900th in NSW
Peer rank
#476 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#885 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

  • Ferry Terminalamenitiesferry_terminal
  • Ferry Terminalamenitiesferry_terminal
  • Breach Bail Conditionscrime331
  • Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime157
  • Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime251
  • Malicious Damage To Propertycrime173
  • Non-Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime144
  • 1073 River Rdtransport
  • 1073 River Rdtransport
  • 1930 Wheelbarrow Ridge Rdtransport

Data sources & freshness

More in Hawkesbury Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.