NSW · Shoalhaven Council
Old Erowal Bay, 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
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Old Erowal Bay offers a slower smaller community life in Shoalhaven, 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. Open skies and rolling countryside set a calm backdrop to everyday routines.
Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. Strong public transport connections keep the wider area accessible.
Homes are relatively affordable, which helps families and first-time residents put down roots. 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 growth momentum lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in safety. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 1,080
- Median age
- 40
- Median household income / week
- $1,246
- Dwelling vacancy
- 19.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 98 of 502
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Employment rate
- 48.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 44 / 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)
- 46
- Against the person
- 17
- Against property
- 19
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 42.6
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 64 residents
- State safety percentile
- 17.7th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -5.9%
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
Public transport
27 public transport stops in this suburb
- Christiansen Av At Woodhill St
- MacGibbon Pde After The Wool Rd
- The Wool Rd After MacGibbon Pde
- The Wool Rd At Mernie St
- Woodhill St At Tibbles Av
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).
36 planning-related records
2026· 2 proposals
May 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Carport; Supporting Development13 ROBERTS STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Under Assessment
February 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation5 PAGE STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
2025· 3 proposals
December 2025
- Secondary dwelling; Demolition; Erection of a new structure20 PAGE STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
August 2025
- Subdivision24 FITZPATRICK STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Carport4 SHEERAN STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
2024· 4 proposals
August 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation4 PAGE STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
May 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Carport6 TIBBLES AVENUE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (attached)24 Tibbles Avenue OLD EROWAL BAY NSW 2540Determined
- Subdivision24 Tibbles Avenue OLD EROWAL BAY NSW 2540Determined
2023· 6 proposals
December 2023
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure3 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
July 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development3 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential development36 FITZPATRICK STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
June 2023
- Shed32 MCGOWEN STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
February 2023
- Demolition; Subdivision of land; Stormwater management systems; Earthworks / change in levels; Shed1 BETHS STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
January 2023
- Dwelling4 PAGE STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
2022· 11 proposals
November 2022
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces24 MCGOWEN STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
September 2022
- Secondary dwelling; Shed35 MERNIE STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dual occupancy; Demolition; Subdivision of land19 CHRISTIANSEN AVENUE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
July 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development32 TIBBLES AVENUE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Withdrawn
June 2022
- Dwelling54 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Withdrawn
May 2022
- Shed2 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Withdrawn
April 2022
- Secondary dwelling20 TIBBLES AVENUE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
March 2022
- Demolition; Subdivision of land75 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Pools / decks / fencing; Alterations and additions to residential development63 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
February 2022
- Shed91 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
January 2022
- Dwelling34 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
2021· 10 proposals
December 2021
- Pools / decks / fencing; Alterations and additions to residential development85 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
November 2021
- Demolition; Alterations and additions to residential development63 PRENTICE AVENUE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dual occupancy; Subdivision of land17 HUNT STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
October 2021
- Demolition54 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling54 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
September 2021
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces88 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
August 2021
- Pools / decks / fencing35 TIBBLES AVENUE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
- Dwelling; Stormwater management systems79 MACGIBBON PARADE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
June 2021
- Secondary dwelling32 TIBBLES AVENUE OLD EROWAL BAY 2540Determined
May 2021
- Demolition19 BLAIR STREET OLD EROWAL BAY 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
- Prentice Av at MacDonald StBus stop
- Crest DivingDive Centre
- Playground
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
- Elsie Young Memorial ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 2/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
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
- 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)
- 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
- 26.7/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5818th in Australia
- State rank
- 1820th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #298 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #825 among Country & regional 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
- Crest Divingamenitiesdive_centre
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Prentice Av at MacDonald Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Breach Apprehended Violence Ordercrime135
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime174
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime283
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime261
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime146
- Christiansen Av At Woodhill Sttransport
- MacGibbon Pde After The Wool 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.