NSW · Shoalhaven Council
West Nowra, 2541
Current weather
13.4°CClear sky
57% humidity · 8.3 km/h wind · 18.6° / 9.5° today · 2.2 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- National parks
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
West Nowra is a quieter smaller community in Shoalhaven, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. Life revolves around the local community, with the wider region offering trips and services when needed. Wide horizons and a country quiet give the area a restorative, unhurried atmosphere.
Young professionals and new households shape much of the local mix, with family life visible on every street. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Public transport is a genuine asset, linking residents to work, study and nearby neighbourhoods.
Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state. Construction and infill projects are noticeably reshaping parts of the area.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and growth momentum lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in housing affordability. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 1,504
- Median age
- 33
- Median household income / week
- $1,493
- Dwelling vacancy
- 6.7%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 40 of 599
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,707
- Employment rate
- 60%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 39 / 58 / 5
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)
- $401
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $550
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $530
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 296
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)
- 248
- Against the person
- 68
- Against property
- 91
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 164.9
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 22 residents
- State safety percentile
- 93.4th (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 Bail Conditions633
- Domestic Violence Related Assault305
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment444
- Malicious Damage To Property449
- Steal From Retail Store420
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
23 public transport stops in this suburb
- Depot Rd After Maybush Way
- Filter Rd Before Bromley Cl
- Filter Rd Opp Cavanagh Lane
- Yalwal Rd After Rannoch Dr
- Yalwal Rd At Albatross 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).
41 planning-related records
2026· 2 proposals
March 2026
- Subdivision60 YALWAL ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
January 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure19 RANNOCH DRIVE WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
2025· 5 proposals
December 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; General industry20 DEPOT ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
- SubdivisionALBATROSS ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
November 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation1 LIGHTWOOD DRIVE WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
March 2025
- SubdivisionALBATROSS ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
February 2025
- Subdivision77 ALBATROSS ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
2024· 4 proposals
December 2024
- Multi-dwelling housing; Subdivision; Medium Density Housing20 CAVANAGH LANE WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
November 2024
- Shed; Erection of a new structure8 FILTER ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Garage, carport or carparking space67 YALWAL ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
May 2024
- Subdivision86 YALWAL ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
2023· 9 proposals
November 2023
- Multi-dwelling housing; Erection of a new structureRAINFORD ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Withdrawn
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure19 GLENAIR AVENUE WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
October 2023
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation50 FILTER ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
- Multi-dwelling housing; Erection of a new structureDEPOT ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Withdrawn
September 2023
- Multi-dwelling housing; Subdivision; Medium Density Housing20 CAVANAGH LANE WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
- Multi-dwelling housing; Subdivision of land; Earthworks / change in levelsDEPOT ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Under Assessment
July 2023
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces28 RANNOCH DRIVE WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
February 2023
- Multi-dwelling housing83 ALBATROSS ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
January 2023
- Multi-dwelling housing77 ALBATROSS ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
2022· 7 proposals
November 2022
- Dwelling; Attached dwelling2 RACEMOSA AVENUE WEST NOWRA 2541Withdrawn
October 2022
- Shed25 RANNOCH DRIVE WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
- Subdivision of landALBATROSS ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
May 2022
- Subdivision of land62 YALWAL ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
April 2022
- Dual occupancy; Demolition62 YALWAL ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
March 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development; Garages, carports and car parking spaces5 OLYMPIC DRIVE WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
February 2022
- Dual occupancy74 YALWAL ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
2021· 13 proposals
November 2021
- Shed15 DEPOT ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
October 2021
- OtherLIGHTWOOD DRIVE WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
September 2021
- Demolition; Subdivision of land9 DOBBIE CLOSE WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
- Shed41 YALWAL ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Withdrawn
- Subdivision of land74 YALWAL ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Withdrawn
- Subdivision of land71 YALWAL ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
August 2021
- Dual occupancy74 YALWAL ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Deferred Commencement
June 2021
- Other30 CAVANAGH LANE WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
- Other1 DEPOT ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
March 2021
- Other71 YALWAL ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
- Dual occupancy45 YALWAL ROAD WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
February 2021
- Garages, carports and car parking spaces44 LYDON CRESCENT WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
January 2021
- Shed72 RANNOCH DRIVE WEST NOWRA 2541Determined
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
- Bench
- Depot Rd after Maybush WayBus stop
- Filter Rd opp Cavanagh LaneBus stop
- Yalwal Rd after Rannoch DrBus stop
- Yalwal Rd opp Depot RdBus stop
- Depot Farm ReserveNature Reserve
- Zig Zag Public ReservePark
- Playground
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
2 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Depot Farm ReserveNature reserve
- Zig Zag Public ReservePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 2/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
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)
- 2
- Parks (OSM)
- 2
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
- 29.4/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5421st in Australia
- State rank
- 1709th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #83 among Country & regional · Growth area suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #744 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
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Depot Farm Reserveamenitiesnature_reserve
- Depot Rd after Maybush Wayamenitiesbus_stop
- Filter Rd opp Cavanagh Laneamenitiesbus_stop
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Yalwal Rd after Rannoch Dramenitiesbus_stop
- Yalwal Rd opp Depot Rdamenitiesbus_stop
- Zig Zag Public Reserveamenitiespark
- Breach Bail Conditionscrime633
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime305
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 Shoalhaven Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.