NSW · Richmond Valley Council
Swan Bay, 2471
Current weather
18.2°CMainly clear
83% humidity · 14.6 km/h wind · 21.9° / 13° today · 0.1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Excellent transport
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Swan Bay offers a slower smaller community life in Richmond Valley, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. The community is self-contained in the best sense. Local life comes first, with the region opening up beyond. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.
Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with family life visible on every street. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting. Strong public transport connections keep the wider area accessible.
Housing is well-priced for what you get: space, location and everyday convenience. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and parks and green space lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in housing affordability and safety. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 357
- Median age
- 43
- Median household income / week
- $1,833
- Dwelling vacancy
- 5.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 6 of 109
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,916
- Employment rate
- 54.3%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 5 / 4 / 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.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 32
- Against the person
- 11
- Against property
- 11
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 89.6
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 32 residents
- State safety percentile
- 62.8th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -13.3%
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Arson25
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order28
- Break And Enter Dwelling18
- Domestic Violence Related Assault21
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment28
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
38 public transport stops in this suburb
- 396 Reardons Lane
- Darke Lane After Reardons Lane
- Reardons Lane After Casuarina Dr
- Swan Bay New Italy Rd Opp 45
- Swan Bay New Italy Rd Opp 490
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).
2 planning-related records
2021· 2 proposals
July 2021
- DwellingLot 3 Eucalypt Drive, Swan Bay (DP1243863)Determined
- DwellingLot 6 Eucalypt Drive, Swan Bay (DP1243863)Determined
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
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
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)
- 6/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 5/10
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)
- 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
- 38.5/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 3726th in Australia
- State rank
- 1170th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #166 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #394 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
- Arsoncrime25
- Breach Apprehended Violence Ordercrime28
- Break And Enter Dwellingcrime18
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime21
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime28
- 396 Reardons Lanetransport
- Darke Lane After Reardons Lanetransport
- Reardons Lane After Casuarina Drtransport
- Swan Bay New Italy Rd Opp 45transport
- Swan Bay New Italy Rd Opp 490transport
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)
More in Richmond Valley Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.