NSW · Cessnock Council
Pelaw Main, 2327
Current weather
16.3°CClear sky
66% humidity · 11.5 km/h wind · 21.5° / 13.2° today · 3.3 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Pelaw Main is a practical smaller community in Cessnock, well placed for families who want metro access without the inner-city squeeze. The metro area remains accessible without feeling caught up in the inner-city rush. Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with plenty of young families in the mix.
Daily life is practical and well connected, with the city and nearby suburbs easy to tap into. Local parks and tree cover add a welcome outdoor dimension to suburban life. Strong public transport connections keep the wider area accessible.
The area offers approachable housing costs alongside a lifestyle that still feels complete. Construction and infill projects are noticeably reshaping parts of the area.
The desirability score is below average, pulled down chiefly by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and safety relative to similar metro suburbs. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 1,080
- Median age
- 39
- Median household income / week
- $1,174
- Dwelling vacancy
- 6.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 30 of 459
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,447
- Employment rate
- 50.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 36 / 18 / 24
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
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $520
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 53
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)
- 111
- Against the person
- 34
- Against property
- 47
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 102.8
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 32 residents
- State safety percentile
- 72.7th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +10.2%
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order67
- Domestic Violence Related Assault66
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment102
- Malicious Damage To Property75
- Motor Vehicle Theft58
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
- 901
- Pelaw Main Public SchoolPrimary
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
18 public transport stops in this suburb
- Bellbird St After Abermain St
- Pelaw Main Park, Hebburn St
- Stanford St After Hebburn St
- Stanford St At Hebburn St
- Tarro St Opp Kurri Kurri Bowling Club
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).
50 planning-related records
2026· 5 proposals
June 2026
- Demolition; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached)51 STANFORD STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Under Assessment
May 2026
- Secondary dwelling; Dwelling house; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure37 BOUNDARY STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Under Assessment
- Subdivision; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Dual occupancy (attached)61 ABERMAIN STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Under Assessment
January 2026
- Shed; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external)7 NEATH STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation3 TOMALPIN STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
2025· 6 proposals
September 2025
- Secondary dwelling; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia41 NEATH STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
July 2025
- Demolition; Shed; Erection of a new structure14 STANFORD STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
June 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space20 ABERMAIN STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure11A WALLSEND STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
- Demolition; Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached); Residential Accommodation35 BOUNDARY STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
March 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure5 ELLALONG STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
2024· 3 proposals
November 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Minor building alterations (external)25 STANFORD STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
October 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah (screened enclosures); Garage, carport or carparking space36 BOUNDARY STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
April 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space34 BOUNDARY STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
2023· 8 proposals
October 2023
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure40 HEBBURN STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
September 2023
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure4 GRETA STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
- Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Alterations and additions to residential development27 STANFORD STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
August 2023
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces; Shed45 HEBBURN STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
May 2023
- Shed2 MILLFIELD STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
- Shed13 ELLALONG STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
April 2023
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces; Shed24 MILLFIELD STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
February 2023
- Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Alterations and additions to residential development27 STANFORD STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
2022· 10 proposals
December 2022
- Dual occupancy; Subdivision of land; Garages, carports and car parking spaces45 HEBBURN STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Withdrawn
October 2022
- Subdivision of land2 MILLFIELD STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
September 2022
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces31 EVATT STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
June 2022
- Shed33 BOUNDARY STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
May 2022
- Shed56 STANFORD STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
April 2022
- Subdivision of land52 HEBBURN STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
March 2022
- Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Alterations and additions to residential development; Garages, carports and car parking spaces; Shed11 MILLFIELD STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces3 BELLBIRD STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
February 2022
- Dual occupancy; Subdivision of land9 ALLANDALE STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
January 2022
- Dwelling; Alterations and additions to residential development37 BOUNDARY STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
2021· 8 proposals
December 2021
- Other7 MILLFIELD STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
November 2021
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces1 38 ABERDARE STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
September 2021
- Pools / decks / fencing39A HEBBURN STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
- Dwelling62 STANFORD STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
June 2021
- Dwelling44 NEATH STREET PELAW MAIN 2327Determined
May 2021
- Dual occupancy38A Aberdare Street, Pelaw Main NSW 2327Determined
- Demolition44 Neath Street Pelaw Main NSW 2327Determined
April 2021
- Change of use11 Main Street Comboye NSWDetermined
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
8 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Centenary Park, Tomalpin StBus stop
- Stanford St after Hebburn StBus stop
- Stanford St at Hebburn StBus stop
- Tomalpin St at Stanford StBus stop
- Tomalpin St opp Centenary ParkBus stop
- Playground
- Post Box
- Sports field
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
- Jacobs ParkPark
- Jerry Chalmers Memorial ParkPark
- Log of Knowledge ParkPark
- Pelaw Main Centenary ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 1/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 1/10
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)
- 5
- Parks (OSM)
- 4
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
- 21.3/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6449th in Australia
- State rank
- 2014th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #411 among Metro Sydney · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #857 among Metro Sydney 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
- Centenary Park, Tomalpin Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Post Boxamenitiespost_box
- Sports fieldamenitiespitch
- Stanford St after Hebburn Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Stanford St at Hebburn Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Tomalpin St at Stanford Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Tomalpin St opp Centenary Parkamenitiesbus_stop
- Breach Apprehended Violence Ordercrime67
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime66
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Cessnock Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.