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Suburb profile ·Port Stephens LGA · NSW ·2315

Nelson Bay NSW 2315

Nelson Bay is in Port Stephens LGA, NSW, postcode 2315, with population 6,141.

The read

Livability-led

There are enough stretched or weaker signals here that you should assume trade-offs rather than a clean story. Use compare mode to see whether the downside is price, local quality, or weaker momentum before treating it as a target suburb.

$650/wk
+8.3% YoY
Mar 2025 → Apr 2026 · 14 periods
NSW Fair Trading · postcode 2315 · Apr 2026
$700
$575
Mar 2025Apr 2026
Why it fits

Transport coverage adds a practical access signal.

Median house
$995K
House median, latest period
7.9%YoY D6 vs AU
Median rent
$650/wk
Rent context available
8.3%YoY D10 vs AU
Gross yield
3.4%
Below investor band
D9 vs AU
Population
6,141
6K local footprint
D10 vs AU
Schools
1
Matched school context
D1 vs AU
Solar
2,985
172 added 12mo · 18MW

Price history

HousesUnits

Trend & investor depth

Cycle positionRising
Low · 2009Peak · 2025

7.9% below peak · 155.1% above its low

Price growth (compound)3-yr +1.2%/yr · 5-yr +3.6%/yr · 10-yr +6.8%/yr
Indicative cashflow-$446/wk (-$23,206/yr) · interest-only @ 6.1%, 80% LVR

Indicative cashflow is interest-only and excludes tax — use the calculator for a full projection.

Affordability

Buying
14.7x
median home price as a multiple of annual household income
Stretched
Renting
50%
median weekly rent as a share of gross household income (the 30% rule)
High stress

Owners with a mortgage repay a median of $1,842/mo, while renters pay about $2,817/mo — renting runs $975/mo higher on these medians.

Median price
$995K
Household income · yr
$68K
Median rent · wk
$650
Owner mortgage · mo
$1,842
Gross yield
3.4%

Household income

$68K household · yr-17.6% vs NSW suburb median
Personal
$36K
Family
$87K
Household
$68K

Schools

Total1
Avg ICSEA1040
Students269
Catholic1
  • St Michael's Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1040
Crime January 2025 - December 2025
2,451
3,152 per 100k
D5 vs AU

Crime

Rate · per 100k3,152
Total incidents2,451· January 2025 - December 2025
  • Assault79364%
  • Sexual Offences23119%
  • Robbery111%
  • Break And Enter20016%

Full data detail

Nelson Bay NSW — Property Data and Demographics

Nelson Bay is a mid-sized suburb in New South Wales within the Port Stephens local government area (postcode 2315). With a population of 6,141, the suburb has a mature demographic with a median age of 51. Households earn a median income of $68K per year, with an average household size of 2.2 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement staying broadly stable across the broader catchment, with population growth running at +1.3% year-on-year at the LGA level. NSW employment has moved +0.3% year-on-year in the official Jobs and Skills Australia NERO series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. NSW also had 37 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 5 underway, and 75 in planning as at 2 October 2024, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are professionals, technicians & trades, community & personal service. Employment in the area leans toward accommodation & food and healthcare. The top ancestries reported are English, Australian, Irish.

Nelson Bay has a median house price of $995,000, which has moved lower by 7.9% year-on-year. Units have a median price of $749,000 (+13.5% YoY). The current median weekly rent is $650. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 3.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1,842.

Nelson Bay is served by 1 school, including 1 primary. The average ICSEA score is 1040, which is around the national average of 1,000. Public transport access includes 72 bus stops. Healthcare facilities include 1 public hospital. The crime rate in the Port Stephens LGA is below average at 3,152 incidents per 100,000 population.

From an investment perspective, The gross rental yield works out to roughly 3.4%, which reads as moderate yield. Property prices sit below the state median ($995K/$1.5M), which can point to relative value. The price-to-income ratio of 14.7x is considered stretched. House prices have moved -7.9% year-on-year. Population growth of +1.3% year-on-year points to stable demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.

