Hawks Nest vs Nerong

In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Hawks Nest, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Hawks Nest: a median of $1.2 million, against $489,000 in Nerong, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Hawks Nest tends to suit people living alone, while Nerong suits share households and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Nerong

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (55% vs 35%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 74%)
  • But Hawks Nest has more parks and reserves (8 vs 3)

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

First-home buyers

Nerong

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($142,000 vs $800,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($488,750 vs $1,200,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Hawks Nest

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (27% vs 12%)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (30% vs 36%)

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

Commuting to the city

Nerong

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (157 min vs 169 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (221.7 km vs 226.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Hawks Nest

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (42% vs 35%)

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

Investors

Nerong

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (60.0% vs 15.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Hawks Nest and Nerong drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Hawks Nest Nerong
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.

Hawks Nest Nerong
Walkability 0 / 0
Hawks Nest — Walkability: 0/100 Nerong — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 31 / 22
Hawks Nest — Safety: 31/100 Nerong — Safety: 22/100
Low fire risk 33 / 29
Hawks Nest — Low fire risk: 33/100 Nerong — Low fire risk: 29/100

Demographics

Hawks Nest has more residents (1,413 vs 168); Hawks Nest has higher household incomes ($56,992 vs $44,824).

Hawks Nest Nerong
Population 1,413
+88% vs other
 168
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +15.5% +60.0%
Median age 61 59
Median household income $56,992/yr
+21% vs other
 $44,824/yr
Median weekly rent $330/wk
+6% vs other
 $310/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Hawks Nest Nerong
0-4 3.5% / 4.8%
Hawks Nest — 0-4: 3.5% Nerong — 0-4: 4.8%
5-14 6.3% / 3.0%
Hawks Nest — 5-14: 6.3% Nerong — 5-14: 3.0%
15-19 3.1% / 8.3%
Hawks Nest — 15-19: 3.1% Nerong — 15-19: 8.3%
20-24 3.3% / —
Hawks Nest — 20-24: 3.3% Nerong — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 6.9% / 4.2%
Hawks Nest — 25-34: 6.9% Nerong — 25-34: 4.2%
35-44 6.1% / 9.5%
Hawks Nest — 35-44: 6.1% Nerong — 35-44: 9.5%
45-54 9.5% / 8.9%
Hawks Nest — 45-54: 9.5% Nerong — 45-54: 8.9%
55-64 19.7% / 26.2%
Hawks Nest — 55-64: 19.7% Nerong — 55-64: 26.2%
65-74 20.9% / 25.0%
Hawks Nest — 65-74: 20.9% Nerong — 65-74: 25.0%
75-84 14.9% / 10.1%
Hawks Nest — 75-84: 14.9% Nerong — 75-84: 10.1%
85+ 6.2% / —
Hawks Nest — 85+: 6.2% Nerong — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Hawks Nest 58.7% lone person
Hawks Nest — Lone Person: 58.7% Hawks Nest — Couple Families: 21.3% Hawks Nest — One Parent Families: 14.1% Hawks Nest — Group Household: 3.9% Hawks Nest — Other Families: 1.9%
Nerong 34.1% lone person
Nerong — Lone Person: 34.1% Nerong — Couple Families: 34.1% Nerong — One Parent Families: 20.5% Nerong — Group Household: 11.4% Nerong — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Hawks Nest 27.1% renting
Hawks Nest — Owned Outright: 58.0% Hawks Nest — Mortgage: 14.9% Hawks Nest — Renting: 27.1%
Nerong 12.3% renting
Nerong — Owned Outright: 47.7% Nerong — Mortgage: 40.0% Nerong — Renting: 12.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Hawks Nest Nerong
England 4.3% / 4.2%
Hawks Nest — England: 4.3% Nerong — England: 4.2%
New Zealand 1.8% / 2.4%
Hawks Nest — New Zealand: 1.8% Nerong — New Zealand: 2.4%
South Africa 1.2% / —
Hawks Nest — South Africa: 1.2% Nerong — South Africa: not among its largest
India 0.6% / —
Hawks Nest — India: 0.6% Nerong — India: not among its largest
Nepal 0.6% / —
Hawks Nest — Nepal: 0.6% Nerong — Nepal: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.3%).

