Kembla Grange vs Kembla Heights
Kembla Grange is the younger of the two, with a median age of 29 against 44 in Kembla Heights. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Kembla Grange, the large majority of households own their home and most households are couple families. In Kembla Heights, the large majority of households rent. On these figures, Kembla Grange tends to suit young adults, families with children, and couples, while Kembla Heights suits renters and share households.
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
Kembla Grange
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (4 vs 1)
- is already more of a family suburb (78% vs 51%)
- But Kembla Heights has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 81%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
Renters
Kembla Heights
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (100% vs 22%)
- has cheaper rent ($355/wk vs $570/wk)
- But Kembla Grange leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 28%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Kembla Heights
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (35/100 vs 8/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (86.2 km vs 94.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Kembla Heights
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (35/100 vs 8/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (16% vs 6%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Kembla Grange
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (476.2% vs -26.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Kembla Grange and Kembla Heights 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
Kembla Grange has more residents (1,452 vs 88); Kembla Grange has higher household incomes ($133,848 vs $65,780).
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,452 +94% vs other | 88 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +476.2% | -26.1% |
| Median age | 29 | 44 |
| Median household income | $133,848/yr +51% vs other | $65,780/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $570/wk +38% vs other | $355/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.9%).
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 (4.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $2,000,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Kembla Heights has more land zoned for conservation (95% vs 31%); Kembla Grange has more industrially zoned land (24% vs 0%).
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 31% | 95% |
| Industrial | 24% | 0% |
| Parks and recreation | 17% | 0% |
| Residential | 12% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 8% | 1% |
| Rural and farming | 7% | 4% |
| 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
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,476 across Wollongong same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -31% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 85% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 90% of NSW | Higher than 28% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 51% of NSW | Higher than 77% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 34% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 82% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 96% of NSW | Higher than 26% of NSW |
Liveability
Kembla Heights is more walkable (35 vs 8).
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 50/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Kembla Heights carries more bushfire risk (82 vs 0).
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | High 82/100 |
| Crime | High 85/100 | High 86/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 8 within 5 km | 5 within 5 km |
Schools
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 UOW Wollongong, 9.1 km | 1 UOW Wollongong, 7.8 km |
Amenities in the suburb
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 1 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 4 | 1 |
Mobility
Kembla Grange sits further from the CBD (94.3 km vs 86.2 km).
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 8/100 | 35/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 94.3 km +9% vs other | 86.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 87 min | 85 min |
| Public transport score | 79/100 Bus | 23/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 48.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 2.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.1% postcode 2526 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2526 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 (83.8%).
Setting
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 40 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 254 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 7.7 km | 8.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 94/100 | 17/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 90% 951 premises | 0% 7 premises |
Climate
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 974 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.9 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 19.8 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.45 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,751/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wollongong same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Whitlam | Cunningham |
| Member | Carol Berry | Alison Byrnes |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Kembla Grange | Kembla Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Kembla Grange
Kembla Heights
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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.