NSW · Central Coast (NSW) Council
Picketts Valley, 2251
Current weather
16.1°CClear sky
58% humidity · 14.3 km/h wind · 21.8° / 13.6° today · 4.3 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Picketts Valley is a practical smaller community in Central Coast (NSW), 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. Established families and long-term residents give the suburb a settled feel, with a strong presence of young families throughout.
Local shops and services cover the basics well, with more choice a short trip into neighbouring suburbs. Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment.
A trickle of new development is refreshing selected pockets without changing the overall feel.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker transport and access and local dining and lifestyle amenities against similar metro suburbs, even with community and employment holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 221
- Median age
- 42
- Median household income / week
- $2,971
- Dwelling vacancy
- 6.2%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 4 of 64
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,500
- Employment rate
- 56.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 0 / 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)
- $850
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $778
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 142
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)
- 6
- Against the person
- 2
- Against property
- 3
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 27.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 110 residents
- State safety percentile
- 5.1th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +0.3%
Reported offences are unchanged compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order76
- Domestic Violence Related Assault79
- Fraud74
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment114
- Malicious Damage To Property110
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
6 public transport stops in this suburb
- Avoca Dr Opp Avoca Beach Bowling Club
- Avoca Dr Opp Avoca Beach Bowling Club
- Scenic Hwy At Picketts Valley Rd
- Scenic Hwy Opp Picketts Valley Rd
- Scenic Hwy Opp Picketts Valley Rd
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).
15 planning-related records
2026· 2 proposals
May 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure107 PICKETTS VALLEY ROAD PICKETTS VALLEY 2251Determined
April 2026
- Shed; Erection of a new structure1 BUNGENDORE ROAD PICKETTS VALLEY 2251Determined
2025· 1 proposal
July 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure13 COUNTRY VIEW CLOSE PICKETTS VALLEY 2251Determined
2024· 2 proposals
September 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure90 PICKETTS VALLEY ROAD PICKETTS VALLEY 2251Determined
April 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure105 PICKETTS VALLEY ROAD PICKETTS VALLEY 2251Determined
2023· 3 proposals
October 2023
- Shed; Erection of a new structure88 PICKETTS VALLEY ROAD PICKETTS VALLEY 2251Determined
September 2023
- Pools / decks / fencing; Alterations and additions to residential development; Retaining walls, protection of trees88 PICKETTS VALLEY ROAD PICKETTS VALLEY 2251Determined
April 2023
- Shed2 COUNTRY VIEW CLOSE PICKETTS VALLEY 2251Determined
2022· 4 proposals
October 2022
- Pools / decks / fencing; Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Alterations and additions to residential development7 COUNTRY VIEW CLOSE PICKETTS VALLEY 2251Determined
- Pools / decks / fencing; Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Alterations and additions to residential development107 PICKETTS VALLEY ROAD PICKETTS VALLEY 2251Determined
September 2022
- Shed25 PICKETTS VALLEY ROAD PICKETTS VALLEY 2251Determined
June 2022
- Dwelling2 21 Picketts Valley Road Picketts ValleyDetermined
2021· 2 proposals
September 2021
- Dwelling2 21 Picketts Valley Road Picketts ValleyDetermined
March 2021
- Alterations and additions to residential development420 SCENIC HIGHWAY PICKETTS VALLEY 2251Determined
2020· 1 proposal
September 2020
- Dwelling113 PICKETTS VALLEY ROAD PICKETTS VALLEY 2251Determined
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
- Bench
- Avoca Dr opp Avoca Beach Bowling ClubBus stop
- Waste Basket
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
- 26.3/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5874th in Australia
- State rank
- 1838th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #393 among Metro Sydney · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #823 among Metro Sydney 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
- Avoca Dr opp Avoca Beach Bowling Clubamenitiesbus_stop
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Waste Basketamenitieswaste_basket
- Breach Apprehended Violence Ordercrime76
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime79
- Fraudcrime74
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime114
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime110
- Avoca Dr Opp Avoca Beach Bowling Clubtransport
- Avoca Dr Opp Avoca Beach Bowling Clubtransport
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 Central Coast (NSW) Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.