NSW · Wollongong Council
Scarborough, 2515
Current weather
16.5°CClear sky
46% humidity · 15.8 km/h wind · 20.5° / 12.8° today · 2.1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Coastal
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Scarborough wears its coastal identity openly, a smaller community built around sand, sea and an easy outdoor rhythm. Sea and sand are the main draw, with neighbouring coastal communities easy to explore on a free afternoon. Salt air and open horizons give the suburb a relaxed, outdoor feel year-round.
Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Strong public transport connections keep the wider area accessible. Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment.
This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker growth momentum and parks and green space against similar coastal suburbs, even with community and employment holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 325
- Median age
- 41
- Median household income / week
- $2,571
- Dwelling vacancy
- 16.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 19 of 116
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,500
- Employment rate
- 60.2%
- 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)
- $675
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $1,063
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $900
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 69
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)
- 16
- Against the person
- 3
- Against property
- 6
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 49.2
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 108 residents
- State safety percentile
- 26.3th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +33.7%
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment36
- Malicious Damage To Property48
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault28
- Steal From Motor Vehicle36
- Transport Regulatory Offences137
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
18 public transport stops in this suburb
- Lawrence Hargrave Dr Opp Scarborough Public School
- Railway Av Bridge
- STR Railway Av E
- STR Railway Av W
- Scarborough Station
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).
1 planning-related records
2023· 1 proposal
November 2023
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure28 Goodrich Street ScarboroughDetermined
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
14 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- 404 Lawrence Hargrave DrBus stop
- 415 Lawrence Hargrave DrBus stop
- Lawrence Hargrave Dr at Fifth StBus stop
- Lawrence Hargrave Dr at Railway TceBus stop
- Lawrence Hargrave Dr at Seventh StBus stop
- Lawrence Hargrave Dr opp Scarborough Public SchoolBus stop
- Scarborough Public School, Lawrence Hargrave DrBus stop
- AusPostPost Box
- Ticket Validator (3)
- ScarboroughTrain station
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
Heritage
1 state heritage place
- Scarborough Railway Station groupFirst Street, ScarboroughSHR
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
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)
- 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
- 22.8/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6307th in Australia
- State rank
- 1964th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #63 among Coastal & beach · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #189 among Coastal & beach 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
- 404 Lawrence Hargrave Dramenitiesbus_stop
- 415 Lawrence Hargrave Dramenitiesbus_stop
- AusPostamenitiespost_box
- Lawrence Hargrave Dr at Fifth Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Lawrence Hargrave Dr at Railway Tceamenitiesbus_stop
- Lawrence Hargrave Dr at Seventh Stamenitiesbus_stop
- Lawrence Hargrave Dr opp Scarborough Public Schoolamenitiesbus_stop
- Scarboroughamenitiestrain_station
- Scarborough 1amenitiestrain_station
- Scarborough 2amenitiestrain_station
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Wollongong Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.