Sapphire Coast, NSW
fishing · creative · rugged · seaside
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Drive to the coast
4 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
57 min
By road
Airport access
1h 12m
By road
Schools access
Limited
Average daytime temp
20.3°C
Rainfall
Dry
Bermagui is a small seaside town where fishing, the harbour and the ocean still set the tone more strongly than retail or professional services. About 1,900 people live here and the median age is 58, so the community is older and the permanent population remains modest even after growth of roughly 10% since 2016.
The Blue Pool, coastal walks and serious fishing culture are part of ordinary local life, while a small arts scene adds another layer beyond the water. Housing is around an $877,000 median and three-bedroom rents near $580 a week, not inexpensive for a town with limited services.
The practical constraints are significant: secondary schooling is very limited, the nearest major hospital is close to an hour away and shopping is basic. Canberra is more than 3 hours 30 minutes by road and the airport about 1 hour 10 minutes away. That distance means residents become used to organising bigger errands and appointments rather than doing everything locally.
The climate is mild and the coast is immediate, which is the main compensation. Bermagui works best for people whose lives can fit around a small permanent community, the sea and longer trips for major services, rather than households needing broad schooling, frequent specialist care or a large local job market.
21 photos
Fishing, swimming and time outdoors are likely to shape the week in Bermagui. Retirees, creatives, remote workers and couples who spend a lot of time outside can settle into its small, quiet scale quite naturally. The limits show up quickly if you need broad schooling options, extensive healthcare or a large local employment market close at hand.
Secondary schooling is a major practical issue, with local access limited to primary level, and the hospital is around 57 minutes away. Shopping is basic, and Canberra is more than 3 hours 15 minutes by road. The town works best if you do not need frequent access to larger services.
Swim at the Blue Pool
Go deep-sea or game fishing
Explore the coastal walk and local arts scene
More from Londoner in Sydney
Looking for the best things to do in Bermagui? After our recent visit, we’re sharing why you need to visit this stunning Sapphire Coast region in the South Coast of New South Wales.
Read the guideMedian house price
$877,000
21% below the NSW median
Median attached price (townhouse/apartment)
$472,000
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$580
≈ $2,513/month
Houses here typically sell from $818,000 to $1,159,000 (25th–75th percentile).
Attached properties typically sell from $365,000 to $595,000.
Sourced from NSW Department of Communities and Justice · January - March 2026 quarter
Healthcare access
Moderate
Shopping & everyday services
Moderate
Supermarket within 10km, limited other retail
Internet connection
Fixed line
Job market by industry
Professional & office-based — 11.5%
Largest share of local jobs
Employment figures cover this town's wider statistical region, not the town alone — you'll see the same figures for Narooma, Batemans Bay, Eden, Merimbula, Mystery Bay, Thredbo, Tuross Head, Bega, Central Tilba and Moruya.
The score ranks this region against other regions for the same occupation, not against other jobs here — a low score means it isn't a regional stronghold for that field, not that there are no vacancies. Counts online job advertisements, so trades and farm work hired by word of mouth are undercounted, and outside capital cities this is published at a regional level larger than one town.
Bermagui (SAL 10307) · 2021 Census
Older than the country as a whole: 37% are 65 or over against 17.2% nationally, and 12.9% are children against 18.2%. Among households, couples without children outnumber couples with them (61.8% of families against 24.2%), and home ownership is high at 74.7% of dwellings against 65.9% nationally. Lone-person households are more common than average (34.2% against 25.6%).
Population
1,865
Population growth
+10.4%
Narooma - Bermagui (SA2 101041027)
Median age
58 years
Labour force participation
43.1%
Growth is measured across the wider area named under the figure, which can be a different size to the town.
Share of total population in each band — rounding means these won't land on exactly 100%.
Couples are a share of total families; lone-person households are a share of total households — different bases, not one breakdown.
Median personal income
$602
Per week · ≈ $31,304/year
Median family income
$1,313
Per week
Median household income
$1,022
Per week
Personal is one person's income; family and household cover everyone living together — a single-income household will show a lower household figure than its highest earner's personal one. Personal income also covers every resident aged 15 and over, retirees included, so it reads low in a town with an older population even where household income is solid.
Owner-occupied
74.7%
Rented
23.6%
Born in Australia
76.8%
Born overseas
13.9%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.