suburb.guide

NSW · Lake Macquarie Council

Pelican, 2281

Current weather

16.9°CClear sky

67% humidity · 13.5 km/h wind · 20.8° / 13.8° today · 3.1 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

21/100
Below average

2023rd in NSW

65% data confidence

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

Suburb profile

Pelican is a practical smaller community in Lake Macquarie, 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. Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life.

Daily life is practical and well connected, with the city and nearby suburbs easy to tap into. Public transport is a genuine asset, linking residents to work, study and nearby neighbourhoods. Homes here are sought-after, with many people drawn to the lifestyle the area offers.

This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.

The desirability score is below average, pulled down chiefly by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and transport and access relative to similar metro suburbs. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

Population

Population
874
Median age
48
Median household income / week
$1,448
Dwelling vacancy
8.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
30 of 372
Median monthly mortgage
$1,785
Employment rate
51%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
31 / 15 / 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)
$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

Crime & safety

Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
58
Against the person
15
Against property
21
Rate per 1,000 residents
66.4
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 58 residents
State safety percentile
44.7th (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

25 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Lake Macquarie Airport, Pacific Hwy
  • Pacific Hwy At Soldiers Rd
  • Pacific Hwy Opp Maneela St
  • Pacific Hwy Opp Pelican Flat Park
  • Pacific Hwy Opp Pelican Flat Park

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)

Amenities

20 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • Lake Macquarie Airport, Pacific HwyBus stop
  • Pacific Hwy at Soldiers RdBus stop
  • Pacific Hwy opp Maneela StBus stop
  • Pacific Hwy opp Pelican Flat ParkBus stop
  • Pelican RSL, Piriwal StBus stop
  • Piriwal St after Karoburra StBus stop
  • Piriwal St before Bato StBus stop
  • Pirriwal St at Kullara StBus stop
  • Pirriwal St before Karoburra StBus stop
  • Pirriwal St opp Pelican RSLBus stop

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

  • Memorial ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
4/10
IRSD decile (2021)
4/10

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
21.0/100 — Below average
National rank
6473rd in Australia
State rank
2023rd in NSW
Peer rank
#137 among Metro Sydney · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#860 among Metro Sydney suburbs
Data confidence
65%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • Lake Macquarie Airport, Pacific Hwyamenitiesbus_stop
  • Pacific Hwy at Soldiers Rdamenitiesbus_stop
  • Pacific Hwy opp Maneela Stamenitiesbus_stop
  • Pacific Hwy opp Pelican Flat Parkamenitiesbus_stop
  • Pelican RSL, Piriwal Stamenitiesbus_stop
  • Piriwal St after Karoburra Stamenitiesbus_stop
  • Piriwal St before Bato Stamenitiesbus_stop
  • Pirriwal St at Kullara Stamenitiesbus_stop
  • Pirriwal St before Karoburra Stamenitiesbus_stop
  • Pirriwal St opp Pelican RSLamenitiesbus_stop

Data sources & freshness

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.