NSW · Council TBC
Whale Beach
Current weather
16.5°CClear sky
58% humidity · 14.3 km/h wind · 22.1° / 14° today · 3.6 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Coastal
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Whale Beach is a coastal smaller community where beach life and relaxed outdoor living shape the local character. Coastal character runs through daily life, with the wider region offering extra trips and outings when you want them. Sea breezes and coastal air are part of everyday life, especially on warmer evenings.
An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. Reasonable public transport access helps with commuting and getting around locally. Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment.
Construction and infill projects are noticeably reshaping parts of the area.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because housing affordability and local dining and lifestyle amenities lag similar coastal suburbs, despite relative strength in safety and community and employment. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 315
- Median age
- 60
- Median household income / week
- $3,285
- Dwelling vacancy
- 41%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 87 of 212
- Median monthly mortgage
- $3,467
- Employment rate
- 43.8%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 4 / 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.
Public transport
14 public transport stops in this suburb
- Whale Beach Rd At Malo Rd
- Whale Beach Rd At Morella Rd
- Whale Beach Rd Before Surf Rd
- Whale Beach Rd Opp Malo Rd
- Whale Beach Rd Opp Surf 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).
136 planning-related records
2026· 5 proposals
June 2026
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure279 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Additional Information Requested
May 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure5 MALO ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
April 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure256 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Additional Information Requested
March 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation199 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
February 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure12 RAYNER ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
2025· 17 proposals
December 2025
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure5 MALO ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
November 2025
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure16 BEAUTY DRIVE WHALE BEACH 2107Deferred Commencement
October 2025
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation176 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure50 MORELLA ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure162 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
September 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Awnings, blinds and canopies10 BEAUTY DRIVE WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
August 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Swimming pool21 RAYNER ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
July 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure168 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation20 MORELLA ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure253 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
June 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Garage, carport or carparking space; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external); Supporting Development193 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure186 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
May 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure30 RAYNER ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
January 2025
- Secondary dwelling; Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure287 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Demolition; Shop top housing; Erection of a new structure231 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure279 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure146 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
2024· 15 proposals
October 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah206 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
September 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure225 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
August 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure271 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Air-conditioning units; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Barbecues and other outdoor cooking structures; Carport; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Garage, carport or carparking space; Landscaping structures; Pathways and paving; Rainwater tanks; Skylights, roof windows and ventilators; Swimming pool283 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
July 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation32 RAYNER ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Demolition19 MORELLA ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure191 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
May 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Supporting Development267 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
April 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure254 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure31 BEAUTY DRIVE WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
February 2024
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure279 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Swimming pool201 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
January 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure191 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure30 BEAUTY DRIVE WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure5 BEAUTY DRIVE WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
2023· 3 proposals
December 2023
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure253 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Other Infrastructure204 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Determined
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure279 WHALE BEACH ROAD WHALE BEACH 2107Withdrawn
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
- Bbq
- Parking (3)
- Shower
- Swimming pool (2)
- Whale Beach Rock PoolSwimming pool
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
- Norma ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
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
- 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)
- 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
- 30.5/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5238th in Australia
- State rank
- 1669th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #96 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #168 among Coastal & beach suburbs
- Data confidence
- 57%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Bbqamenitiesbbq
- Parkingamenitiesparking
- Parkingamenitiesparking
- Parkingamenitiesparking
- Showeramenitiesshower
- Swimming poolamenitiesswimming_pool
- Swimming poolamenitiesswimming_pool
- Whale Beach Rock Poolamenitiesswimming_pool
- Whale Beach Rd At Malo Rdtransport
- Whale Beach Rd At Morella Rdtransport
Data sources & freshness
- 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
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.