NSW · Shoalhaven Council
Nowra Hill, 2540
Current weather
12.7°CClear sky
63% humidity · 12.1 km/h wind · 19.6° / 11.1° today · 2.3 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Excellent transport
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Nowra Hill 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. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.
Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting. Public transport is a genuine asset, linking residents to work, study and nearby neighbourhoods.
Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment. 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 schools and education lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in housing affordability and transport and access. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 2,141
- Median age
- 37
- Median household income / week
- $1,902
- Dwelling vacancy
- 4.3%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 17 of 395
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,167
- Employment rate
- 38%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 58 / 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)
- $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)
- 92
- Against the person
- 33
- Against property
- 37
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 43
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 65 residents
- State safety percentile
- 18.5th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -4.9%
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
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 881
- William Campbell CollegeSpecial
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Public transport
58 public transport stops in this suburb
- Btu Road After Princes Hwy
- Princes Hwy After Btu Rd
- Princes Hwy Before Warra Warra Rd
- South Coast Correctional Centre
- Stringybark Rd After Glenoak Way
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).
73 planning-related records
2026· 5 proposals
June 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah162 STRINGYBARK ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Additional Information Requested
April 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool162 STRINGYBARK ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
March 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Rainwater tanks; Residential Accommodation25 WILLANDRA WAY NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
January 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Swimming pool232 STRINGYBARK ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation202 GANNET ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
2025· 10 proposals
December 2025
- Educational establishment; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure16 GANNET ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
November 2025
- Subdivision51 TEA TREE LANE NOWRA HILL 2540Under Assessment
- Shed; Erection of a new structure63 TIMBER RIDGE DRIVE NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
October 2025
- Demolition; Subdivision167 The links Road Nowra Hill 2540Additional Information Requested
- Demolition; Shed; Erection of a new structure154 WONCOR AVENUE NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
July 2025
- Industrial development; Erection of a new structure; General industry181 THE LINKS ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Operational consent issued
June 2025
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation32 CALYMEA STREET NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
May 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure72 STRINGYBARK ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Electricity generating facility (solar and wind)21 NOWRA HILL ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
April 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool192 STRINGYBARK ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
2024· 7 proposals
July 2024
- Temporary building, structure or use; Swimming pool8 WIRILDA DRIVE NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
June 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Stormwater management system50 TEA TREE LANE NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
May 2024
- Subdivision147 THE LINKS ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
April 2024
- Shed; Erection of a new structure31 CALYMEA STREET NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation49 TEA TREE LANE NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
- Dual occupancy; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)168 ALBATROSS ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Withdrawn
January 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure162 STRINGYBARK ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
2023· 8 proposals
December 2023
- Shed; Erection of a new structure200 ALBATROSS ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
November 2023
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool18 CALYMEA STREET NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
September 2023
- Erection of a new structure; Moveable dwelling133 ALBATROSS ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Under Assessment
August 2023
- Dwelling89 BTU ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
July 2023
- Dwelling89 BTU ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
February 2023
- Shed32 CALYMEA STREET NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
- Other162 STRINGYBARK ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
January 2023
- Shed162 STRINGYBARK ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
2022· 10 proposals
July 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development19 MONTEREY DRIVE NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
- Pools / decks / fencing; Shed135 STRINGYBARK ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces202 ALBATROSS ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
June 2022
- Dwelling49 BTU Road Nowra Hill 2540Determined
- Other109 THE LINKS ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
May 2022
- Dwelling; Demolition19 CALYMEA STREET NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
- Shed32 CALYMEA STREET NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
April 2022
- Educational establishment16 GANNET ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
- Secondary dwelling26B STRINGYBARK ROAD NOWRA HILL 2540Determined
- Farm buildings181B BTU ROAD NOWRA HILL 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
3 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Sports field
- Swimming pool (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
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 6/10
- 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)
- 3
- 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
- 40.8/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 49% of New South Wales' suburbs
- National rank
- 3339th in Australia
- State rank
- 1052nd in NSW
- Peer rank
- #59 among Country & regional · Growth area suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #329 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
- Sports fieldamenitiespitch
- Swimming poolamenitiesswimming_pool
- Swimming poolamenitiesswimming_pool
- Breach Apprehended Violence Ordercrime135
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime174
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime283
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime261
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime146
- Btu Road After Princes Hwytransport
- Princes Hwy After Btu Rdtransport
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 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.