Shoalhaven, NSW
secluded · lush · pastoral · historic
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Drive to the coast
31 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
25 min
By road
Airport access
2h
By road
Schools access
Excellent
Average daytime temp
22.2°C
Rainfall
Moderate rainfall
Kangaroo Valley is tiny, rural and far more dispersed than its name recognition might suggest. Fewer than 900 people live here, so the village centre is only one part of daily life; properties, farms, the river and escarpment country are just as important.
Population has grown by about 6% since 2016, but the scale remains small, and tourism can easily outnumber the permanent community at busy times. The median age is 54 and housing is expensive for such a small place, with a median around $1.34 million.
What residents gain is immediate access to kayaking, rainforest, waterfalls and the historic Hampden Bridge, with the coast about half an hour away. What they give up is convenience. Shopping is very limited, the nearest major hospital is roughly 25 minutes away, and a car is essential for most households.
Internet is listed as fixed wireless rather than fixed line, which is worth checking property by property if remote work is important. Sydney is a little over two hours away and the airport about the same. This is less a move to a town centre than a move into a landscape, and it suits people who are comfortable organising life around distance, local relationships and rural space.
9 photos
Kangaroo Valley is for people who actively want seclusion, rural space and a very small community. Families, retirees, couples and people working remotely can make it work if driving for shops and services is already part of the plan. Anyone wanting an active high street, broad employment options or regular nightlife is looking for a different kind of regional move.
Shopping is limited, the area is car-dependent and the nearest hospital is about 25 minutes away. Tourism is high relative to the tiny population, so visitor periods can be noticeable. Sydney is around 2 hours 15 minutes by road, and the airport is about 2 hours away.
Cross historic Hampden Bridge
Kayak the Kangaroo River
Explore waterfalls rainforest and escarpment scenery
More from Londoner in Sydney
Not sure what are thing best things to do in Kangaroo Valley? Let us help you make the most of your day trip from Sydney or weekend getaway, at one of the best places to visit in NSW.
Read the guideMedian house price
$1,340,000
21% above the NSW median
Median attached price (townhouse/apartment)
$748,000
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$690
≈ $2,990/month
Houses here typically sell from $988,000 to $1,818,000 (25th–75th percentile).
Attached properties typically sell from $581,000 to $835,000.
Sourced from NSW Department of Communities and Justice · January - March 2026 quarter
Healthcare access
Good
Shopping & everyday services
Limited
One supermarket, 10–20km away
Internet connection
Fixed wireless
Plus 15 more within 20km — showing the 8 closest.
Job market by industry
Healthcare — 12.3%
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 Berry, Bowral, Robertson, Huskisson and Ulladulla.
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.
Kangaroo Valley (SAL 12069) · 2021 Census
Older than the country as a whole: 26.2% are 65 or over against 17.2% nationally, and 14.3% are children against 18.2%. Among households, couples without children outnumber couples with them (54.6% of families against 32.5%), and home ownership is high at 82.5% of dwellings against 65.9% nationally.
Population
856
Population growth
+6.2%
Berry - Kangaroo Valley (SA2 114011272)
Median age
54 years
Labour force participation
56.6%
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
$766
Per week · ≈ $39,832/year
Median family income
$2,009
Per week
Median household income
$1,578
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
82.5%
Rented
12.1%
Born in Australia
74.4%
Born overseas
21.7%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.