Hawks Nest vs Tea Gardens

Hawks Nest is the younger of the two, with a median age of 61 against 69 in Tea Gardens. In both, most households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Hawks Nest: a median of $1.2 million, against $938,000 in Tea Gardens, though rent is higher in Tea Gardens. On these figures, Tea Gardens tends to suit older residents 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

Tea Gardens

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 69/100)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (91% vs 74%)

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

First-home buyers

Tea Gardens

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($530,000 vs $800,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($937,500 vs $1,200,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Hawks Nest

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (27% vs 16%)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (30% vs 37%)
  • has cheaper rent ($330/wk vs $365/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Hawks Nest has a shorter drive in (169 min vs 177 min)
  • Tea Gardens sits closer to the CBD (221.4 km vs 226.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Tea Gardens

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 69/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (62% vs 42%)
  • But Hawks Nest has more units and townhouses to downsize into (26% vs 8%)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Hawks Nest and Tea Gardens 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 Tea Gardens
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 Tea Gardens
Walkability 0 / 0
Hawks Nest — Walkability: 0/100 Tea Gardens — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 31 / 58
Hawks Nest — Safety: 31/100 Tea Gardens — Safety: 58/100
Low fire risk 33 / 43
Hawks Nest — Low fire risk: 33/100 Tea Gardens — Low fire risk: 43/100

Demographics

Tea Gardens has more residents (3,288 vs 1,413); Tea Gardens skews older (69 vs 61).

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
Population 1,413 3,288
+133% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +15.5% +14.0%
Median age 61 69
Median household income $56,992/yr
+10% vs other
 $51,532/yr
Median weekly rent $330/wk $365/wk
+11% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
0-4 3.5% / 1.4%
Hawks Nest — 0-4: 3.5% Tea Gardens — 0-4: 1.4%
5-14 6.3% / 4.5%
Hawks Nest — 5-14: 6.3% Tea Gardens — 5-14: 4.5%
15-19 3.1% / 2.6%
Hawks Nest — 15-19: 3.1% Tea Gardens — 15-19: 2.6%
20-24 3.3% / 1.4%
Hawks Nest — 20-24: 3.3% Tea Gardens — 20-24: 1.4%
25-34 6.9% / 2.8%
Hawks Nest — 25-34: 6.9% Tea Gardens — 25-34: 2.8%
35-44 6.1% / 4.9%
Hawks Nest — 35-44: 6.1% Tea Gardens — 35-44: 4.9%
45-54 9.5% / 6.1%
Hawks Nest — 45-54: 9.5% Tea Gardens — 45-54: 6.1%
55-64 19.7% / 14.4%
Hawks Nest — 55-64: 19.7% Tea Gardens — 55-64: 14.4%
65-74 20.9% / 31.5%
Hawks Nest — 65-74: 20.9% Tea Gardens — 65-74: 31.5%
75-84 14.9% / 23.6%
Hawks Nest — 75-84: 14.9% Tea Gardens — 75-84: 23.6%
85+ 6.2% / 7.3%
Hawks Nest — 85+: 6.2% Tea Gardens — 85+: 7.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.5%).

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%
Tea Gardens 61.9% lone person
Tea Gardens — Lone Person: 61.9% Tea Gardens — Couple Families: 20.2% Tea Gardens — One Parent Families: 11.8% Tea Gardens — Group Household: 4.6% Tea Gardens — Other Families: 1.6%
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%
Tea Gardens 15.5% renting
Tea Gardens — Owned Outright: 66.7% Tea Gardens — Mortgage: 17.8% Tea Gardens — Renting: 15.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
Certificate III & IV 17.5% / 18.3%
Hawks Nest — Certificate III & IV: 17.5% Tea Gardens — Certificate III & IV: 18.3%
Bachelor Degree 12.0% / 8.5%
Hawks Nest — Bachelor Degree: 12.0% Tea Gardens — Bachelor Degree: 8.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.4% / 10.1%
Hawks Nest — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4% Tea Gardens — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.1%
Postgraduate Degree 3.5% / 2.5%
Hawks Nest — Postgraduate Degree: 3.5% Tea Gardens — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.6% / 1.3%
Hawks Nest — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6% Tea Gardens — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.3%).

