Freshwater NSW 2096
Located in New South Wales, Freshwater sits 17 km from Sydney CBD, around 28 minutes by car. The suburb has 9,186 residents, a median age of 37, and a median household income of $141,752 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 20% nationally. Population grew 3.6% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $600 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $3,055. The area shows no recorded bushfire exposure. 2 schools sit within the suburb boundary, and walkability is high.
Is Freshwater a good suburb?
Freshwater scores a A+ (88/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, safety, and community, weaker on prices.
Mixed results
2 schools
Very walkable
Walkability 82/100 · 16.8 km · 28 min drive to Sydney
Above the state median
Median $3.8M · Less affordable than 93% of NSW
Low all-round risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 31/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 10/10 · median age 37 · 9,186 residents
Liveability Rating
88 / 100 · Ranked #58 in NSWEach bar is Freshwater'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 Freshwater?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
88 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median Unit Price
Public listings dataFreshwater's unit market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $1.2 million, about 4% below where it sat a year earlier.
Units
$1,202,500
7% below its 3 neighbours (median $1,295,000)
Based on 126 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 14 days — median across 30 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 27 sales $855K
- 2 bed 91 sales $1.25M
- 3 bed 6 sales $3.06M
Houses
$3,800,000
17% above its 3 neighbours (median $3,250,000)
Based on 63 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 22 days — median across 16 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 5 sales $3.71M
- 3 bed 18 sales $3.45M
- 4 bed 23 sales $4.42M
- 5 bed 11 sales $4.25M
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Freshwater are currently listed at around $3 million on average. Based on 3 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$3M
3 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$1.12M
13 units listed in the last 6 months.
16 of the suburb's 3,577 dwellings (0.4%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Freshwater rent for around $2,525 a week on average, based on 14 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$2,525/wk
14 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$862/wk
46 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
60 rentals advertised against an estimated 1,345 rented homes (4.5%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 2-bed units
- $900/wk
- 92 bonds
- +34% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2096 (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 202586 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 35% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2096.
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$2,525/week ($131,000 a year) on a $3 million median
Based on a small sample (3 listings) — indicative only.
$862/week ($45,000 a year) on a $1.12 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
93 active Airbnb listings: 89 whole homes and 4 rooms. Whole homes are about 2.3% of the suburb'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 Freshwater safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Freshwater sits in the low band, with 181 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 12% on the prior year.
181 offences
11.7% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20257 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb 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
Northern Beaches Council has published 17 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
1989–2024Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 862 m
- Rate
- -0.13 m/yr
- Net Movement
- 8.9 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
Two schools serve Freshwater, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 1,044 students across 2 schools (avg 522)
- • Sectors: 1 Government, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 1134-1137, median 1136 (well above the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Harbord Public School (881 students)
Primary
Universities nearby
2.0% of residents here are full-time university students aged 15–24.
Distance is measured to the suburb centre. A campus nearby does not by itself mean a student rental market — most suburbs within a few kilometres of one have a student share close to the national norm, and the figure above is what tells them apart.
Walkability
Freshwater is very walkable on foot — at 82/100, most daily errands can be done on foot. Within the suburb there are 1 supermarket, 7 parks and 12 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Freshwater.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 281.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 148.7 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 113.7 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 19.2 hours
- Direct to CBD (peak)
- 1 min wait
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 Freshwater.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 31%
- Premises covered
- 4,229
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
Northern Beaches: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 25 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 2 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the suburb closely.
Freshwater is home to about 9,200 residents, with a median age of 37, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $142,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.6%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
9,186
Median Age
37
Median Household Income
$141,752/yr
Census Median Rent
$600/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$3,055/mo
Avg Household Size
2.5
Median Personal Income
$70,460/yr
Unemployment Rate
2.6%
Unoccupied Dwellings
8.1%
Total Dwellings
3,577
Owner-Occupier Rate
62.4%
Houses
41.7%
Rental Stress
22.0%
Mortgage Stress
25.9%
Work From Home
56.8%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
35 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 7 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 1,308 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 67.6%
- English Spoken at Home
- 84.5%
- Employment Rate
- 70.7%
- Completed Year 12
- 61.6%
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.
515 residents (5.6%) 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.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 8,582 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
24% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (1,284 of 5,272).
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.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,696 a year through Northern Beaches based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 86%
- Parks and recreation 12%
- Commercial 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 suburb around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Northern Beaches
In the year to August 2026, 620 new dwellings were approved across Northern Beaches. That mix is 331 houses and 289 units. Approvals are up 50.6% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Metropolitan 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
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 6.3 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 13.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.84 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Cook And Phillip monitoring station, 12.6 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Macquarie Park (Willandra Village), 15.9 kmHigh rainfall.
- Elevation
- 19 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 821 m
- 876 m to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 1,176 mm
- 92 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
Elevation is the ground at the suburb 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.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
3 facilities within 5 km- 1.4 kmBeer ManufacturingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Ethanol
- 4.0 kmSewerage and Drainage ServicesTop reported: Total Nitrogen · Ammonia (total) · Total Phosphorus
- 4.5 kmElectric Cable and Wire ManufacturingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
EV adoption
In postcode 2096, 217 of 9,497 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.5% (330 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 5.8%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2096, 1,200 rooftop-solar systems totalling 8.6 MW have been installed since 2001, against 6,330 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 130 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
3 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 5 across postcode 2096.
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 $1,202,500 this is $602,500 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 Zali Steggall Independent
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Zali Steggall | 54.5% | 45.5% | +5.2 |
| 2022 | Zali Steggall | 48.6% | 51.4% | -0.7 |
| 2019 | Zali Steggall | 47.9% | 52.1% | -9.0 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by James Griffin Liberal
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | James Griffin LP | 54.9% |
| 2019 | James Griffin LP | 62.9% |
| 2015 | Mike Baird LP | 74.5% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.
Looking at a specific address in Freshwater?
Every figure above is a suburb 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 9,186 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.
Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Sydney There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Sydney suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
Compare Freshwater to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Freshwater
Is Freshwater a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Freshwater is low (31/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Freshwater?
Freshwater has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Freshwater a good place to live?
Freshwater has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of A+ (88/100), 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 Freshwater?
Freshwater, NSW had a population of 9,186 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Freshwater, NSW?
The postcode for Freshwater, NSW is 2096.
How far is Freshwater from Sydney?
Freshwater is 17 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 28 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Freshwater?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Freshwater was $141,752 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 Freshwater?
The median advertised rent in Freshwater is $2,525 a week for houses (14 listings) and $862 a week for units (46 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Freshwater?
The median age of residents in Freshwater was 37 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Freshwater?
There are 2 schools inside the Freshwater boundary: 1 at and 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Freshwater walkable?
Freshwater scores 82/100 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 Freshwater?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Freshwater (Cook And Phillip) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 13.8 µg/m³. That puts Freshwater below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Freshwater?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Freshwater, Macquarie Park (Willandra Village) (15.9 km away), 1,176 mm of rain a year over 92 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Freshwater?
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 Freshwater belong to?
Freshwater sits within the Northern Beaches local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Freshwater?
The average residential rates bill through Northern Beaches is $1,696 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Freshwater?
Across Northern Beaches, 620 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 50.6% 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 Freshwater in?
Freshwater sits within the federal Division of Warringah, currently held by Zali Steggall (Independent).
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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
- 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.