suburb.guide

NSW · Willoughby Council

Willoughby, 2068

Current weather

17.1°CClear sky

51% humidity · 17.1 km/h wind · 21.2° / 13.8° today · 2.5 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

51.6/100
Average

Top 26% of New South Wales' suburbs

81% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Excellent transport
  • Cycling
  • Green suburb
  • High desirability
What Willoughby is known for: Excellent transport, Cycling, Green suburb, High desirability

Suburb profile

Willoughby is a lively inner mid-sized suburb with dining, shopping and leisure options right on the doorstep. Sitting close to the city centre, it is easy to dip into neighbouring suburbs for work, dining and events. Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with plenty of young families in the mix.

Local shops and services cover the basics well, with more choice a short trip into neighbouring suburbs. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls. Buses and trains connect the area to surrounding suburbs, keeping the wider city within easy reach.

Property is in demand, reflecting the appeal of living in a place people actively choose. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.

On the desirability index, the suburb sits around average overall, mainly because growth momentum and housing affordability lag similar metro suburbs, despite relative strength in safety and community and employment. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

Population

Population
7,124
Median age
40
Median household income / week
$2,995
Dwelling vacancy
7.6%
Unoccupied private dwellings
203 of 2,688
Median monthly mortgage
$3,500
Employment rate
63.2%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
131 / 265 / 788

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)
$730
Houses (January to March 2026)
$1,500
All types (January to March 2026)
$920
Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
115

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

Crime & safety

Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
101
Against the person
21
Against property
71
Rate per 1,000 residents
14.2
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 339 residents
State safety percentile
0.6th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate)
-26.6%

Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • Break And Enter Dwelling20
  • Fraud79
  • Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment18
  • Other Theft18
  • Steal From Motor Vehicle15

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

57 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Artarmon Rd Opp Edward St
  • Edward St At Borlaise St
  • Edward St At Wyalong St
  • Mowbray Rd Opp Mabel St
  • Mowbray Rd Opp Ward St

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)

Roadworks & transport

1 active roadworks / incidents

  • RoadworksWilloughby Road, Artarmon Road10 May 2026 – 26 Jul 2026

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported

Planning & development

Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).

5 planning-related records

2026· 1 proposal

  • March 2026

  • Attached dwelling; Medium Density Housing; Erection of a new structure
    82-86 EASTERN VALLEY WAY, WILLOUGHBYUnder Assessment
2023· 1 proposal

  • April 2023

  • Demolition; Multi-dwelling housing
    2-4 Warners Avenue Willoughby NSW 2068Determined
2021· 3 proposals

  • November 2021

  • Other
    Artramon StationDetermined

  • October 2021

  • Shop top housing
    48-52 Frenchs Road, WilloughbyDetermined

  • May 2021

  • Change of use
    Lot 6 and 7 SP97882Determined

Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)

Development and planning activity

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

99 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • CellarbrationsAlcohol
  • Dan Murphy'sAlcohol

    71-77 Penshurst Street, Willoughby

  • Bbq (2)
  • Bench (9)
  • Bicycle Parking (5)
  • Alpha RoadBus stop
  • Eastern Valley Way before Warners AvBus stop
  • Edinburgh Rd at Eastern Valley WayBus stop
  • Edinburgh Rd at Windsor RdBus stop
  • Edinburgh Rd opp First AvBus stop

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

3 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Hallstrom ParkPark
  • Henderson ParkPark
  • Sanders ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics
3
Emergency department
Not in suburb
  • 4cytesample_collection
  • PhysiocisePenshurst Streetclinic
  • Willoughby Medical Practicedoctor

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

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

Heritage

2 state heritage places

  • Laurelbank85-87 Penshurst Street WilloughbySHR
  • Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator2 Small Street WilloughbySHR

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site

Childcare

1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap

  • Mowbray Place Early Learning Centrekindergarten

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

Childcare centre count

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site

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)
7
Parks (OSM)
5

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
51.6/100 — Average
State standing
Top 26% of New South Wales' suburbs
National rank
1737th in Australia
State rank
554th in NSW
Peer rank
#203 among Metro Sydney · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#387 among Metro Sydney suburbs
Data confidence
81%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • Alpha Roadamenitiesbus_stop
  • Anytime Fitnessamenitiesfitness_centre
  • Australia Postamenitiespost_box
  • Australian Relief Organisationamenitiesrecycling
  • BP Express Toweramenitiesfuel
  • Bbqamenitiesbbq
  • Bbqamenitiesbbq
  • Benchamenitiesbench
  • Benchamenitiesbench
  • Benchamenitiesbench

Data sources & freshness

More in Willoughby Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.