Market & money
Investment signalsHeuristics
Rental Yield3.4%· Moderate Yield
Price vs State$995K/$1.5M Below Median
Affordability14.7x Stretched
Price Momentum-7.9% Falling
Pop. Growth+1.3%· Stable
Development+0%· Steady
InvestmentNSW
Mortgage · mth$1,842
Rent · wk(Census)$380
Market rent · wk(2026-04)$650
Gross yield2.0%
Price / income14.7x
Sales vol (latest Q)(2025-Q4)18
Population growth · Port Stephens LGAABS ERP
Population (2025)80,070
5-year growth+1.5% CAGR
YoY change+1.3%
20012025
Development · Port Stephens LGAABS Approvals
Approvals (2026)324
Houses197
Units127
YoY change+0%
Employment · Port Stephens LGASALM
Unemployment (Dec-25)4.5%
YoY change-0.3pp
Dec-10Dec-25
Property investors · Postcode 2315ATO
Negatively geared471 (5.3% of filers)
Avg rental loss$7,487/yr
Landlords (rental income)1,387
Reported capital gains968
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 21
Population6,141
Median age51
Household size2.2
HH income · wk$1,305
Personal income · wk$689
Persons / bedroom0.7
SEIFA indexABS
Advantage (IRSAD)4/10
Education (IEO)5/10
Economic (IER)3/10
Disadvantage (IRSD)4/10
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets1
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations2
Cafes & dining26
woolworths1
TransportGTFS
Bus stops72
Hospitals · 1AIHW
Public1
Private0
Tomaree Community Hospitalpublic
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

There is enough direct local evidence on Nelson Bay for a first-pass decision.

QuickProperty mixes release files, Census baselines, and matched local services on this page. Read the status panel before treating every metric as equally fresh.

PRICE POSTURE
NSW price medians are parser-guarded official records.

Official sale records parsed from cached Bulk PSI ZIP files with parser guardrails for token sales, non-house zoning, and low-value strata component records

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using a state market dataset when available.

Use current rent as a starting signal, not as a fixed underwriting truth.

SERVICE POSTURE
Service coverage is matched locally, not inferred nationally.

Schools, transport, and hospitals are useful as presence signals, but they still have different source cadences.

Data status
Property prices
NSW Valuer General · 2025-Q4 · Official sale records parsed from cached Bulk PSI ZIP files with parser guardrails for token sales, non-house zoning, and low-value strata component records
medium stability · automated · every update · weekly
Available
Market rent
NSW Fair Trading · 2026-04 · State market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Crime
BOCSAR · January 2025 - December 2025 · Area-level release dataset
medium stability · automated · every update · release-based
Available
Schools
ACARA 2025 · 1 schools matched
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Hospitals
AIHW · 1 hospitals matched
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Transport
GTFS feeds · 72 matched stops/stations
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Population growth
ABS ERP · 2025 · Annual estimate series
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Building approvals
ABS Building Approvals · 2026 · Annual release series
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Available means a direct local dataset is linked. Verify means coverage exists but freshness or precision is weaker, such as ABS price fallback, Census rent fallback, or low-confidence hospital matching.

Nelson Bay FAQ

Common questions
  1. What LGA is Nelson Bay in?

    Nelson Bay is in the Port Stephens Local Government Area, NSW, postcode 2315. Council-level context for Port Stephens LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.

  2. What is the median house price in Nelson Bay?

    The current median house price in Nelson Bay, NSW is $995K, based on the latest available sales data from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region.

  3. What is the typical weekly rent in Nelson Bay?

    The median weekly rent in Nelson Bay is $650/wk, based on the current market rent dataset. The current rent signal is rent context available.

  4. What does the rent signal say about Nelson Bay?

    Rent context available: Nelson Bay has usable rent context. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates or modelling a purchase; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  5. Is Nelson Bay a good investment?

    QuickProperty's investment signals for Nelson Bay show: Moderate Yield, Below Median, Stretched. These are computed from price, rent, income, and population data — not an opaque score.

  6. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Nelson Bay?

    Property prices come from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region. Demographics are from ABS Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA. Crime statistics are from state police agencies. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  7. How often is the Nelson Bay data updated?

    Property prices update quarterly. RBA macro indicators update with each deploy. Demographics are from Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA 2025.