Caves Beach vs Swansea Heads

Swansea Heads is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 49 in Caves Beach. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Caves Beach has more childcare (3 vs 0)
  • Swansea Heads has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Swansea Heads

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 30%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Swansea Heads

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 26%)
  • has cheaper rent ($380/wk vs $420/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Caves Beach

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (59/100 vs 28/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Caves Beach is more walkable (59/100 vs 28/100)
  • Swansea Heads carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 59/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Caves Beach and Swansea Heads drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Walkability 59 / 28
Caves Beach — Walkability: 59/100 Swansea Heads — Walkability: 28/100
Safety 41 / 52
Caves Beach — Safety: 41/100 Swansea Heads — Safety: 52/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Caves Beach — Low fire risk: 100/100 Swansea Heads — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Caves Beach has more residents (4,016 vs 609); Swansea Heads has higher household incomes ($108,316 vs $84,656).

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Population 4,016
+85% vs other
 609
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -0.9% -0.8%
Median age 49 46
Median household income $84,656/yr $108,316/yr
+28% vs other
Median weekly rent $420/wk
+10% vs other
 $380/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
0-4 3.7% / 4.3%
Caves Beach — 0-4: 3.7% Swansea Heads — 0-4: 4.3%
5-14 12.6% / 12.5%
Caves Beach — 5-14: 12.6% Swansea Heads — 5-14: 12.5%
15-19 5.7% / 5.7%
Caves Beach — 15-19: 5.7% Swansea Heads — 15-19: 5.7%
20-24 5.8% / 5.6%
Caves Beach — 20-24: 5.8% Swansea Heads — 20-24: 5.6%
25-34 7.0% / 7.2%
Caves Beach — 25-34: 7.0% Swansea Heads — 25-34: 7.2%
35-44 10.3% / 14.0%
Caves Beach — 35-44: 10.3% Swansea Heads — 35-44: 14.0%
45-54 12.8% / 11.7%
Caves Beach — 45-54: 12.8% Swansea Heads — 45-54: 11.7%
55-64 14.9% / 17.4%
Caves Beach — 55-64: 14.9% Swansea Heads — 55-64: 17.4%
65-74 15.5% / 14.1%
Caves Beach — 65-74: 15.5% Swansea Heads — 65-74: 14.1%
75-84 8.5% / 6.2%
Caves Beach — 75-84: 8.5% Swansea Heads — 75-84: 6.2%
85+ 3.4% / 2.5%
Caves Beach — 85+: 3.4% Swansea Heads — 85+: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Caves Beach 45.8% couple families
Caves Beach — Couple Families: 45.8% Caves Beach — Lone Person: 31.5% Caves Beach — One Parent Families: 19.2% Caves Beach — Other Families: 0.7% Caves Beach — Group Household: 2.7%
Swansea Heads 48.2% couple families
Swansea Heads — Couple Families: 48.2% Swansea Heads — Lone Person: 24.1% Swansea Heads — One Parent Families: 21.7% Swansea Heads — Other Families: 4.2% Swansea Heads — Group Household: 1.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Other Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Caves Beach 18.4% renting
Caves Beach — Owned Outright: 50.5% Caves Beach — Mortgage: 31.1% Caves Beach — Renting: 18.4%
Swansea Heads 14.9% renting
Swansea Heads — Owned Outright: 50.0% Swansea Heads — Mortgage: 35.1% Swansea Heads — Renting: 14.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Certificate III & IV 17.8% / 21.2%
Caves Beach — Certificate III & IV: 17.8% Swansea Heads — Certificate III & IV: 21.2%
Bachelor Degree 12.3% / 12.6%
Caves Beach — Bachelor Degree: 12.3% Swansea Heads — Bachelor Degree: 12.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.6% / 8.7%
Caves Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6% Swansea Heads — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7%
Postgraduate Degree 3.0% / 3.4%
Caves Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 3.0% Swansea Heads — Postgraduate Degree: 3.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.1% / 2.3%
Caves Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1% Swansea Heads — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
England 3.5% / 2.8%
Caves Beach — England: 3.5% Swansea Heads — England: 2.8%
New Zealand 1.2% / 0.7%
Caves Beach — New Zealand: 1.2% Swansea Heads — New Zealand: 0.7%
Germany 0.4% / 1.1%
Caves Beach — Germany: 0.4% Swansea Heads — Germany: 1.1%
Thailand 0.4% / 1.1%
Caves Beach — Thailand: 0.4% Swansea Heads — Thailand: 1.1%
Scotland 0.5% / —
Caves Beach — Scotland: 0.5% Swansea Heads — Scotland: not among its largest
Philippines 0.4% / —
Caves Beach — Philippines: 0.4% Swansea Heads — Philippines: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Caves Beach 85.5% houses
Caves Beach — Houses: 85.5% Caves Beach — Townhouses: 10.4% Caves Beach — Flats / Apartments: 4.1%
Swansea Heads 90.2% houses
Swansea Heads — Houses: 90.2% Swansea Heads — Townhouses: 6.1% Swansea Heads — Flats / Apartments: 3.7%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Median house price $1,450,000 $1,345,000
Median unit price $1,150,000 —
Median land price — $1,950,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 51 days
from 57 sales
 38 days
from 4 sales