Qualifications

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

Hawks Nest Nerong
Certificate III & IV 17.5% / 15.5%
Hawks Nest — Certificate III & IV: 17.5% Nerong — Certificate III & IV: 15.5%
Bachelor Degree 12.0% / 6.0%
Hawks Nest — Bachelor Degree: 12.0% Nerong — Bachelor Degree: 6.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.4% / 8.9%
Hawks Nest — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4% Nerong — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9%
Postgraduate Degree 3.5% / —
Hawks Nest — Postgraduate Degree: 3.5% Nerong — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.6% / —
Hawks Nest — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6% Nerong — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Hawks Nest 74.2% houses
Hawks Nest — Houses: 74.2% Hawks Nest — Townhouses: 17.2% Hawks Nest — Flats / Apartments: 8.5%
Nerong 100.0% houses
Nerong — Houses: 100.0% Nerong — Townhouses: 0.0% Nerong — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Hawks Nest Nerong
Median house price $1,200,000 $488,750
Median unit price $581,500 —
Median land price $800,000 $142,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 11 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Nerong has more rural and farming land (54% vs 15%); Hawks Nest has more land zoned for conservation (70% vs 45%).

Hawks Nest Nerong
Environmental 70% 45%
Rural and farming 15% 54%
Residential 5% 0%
Parks and recreation 3% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 1%
Planning zones cover 93% of Hawks Nest and 100% of Nerong. 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

Hawks Nest Nerong
New dwellings approved 743
across Mid-Coast
same for both
Approvals change year on year +327%
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.

Hawks Nest Nerong
Houses 3.1%
$550/wk on $920K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Hawks Nest Nerong
House price Higher than 55% of NSW Higher than 15% of NSW
Income Higher than 17% of NSW Higher than 7% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 18% of NSW Higher than 37% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 19% of NSW Higher than 58% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 51% of NSW Higher than 34% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 19% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 26% of NSW —

Liveability

Hawks Nest Nerong
Grade D —
Score 21/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Hawks Nest Nerong
Bushfire Moderate
67/100
 High
71/100
Crime Moderate
69/100
 High
78/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion High
93/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Hawks Nest Nerong
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

Hawks Nest Nerong
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 8 3
Childcare 1 0
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Waterways 4 23

Mobility

Hawks Nest sits further from the CBD (226.3 km vs 221.7 km).

Hawks Nest Nerong
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 226.3 km
+2% vs other
 221.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 169 min 157 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2324
 0.3%
postcode 2423
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 2324
 61
postcode 2423

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.

Hawks Nest Nerong
Car (driver) 56.7% / 71.1%
Hawks Nest — Car (driver): 56.7% Nerong — Car (driver): 71.1%
Worked from Home 27.8% / 18.4%
Hawks Nest — Worked from Home: 27.8% Nerong — Worked from Home: 18.4%
Car (passenger) 5.2% / 10.5%
Hawks Nest — Car (passenger): 5.2% Nerong — Car (passenger): 10.5%
Walked Only 8.0% / —
Hawks Nest — Walked Only: 8.0% Nerong — Walked Only: not among its largest
Bicycle 2.2% / —
Hawks Nest — Bicycle: 2.2% Nerong — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (71.1%).

Setting

Hawks Nest Nerong
Elevation 8 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 51 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 674 m 10.6 km

NBN connectivity

Hawks Nest Nerong
Connectivity score 72/100 15/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 36%
1,773 premises
 0%
44 premises

Climate

Hawks Nest Nerong
Annual rainfall 1,181 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.5°C
same for both

Council rates

Hawks Nest Nerong
Average residential rate $1,560/yr
same for both
Council Mid-Coast
same for both

Federal electorate

Hawks Nest Nerong
Division Lyne
same for both
Member Alison Penfold
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Hawks Nest Nerong
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Hawks Nest

Coastal Retirees Rural

Nerong

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Hawks Nest

Hawks Nest vs Tea Gardens

Other comparisons with Nerong

Nerong vs Tea Gardens Nerong vs Bulahdelah Nerong vs North Arm Cove Nerong vs Girvan Nerong vs The Branch Nerong vs Crawford River
Full data on Hawks Nest Full data on Nerong
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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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