NSW · Lake Macquarie Council
Murrays Beach, 2281
Current weather
17.1°CClear sky
61% humidity · 14 km/h wind · 21.2° / 14.1° today · 4.5 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Murrays Beach offers a slower smaller community life in Lake Macquarie, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. A strong local centre anchors daily routines, while the surrounding region adds variety for weekends away. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.
Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with plenty of young families in the mix. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. Homes here are sought-after, with many people drawn to the lifestyle the area offers.
Construction and infill projects are noticeably reshaping parts of the area.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and transport and access lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in housing affordability and community and employment. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 882
- Median age
- 44
- Median household income / week
- $2,303
- Dwelling vacancy
- 5.7%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 19 of 336
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,383
- Employment rate
- 60%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 12 / 0 / 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)
- $550
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $750
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $725
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 90
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)
- 58
- Against the person
- 15
- Against property
- 22
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 65.8
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 59 residents
- State safety percentile
- 44.2th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +2%
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order78
- Domestic Violence Related Assault78
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment96
- Malicious Damage To Property83
- Other Offences210
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
7 public transport stops in this suburb
- Old Pacific Hwy Before Jetty Point Dr
- Pacific Hwy
- Pacific Hwy At Cams Wharf Rd
- Pacific Hwy At Cams Wharf Rd
- Pacific Hwy Before Wallarah Peninsula Trk
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).
161 planning-related records
2026· 9 proposals
April 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure33 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
March 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure38 FREETAIL DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure35 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
February 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure28 FREETAIL DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation4 FOREST OWL CRESCENT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Additional Information Requested
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure41 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation2 HIBBERTIA RISE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure27 GREY GUM TRAIL MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
January 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah5 NIGHTSHADE CRESCENT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
2025· 17 proposals
November 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation4 FREETAIL DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation60 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Withdrawn
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure49 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
October 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure10 TAWNY CLOSE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation5 LAKE RIDGE LANE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
September 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure36 FRESHWATER CRESCENT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
July 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support28 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure6 CENTELLA RISE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
June 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure53 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
May 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Swimming pool13 HIBBERTIA RISE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool26 FREETAIL DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure28 BENTWING PARADE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Withdrawn
March 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool62 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure36 WHISTLING KITE CIRCUIT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
February 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure5 HIBBERTIA RISE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
January 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure11 SEAGRASS ROW MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure14 TAWNY CLOSE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
2024· 14 proposals
December 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah144 JETTY POINT DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure12 LAKE FOREST DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
November 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation6 TAWNY CLOSE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
October 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure22 FREETAIL DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure23 LAKE POINT WAY MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation28 FRESHWATER CRESCENT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
September 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure142 JETTY POINT DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure8 BRONZEWING PLACE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure77 LAKE FOREST DRIVE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
August 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure1 CENTELLA RISE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah3 BRONZEWING PLACE MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure17 FRESHWATER CRESCENT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
May 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Landscaping structures; Swimming pool23 FRESHWATER CRESCENT MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure29 APPLE GUM WAY MURRAYS BEACH 2281Determined
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
4 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Pacific HwyBus stop
- Pacific Hwy before Wallarah Peninsula TrkBus stop
- Playground
- Swimming pool
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)
- 10/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 10/10
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
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 38.2/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 3782nd in Australia
- State rank
- 1187th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #172 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #405 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 60%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Pacific Hwyamenitiesbus_stop
- Pacific Hwy before Wallarah Peninsula Trkamenitiesbus_stop
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Swimming poolamenitiesswimming_pool
- Breach Apprehended Violence Ordercrime78
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime78
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime96
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime83
- Other Offencescrime210
- Old Pacific Hwy Before Jetty Point Drtransport
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.