Zoning mix

Swansea Heads has more land zoned for conservation (58% vs 19%).

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Residential 69% 31%
Environmental 19% 58%
Parks and recreation 8% 5%
Industrial 2% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 0%
Planning zones cover 100% of Caves Beach and 94% of Swansea Heads. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
New dwellings approved 1,212
across Lake Macquarie
same for both
Approvals change year on year +2%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Houses 2.8%
$900/wk on $1.67M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
House price Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Income Higher than 54% of NSW Higher than 74% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 84% of NSW Higher than 74% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 28% of NSW Higher than 35% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 88% of NSW Higher than 95% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 14% of NSW —

Liveability

Caves Beach is more walkable (59 vs 28).

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Grade B
same for both
Score 59/100 61/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Caves Beach carries more crime risk (59 vs 48).

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
59/100
 Moderate
48/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
45/100
 Moderate
43/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Inside the suburb 2 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Caves Beach

  • Caves Beach Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Swansea High School Government · Secondary at peers

Schools in Swansea Heads

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 3 0
Parks & reserves 0 3
Childcare 3 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Beaches 2 3

Mobility

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Walkability score 59/100 28/100
Distance to Sydney 130.1 km 130.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 103 min
same for both
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
 50/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 58.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 14.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 2281
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 45
postcode 2281
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Car (driver) 63.9% / 64.2%
Caves Beach — Car (driver): 63.9% Swansea Heads — Car (driver): 64.2%
Worked from Home 30.2% / 29.7%
Caves Beach — Worked from Home: 30.2% Swansea Heads — Worked from Home: 29.7%
Car (passenger) 2.8% / 3.9%
Caves Beach — Car (passenger): 2.8% Swansea Heads — Car (passenger): 3.9%
Bicycle 0.2% / 2.2%
Caves Beach — Bicycle: 0.2% Swansea Heads — Bicycle: 2.2%
Walked Only 2.3% / —
Caves Beach — Walked Only: 2.3% Swansea Heads — Walked Only: not among its largest
Bus 0.6% / —
Caves Beach — Bus: 0.6% Swansea Heads — Bus: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (64.2%).

Setting

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Elevation 22 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 27 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 501 m
552 m to a named beach
 154 m
187 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Connectivity score 78/100 91/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 49%
1,984 premises
 53%
259 premises

Climate

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Annual rainfall 1,272 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.6°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
PM2.5 5.0 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 11.6 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.27 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Average residential rate $1,708/yr
same for both
Council Lake Macquarie
same for both

Federal electorate

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Division Shortland
same for both
Member Pat Conroy
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Caves Beach Swansea Heads
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Caves Beach

Beach Coastal Large Blocks Retirees

Swansea Heads

Beach Beachfront Coastal Large Blocks

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Full data on Caves Beach Full data on Swansea Heads
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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