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 Tea Gardens
England 4.3% / 6.6%
Hawks Nest — England: 4.3% Tea Gardens — England: 6.6%
New Zealand 1.8% / 1.7%
Hawks Nest — New Zealand: 1.8% Tea Gardens — New Zealand: 1.7%
South Africa 1.2% / 0.5%
Hawks Nest — South Africa: 1.2% Tea Gardens — South Africa: 0.5%
Scotland — / 0.9%
Hawks Nest — Scotland: not among its largest Tea Gardens — Scotland: 0.9%
India 0.6% / —
Hawks Nest — India: 0.6% Tea Gardens — India: not among its largest
Nepal 0.6% / —
Hawks Nest — Nepal: 0.6% Tea Gardens — Nepal: not among its largest
Germany — / 0.5%
Hawks Nest — Germany: not among its largest Tea Gardens — Germany: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.6%).

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%
Tea Gardens 91.4% houses
Tea Gardens — Houses: 91.4% Tea Gardens — Townhouses: 6.7% Tea Gardens — Flats / Apartments: 1.8%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
Median house price $1,200,000 $937,500
Median unit price $581,500 $600,000
Median land price $800,000 $530,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 24 days
from 11 sales
 63 days
from 21 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
3 bed $1.2M / $815K
Hawks Nest — 3 bed: $1.2M (11 sales) Tea Gardens — 3 bed: $815K (14 sales)

11 vs 14 sales

4 bed $1.18M / $1.01M
Hawks Nest — 4 bed: $1.18M (10 sales) Tea Gardens — 4 bed: $1.01M (27 sales)

10 vs 27 sales

Zoning mix

Tea Gardens has more rural and farming land (70% vs 15%); Hawks Nest has more land zoned for conservation (70% vs 25%).

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
Environmental 70% 25%
Rural and farming 15% 70%
Residential 5% 4%
Parks and recreation 3% 0%
Planning zones cover 93% of Hawks Nest and 100% of Tea Gardens. 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 Tea Gardens
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 Tea Gardens
Houses 3.1%
$550/wk on $920K
 3.0%
$630/wk on $1.1M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
House price Higher than 55% of NSW Higher than 47% of NSW
Income Higher than 17% of NSW —
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 18% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 19% of NSW —
EV adoption Higher than 51% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 26% of NSW Higher than 21% of NSW

Liveability

Tea Gardens scores higher overall (28 vs 21).

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
Grade D
same for both
Score 21/100 28/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Hawks Nest carries more crime risk (69 vs 42); Hawks Nest carries more bushfire risk (67 vs 57).

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
Bushfire Moderate
67/100
 Moderate
57/100
Crime Moderate
69/100
 Moderate
42/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion High
93/100
 High
88/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Hawks Nest

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

Schools in Tea Gardens

  • Tea Gardens Public School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
Supermarkets 1
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 2 6
Parks & reserves 8 6
Childcare 1
same for both
GPs 2 1
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 2
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 4 13

Mobility

Hawks Nest sits further from the CBD (226.3 km vs 221.4 km).

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 226.3 km
+2% vs other
 221.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 169 min 177 min
Public transport score 22/100
Bus
 26/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 4.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 7.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 4 min
scheduled, not actual
 3 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2324
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 2324
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.

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
Car (driver) 56.7% / 68.5%
Hawks Nest — Car (driver): 56.7% Tea Gardens — Car (driver): 68.5%
Worked from Home 27.8% / 20.6%
Hawks Nest — Worked from Home: 27.8% Tea Gardens — Worked from Home: 20.6%
Walked Only 8.0% / 5.1%
Hawks Nest — Walked Only: 8.0% Tea Gardens — Walked Only: 5.1%
Car (passenger) 5.2% / 4.6%
Hawks Nest — Car (passenger): 5.2% Tea Gardens — Car (passenger): 4.6%
Bicycle 2.2% / 1.3%
Hawks Nest — Bicycle: 2.2% Tea Gardens — Bicycle: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.5%).

Setting

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
Elevation 8 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 18 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 674 m 4.8 km

NBN connectivity

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
Connectivity score 72/100 79/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 36%
1,773 premises
 38%
1,855 premises

Climate

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

Hawks Nest Tea Gardens
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

Tea Gardens

Acreage Retirees River

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Full data on Hawks Nest Full data on Tea Gardens
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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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