Bellingen NSW 2454
Located in New South Wales, Bellingen sits 516 km from Sydney CBD, around 5 hours 40 minutes by car. The town has 3,923 residents, a median age of 44, and a median household income of $65,936 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The town grew 3.8% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $390 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,477. Bellingen is characterised by high crime risk. 5 schools sit within the town boundary, and walkability is high.
Is Bellingen a good town?
Bellingen scores a C (34/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, weaker on schools and safety.
Below the state average
5 schools · Bottom 4% in NSW
Very walkable
Walkability 76/100 · 516.5 km · 341 min drive to Sydney
Around the state median
Median $858K
High crime risk
Fire 29/100 · Crime 78/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 4/10 · median age 44 · 3,923 residents
Liveability Rating
34 / 100 · Ranked #1159 in NSWEach bar is Bellingen's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
No flood data is published for New South Wales — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.
How do you rate the liveability in Bellingen?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
34 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataBellingen's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $858,000, 0.3% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$857,675
Based on 96 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 58 days — median across 37 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 10 sales $690K
- 3 bed 42 sales $838K
- 4 bed 30 sales $882K
- 5 bed 9 sales $1.1M
Land
$485,000
Based on 17 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 98 days — median across 8 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Bellingen are currently listed at around $1.18 million on average. Based on 54 houses listed in the past six months.
$1.18M
54 houses listed in the last 6 months.
56 of the suburb's 1,469 dwellings (3.8%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Bellingen rent for around $678 a week on average, based on 18 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$678/wk
18 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
20 rentals advertised against an estimated 391 rented homes (5.1%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $655/wk
- 14 bonds
- +27% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2454 (NSW publishes bonds by postcode, which can cover several suburbs). Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 202589 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 34% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2454.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$678/week ($35,000 a year) on a $1.18 million median
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Short-Stay Rentals
102 active Airbnb listings: 86 whole homes and 16 rooms. Whole homes are about 5.5% of the town's homes.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Is Bellingen safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Bellingen sits in the high band, with 249 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 12% on the prior year.
249 offences
12.3% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202512 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the town carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Council Flood Studies
Bellingen Shire Council has published 9 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
Schools
Five schools serve Bellingen, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 926 students across 3 schools (avg 309)
- • Sectors: 2 Government, 2 Independent, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 998-1039, median 1006 (around the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Bellingen High School (584 students)
Primary
Secondary
Walkability
Bellingen is very walkable on foot — at 76/100, most daily errands can be done on foot. Within the town there are 1 supermarket, 13 parks and 15 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Bellingen.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 31.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 12.0 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 0.9 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 13.0 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Bellingen.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 39%
- Premises covered
- 1,944
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Bellingen: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this town alone — this town's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 15 small areas inside this town and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 5 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this town rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Bellingen is home to about 3,900 residents, with a median age of 44, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $66,000 a year, with unemployment at 6.2%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
3,923
Median Age
44
Median Household Income
$65,936/yr
Census Median Rent
$390/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,477/mo
Avg Household Size
2.4
Median Personal Income
$33,852/yr
Unemployment Rate
6.2%
Unoccupied Dwellings
6.9%
Total Dwellings
1,469
Owner-Occupier Rate
73.4%
Houses
93.2%
Rental Stress
30.8%
Mortgage Stress
26.9%
Work From Home
23.9%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
19 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 20 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 380 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 77.2%
- English Spoken at Home
- 87.6%
- Employment Rate
- 52.1%
- Completed Year 12
- 41.2%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
39 residents (1.0%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
9.5% of residents (356) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Sydney (250).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 3,740 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
1% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (21 of 1,612).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this town against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 1,484 people work here; 1,612 employed residents live here.
Roughly as many jobs as working residents (0.9 per resident). At least 4% of employed residents must work outside the town.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,592 a year through Bellingen based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 71%
- Environmental 13%
- Residential 13%
- Parks and recreation 2%
- Zones under 1% 1%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the town around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Bellingen
In the year to August 2026, 40 new dwellings were approved across Bellingen. That mix is 36 houses and 4 units. Approvals are up 12.5% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Bowraville Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Local Aboriginal Land Councils are statutory bodies under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, responsible for land claims and land management for their members. Their boundaries are administrative and are not a statement of whose Country this is. NSW does not publish a register of Aboriginal parties by area — they are registered for each project.
Air Quality
CLEANPM2.5 averaged 4.3 µg/m³ in 2025 — below the WHO 2021 annual guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 10.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.22 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Coffs Harbour monitoring station, 27.9 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Lower Bucca, 38.1 kmHigh rainfall.
- Elevation
- 53 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 14.4 km
- Annual rainfall
- 1,827 mm
- 115 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
Elevation is the ground at the town centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
EV adoption
In postcode 2454, 62 of 6,573 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.1% (138 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.0%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2454, 2,303 rooftop-solar systems totalling 13.3 MW have been installed since 2001, against 3,274 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 136 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$10,000 for new homes priced up to $600,000.
Off-the-plan or contracted-build value cap is $750,000 (vs $600,000 for completed new homes). Stamp duty concessions are a separate scheme (First Home Buyers Assistance).
Mortgage repayments
1 mortgage broker is registered in postcode 2454.
Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Revenue NSW
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $600,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with Revenue NSW.
At $857,675 this is $257,675 above the $600,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Revenue NSW.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Pat Conaghan The Nationals
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Pat Conaghan | 40.9% | 59.1% | +0.5 |
| 2022 | Pat Conaghan | 40.5% | 59.5% | -2.4 |
| 2019 | Pat Conaghan | 38.1% | 61.9% | -0.7 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact town's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Michael Kemp The Nationals
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Michael Kemp NP | 62.8% |
| 2019 | Melinda Pavey NP | 64.9% |
| 2015 | Melinda Pavey NP | 60.9% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this town's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.
Looking at a specific address in Bellingen?
Every figure above is a town average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 3,923 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Nearby suburbs
Compare Bellingen to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Bellingen
Is Bellingen a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Bellingen is high (78/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Bellingen?
Bellingen has a low recorded bushfire history (29/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Bellingen a good place to live?
Bellingen has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (34/100), ranked against other NSW suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Bellingen?
Bellingen, NSW had a population of 3,923 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Bellingen, NSW?
The postcode for Bellingen, NSW is 2454.
How far is Bellingen from Sydney?
Bellingen is 516 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 341 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Bellingen?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Bellingen was $65,936 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Bellingen?
The median advertised rent in Bellingen is $678 a week for houses (18 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Bellingen?
The median age of residents in Bellingen was 44 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Bellingen at risk of bushfire?
Bellingen has a low recorded bushfire history (29/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the town relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
How are the schools in Bellingen?
There are 5 schools inside the Bellingen boundary: 2 at and 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Bellingen walkable?
Bellingen scores 76/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the air quality in Bellingen?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Bellingen (Coffs Harbour) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 4.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 10.8 µg/m³. That puts Bellingen below the WHO annual guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Bellingen?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Bellingen, Lower Bucca (38.1 km away), 1,827 mm of rain a year over 115 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Bellingen?
First-home buyers in NSW may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $600,000. The grant is administered by Revenue NSW; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Bellingen belong to?
Bellingen sits within the Bellingen local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Bellingen?
The average residential rates bill through Bellingen is $1,592 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Bellingen?
Across Bellingen, 40 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 12.5% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Bellingen in?
Bellingen sits within the federal Division of Cowper, currently held by Pat Conaghan (The Nationals).
Search another suburb or address
Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- State electorate · 2023
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.