Bulahdelah NSW 2423
Bulahdelah is a town in New South Wales, 244 km from Sydney CBD, around 2 hours 55 minutes by car. Population is 1,538; the median age is 54 and the median household income is $50,076 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The town grew 8.0% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $295 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,236. Bulahdelah is characterised by high crime risk and high bushfire risk. 2 schools sit within the town boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Bulahdelah a good town?
Bulahdelah scores a D (8/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit, safety, and community.
Mixed results
2 schools
Car-dependent
Walkability 6/100 · 243.7 km · 176 min drive to Sydney
Around the state median
Median $565K · Cheaper than 81% of NSW
High bushfire risk
Fire 80/100 · Crime 83/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 54 · 1,538 residents
Liveability Rating
8 / 100 · Ranked #1561 in NSWEach bar is Bulahdelah's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
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 Bulahdelah?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
8 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataBulahdelah's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $565,000, about 1% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$565,000
Based on 35 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 148 days — median across 11 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 5 sales $470K
- 3 bed 17 sales $577K
- 4 bed 11 sales $620K
Land
$505,000
Based on 10 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Bulahdelah are currently listed at around $640,000 on average. Based on 8 houses listed in the past six months.
$640K
8 houses listed in the last 6 months.
8 of the suburb's 620 dwellings (1.3%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Short-Stay Rentals
4 active Airbnb listings: 4 whole homes and 0 rooms. Whole homes are about 0.6% 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 Bulahdelah safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Bulahdelah sits in the high band, with 134 incidents recorded in 2025 — up 0.8% on the prior year.
134 offences
0.8% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202511 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
Mid-Coast Council has published 38 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
- REVIEW OF BULAHDELAH FLOODPLAIN RISK MANAGEMENT STUDY AND PLAN 2026
- Gloucester Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan 2021
- Final Port Stephens Foreshore (Floodplain) Risk Management Study and Plan Review 2021
- Karuah River and Stroud Floodplain Risk Management Study 2020
- Manning River Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan 2020
Schools
Two schools serve Bulahdelah, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 361 students across 2 schools (avg 180)
- • Sectors: 1 Government, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 902-980, median 941 (below the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Bulahdelah Central School (289 students)
Primary
Combined
Walkability
Bulahdelah is very car-dependent on foot — at 6/100, nearly all errands require a car. Within the town there are 1 supermarket, 3 parks and 4 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Bulahdelah.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 10.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 3.9 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 0.2 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 11.4 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 Bulahdelah.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 1%
- Premises covered
- 715
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
Mid-Coast: 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
Bulahdelah is home to about 1,500 residents, with a median age of 54 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $50,000 a year, with unemployment at 7.6%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,538
Median Age
54
Median Household Income
$50,076/yr
Census Median Rent
$295/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,236/mo
Avg Household Size
2.2
Median Personal Income
$26,728/yr
Unemployment Rate
7.6%
Unoccupied Dwellings
12.7%
Total Dwellings
620
Owner-Occupier Rate
79.1%
Houses
96.3%
Rental Stress
30.6%
Mortgage Stress
29.6%
Work From Home
14.7%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 83.1%
- English Spoken at Home
- 90.6%
- Employment Rate
- 40.7%
- Completed Year 12
- 23.1%
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.
9 residents (0.6%) 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.
3.3% of residents (50) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Sydney (40).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,501 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
Local Jobs
People who work in this town against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 500 people work here; 535 employed residents live here.
Roughly as many jobs as working residents (0.9 per resident).
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 $1,560 a year through Mid-Coast based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 76%
- Environmental 22%
- Infrastructure and transport 1%
- 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: Mid-Coast
In the year to August 2026, 743 new dwellings were approved across Mid-Coast. That mix is 672 houses and 71 units. Approvals are up 327.0% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Karuah 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 Chichester Dam, 49.2 kmHigh rainfall.
- Elevation
- 13 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 21.6 km
- Near high-voltage lines
- 0.5% of addresses
- 6 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 1,327 mm
- 112 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 2423, 11 of 3,225 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.4% (44 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.7%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2423, 975 rooftop-solar systems totalling 6.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,607 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 57 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
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 $565,000 this is under 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 Alison Penfold The Nationals
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Alison Penfold | 40.2% | 59.8% | +4.0 |
| 2022 | David Gillespie | 36.2% | 63.8% | -1.4 |
| 2019 | David Gillespie | 34.8% | 65.2% | +3.5 |
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 Tanya Thompson The Nationals
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Tanya Thompson NP | 65.8% |
| 2019 | Stephen Bromhead NP | 59.2% |
| 2015 | Stephen Bromhead NP | 58.7% |
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 Bulahdelah?
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 1,538 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 Bulahdelah 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 Bulahdelah
Is Bulahdelah a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Bulahdelah is high (83/100, 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 Bulahdelah?
Bulahdelah has a high recorded bushfire history (80/100, 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 Bulahdelah a good place to live?
Bulahdelah has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (8/100), 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 Bulahdelah?
Bulahdelah, NSW had a population of 1,538 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Bulahdelah, NSW?
The postcode for Bulahdelah, NSW is 2423.
How far is Bulahdelah from Sydney?
Bulahdelah is 244 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 176 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Bulahdelah?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Bulahdelah was $50,076 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 Bulahdelah?
There are too few current rental listings in Bulahdelah for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $295, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Bulahdelah?
The median age of residents in Bulahdelah was 54 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Bulahdelah at risk of bushfire?
Bulahdelah has a high recorded bushfire history (80/100). 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 Bulahdelah?
There are 2 schools inside the Bulahdelah boundary: 2 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Bulahdelah walkable?
Bulahdelah scores 6/100 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 Bulahdelah?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Bulahdelah, Chichester Dam (49.2 km away), 1,327 mm of rain a year over 112 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Bulahdelah?
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 Bulahdelah belong to?
Bulahdelah sits within the Mid-Coast local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Bulahdelah?
The average residential rates bill through Mid-Coast is $1,560 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Bulahdelah?
Across Mid-Coast, 743 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 327.0% 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 Bulahdelah in?
Bulahdelah sits within the federal Division of Lyne, currently held by Alison Penfold (The Nationals).
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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
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- 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
- 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.
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