Erowal Bay vs Hyams Beach
Erowal Bay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 65 in Hyams Beach. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Hyams Beach, the large majority of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Hyams Beach: a median of $2 million, against $930,000 in Erowal Bay, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Erowal Bay tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Hyams Beach suits people living alone and older residents.
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
Erowal Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (53% vs 12%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Erowal Bay
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($930,000 vs $2,000,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 37%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Erowal Bay
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (26% vs 11%)
- has cheaper rent ($370/wk vs $450/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Erowal Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (21/100 vs 5/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Erowal Bay is more walkable (21/100 vs 5/100)
- Hyams Beach has more residents already 65 and over (47% vs 27%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Hyams Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (22.3% vs 4.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Erowal Bay and Hyams Beach drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Erowal Bay has more residents (652 vs 137); Hyams Beach skews older (65 vs 49).
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 652 +79% vs other | 137 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.7% | +22.3% |
| Median age | 49 | 65 |
| Median household income | $73,164/yr | $96,200/yr +31% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $370/wk | $450/wk +22% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (10.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $930,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 53 days from 8 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Hyams Beach has more land zoned for conservation (88% vs 78%).
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 78% | 88% |
| Residential | 17% | 5% |
| Parks and recreation | 2% | 1% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 1% |
| Rural and farming | 2% | 1% |
| Planning zones cover 100% of Erowal Bay and 97% of Hyams Beach. 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
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 854 across Shoalhaven same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -10% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 45% of NSW | Higher than 85% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 40% of NSW | Higher than 63% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 70% of NSW | Higher than 48% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 46% of NSW | Higher than 15% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 53% of NSW | Higher than 54% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 87% of NSW | Higher than 65% of NSW |
Liveability
Erowal Bay is more walkable (21 vs 5).
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 30/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 52/100 | Moderate 59/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 56/100 | Moderate 55/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Moderate 40/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 2 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Beaches | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 same for both | |
Mobility
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 21/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 191.9 km | 191.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 164 min | 161 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2540 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 44 postcode 2540 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.1%).
Setting
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 46 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 90 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 2.7 km 2.8 km to a named beach | 794 m 1.1 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 77/100 | 45/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 58% 458 premises | 0% 250 premises |
Climate
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,302 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 23.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 9.6°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,501/yr same for both | |
| Council | Shoalhaven same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gilmore same for both | |
| Member | Fiona Phillips same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Erowal Bay | Hyams Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Erowal Bay
Other comparisons with Hyams Beach
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.