Bendalong is a rural locality in New South Wales, 214 km from Sydney CBD, around 3 hours by car. Population is 135; the median age is 55 and the median household income is $63,648 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the middle range nationally. The locality grew 42.1% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $310 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,000. Bendalong is characterised by high bushfire risk and high crime risk. Walkability is low.
This locality is too small to rate.
The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 135. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.
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Our score
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Median House Price
Public listings dataThe median house sale price in Bendalong sits at $1.38 million, broadly flat year-on-year. That said, only four sales settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level.
$1,382,500
Based on only 4 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Rental Market
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $590/wk
- 49 bonds
- +32% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2539 (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 202598 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 31% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2539.
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.
Is Bendalong safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Bendalong sits in the moderate band, with 7 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 50% on the prior year.
7 offences
50.0% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20252 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the locality 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
Shoalhaven City Council has published 31 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1988–2025Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 2.8 km
- Rate
- -0.09 m/yr
- Net Movement
- 1.9 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
Walkability
Bendalong is very car-dependent on foot — at 5/100, nearly all errands require a car.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Bendalong.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 170
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
Shoalhaven: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Bendalong is home to 135 residents, with a median age of 55 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $64,000 a year, with unemployment at 0.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
135
Median Age
55
Median Household Income
$63,648/yr
Census Median Rent
$310/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,000/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$38,948/yr
Unemployment Rate
0.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
234.0%
Total Dwellings
47
Owner-Occupier Rate
79.1%
Houses
97.9%
Rental Stress
25.3%
Mortgage Stress
37.7%
Work From Home
34.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 80.7%
- English Spoken at Home
- 87.4%
- Employment Rate
- 38.5%
- Completed Year 12
- 40.7%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,501 a year through Shoalhaven based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Environmental 62%
- Rural and farming 28%
- Parks and recreation 6%
- Residential 1%
- Infrastructure and transport 1%
- Not zoned 2%
Planning zones cover 98% of the locality's area. 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 locality around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Shoalhaven
In the year to August 2026, 854 new dwellings were approved across Shoalhaven. That mix is 513 houses and 341 units. Approvals are down 9.5% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Jerrinja 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.
Climate & Setting
from Ulladulla AWS, 14.9 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 54 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 2.8 km
- 2.8 km to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 1,302 mm
- 100 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 23.9°C
- 2 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 9.6°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the locality 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 2539, 127 of 17,647 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.8% (499 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.5%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2539, 5,284 rooftop-solar systems totalling 33.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 12,020 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 298 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
9 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2539.
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 $1,382,500 this is $782,500 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 Fiona Phillips Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Fiona Phillips | 55.1% | 44.9% | +5.0 |
| 2022 | Fiona Phillips | 50.2% | 49.8% | +2.4 |
| 2019 | Fiona Phillips | 52.6% | 47.4% | -3.3 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact locality's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Liza Butler Labor
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Liza Butler ALP | 53.8% |
| 2019 | Shelley Hancock LP | 60.5% |
| 2015 | Shelley Hancock LP | 59.6% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.
Looking at a specific address in Bendalong?
Every figure above is a locality 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 135 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 Bendalong 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 Bendalong
Is Bendalong a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Bendalong is moderate (67/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Bendalong?
Bendalong has a high recorded bushfire history (94/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Bendalong?
Bendalong, NSW had a population of 135 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Bendalong, NSW?
The postcode for Bendalong, NSW is 2539.
How far is Bendalong from Sydney?
Bendalong is 214 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 181 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Bendalong?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Bendalong was $63,648 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 Bendalong?
There are too few current rental listings in Bendalong for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $310, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Bendalong?
The median age of residents in Bendalong was 55 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Bendalong at risk of bushfire?
Bendalong has a high recorded bushfire history (94/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the locality 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.
Is Bendalong walkable?
Bendalong scores 5/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very car-dependent. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the weather like in Bendalong?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Bendalong, Ulladulla AWS (14.9 km away), summer days average 23.9°C, winter nights 9.6°C, 1,302 mm of rain a year over 100 rainy days, and 2 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Bendalong?
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 Bendalong belong to?
Bendalong sits within the Shoalhaven local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Bendalong?
The average residential rates bill through Shoalhaven is $1,501 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Bendalong?
Across Shoalhaven, 854 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 9.5% 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 Bendalong in?
Bendalong sits within the federal Division of Gilmore, currently held by Fiona Phillips (Australian Labor Party).
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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
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- 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.