Hunter, NSW
dolphin-watching · marina · sand-dunes · coastal
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Drive to the coast
0 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
6 min
By road
Airport access
41 min
By road
Schools access
Good
Average daytime temp
22.8°C
Rainfall
Wet
Nelson Bay combines marina life, beaches and a busy visitor economy in an urban area of about 14,600 permanent residents. The median age is 53 and population growth has been modest at roughly 3% since 2016, so the town is established rather than rapidly expanding. Property prices are high, with a median around $1.27 million and three-bedroom rents near $670 a week.
Healthcare is strong, the hospital is only a few minutes away and the airport about 40 minutes, while shopping is adequate rather than comprehensive. Dolphin cruises, Tomaree Head, local beaches and lookouts are obvious visitor attractions, but residents also use the same coastline for walking, swimming and boating throughout the year.
Tourism is heavy, so weekends and holiday periods can make the centre feel much busier than the resident population suggests. Sydney is just under three hours away by road, which keeps the capital within reach for occasional trips rather than everyday commuting. Nelson Bay suits people who like an active marina-and-beach town and do not mind sharing it with visitors. Anyone prioritising quiet, cheap housing or a broad local employment market may find the trade-offs too significant.
6 photos
It suits active retirees, couples, hospitality workers and remote workers who want a social coastal town where the marina, beach and dining are close together. Families can also make it work, particularly if water-based recreation matters more than having a large urban shopping and employment base.
Housing is above the NSW median and tourism is heavy, so peak periods can feel busy. The local shopping base is only moderate, and Newcastle is still a drive away for broader employment and specialist services. Sydney is just under three hours away by road.
Cruise Port Stephens for dolphins
Walk Tomaree Head Summit
Swim at Little Beach
Visit Gan Gan Lookout
Median house price
$1,265,000
14% above the NSW median
Median attached price (townhouse/apartment)
$688,000
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$670
≈ $2,903/month
Houses here typically sell from $1,025,000 to $1,648,000 (25th–75th percentile).
Attached properties typically sell from $609,000 to $883,000.
Sourced from NSW Department of Communities and Justice · January - March 2026 quarter
Healthcare access
Excellent
Shopping & everyday services
Moderate
Supermarket within 10km, limited other retail
Internet connection
Fixed line
Plus 7 more within 20km — showing the 8 closest.
Job market by industry
Healthcare — 12.9%
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 Maitland.
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.
Nelson Bay (UCL 113012) · 2021 Census
Older than the country as a whole: 32.2% are 65 or over against 17.2% nationally, and 13.7% are children against 18.2%. Among households, couples without children outnumber couples with them (52.8% of families against 30.8%).
Population
14,593
Population growth
+2.5%
Nelson Bay Peninsula (SA2 106031121)
Median age
53 years
Labour force participation
48.3%
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
$666
Per week · ≈ $34,632/year
Median family income
$1,690
Per week
Median household income
$1,328
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
69.3%
Rented
27.2%
Born in Australia
77.1%
Born overseas
18.5%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.