Illawong NSW 2234
Located in New South Wales, Illawong sits 35 km from Sydney CBD, around 37 minutes by car. The suburb has 7,427 residents, a median age of 44, and a median household income of $144,456 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 20% nationally. Population grew 2.1% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $650 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,976. The area shows high bushfire risk. Of 3 schools within the suburb boundary, 1 ranks above the state average, and walkability is moderate.
Is Illawong a good suburb?
Illawong scores a B (62/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on schools, transit, and community, weaker on safety.
Above the state average
3 schools · 1 above peer schools · Top 24% in NSW
Very walkable
Walkability 62/100 · 35.2 km · 37 min drive to Sydney
Around the state median
Median $1.96M · Pricier than 84% of NSW
High bushfire risk
Fire 86/100 · Crime 24/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 10/10 · median age 44 · 7,427 residents
Liveability Rating
62 / 100 · Ranked #470 in NSWEach bar is Illawong'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 Illawong?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
62 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataIllawong's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $1.96 million, about 3% above where it sat a year earlier.
$1,955,000
10% above its 7 neighbours (median $1,780,200)
Based on 56 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 29 days — median across 33 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 11 sales $1.96M
- 4 bed 24 sales $1.87M
- 5 bed 15 sales $2.24M
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Illawong are currently listed at around $2.05 million on average. Based on 6 houses listed in the past six months.
$2.05M
6 houses listed in the last 6 months.
7 of the suburb's 2,346 dwellings (0.3%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Illawong rent for around $1,250 a week on average, based on 11 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$1,250/wk
9% above its 3 neighbours (median $1,150/wk)
11 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
13 rentals advertised against an estimated 190 rented homes (6.8%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 2-bed units
- $675/wk
- 11 bonds
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2234 (NSW publishes bonds by postcode, which can cover several suburbs). Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 202575 Severely unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 40% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2234.
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$1,250/week ($65,000 a year) on a $2.05 million median
Based on a small sample (6 listings) — indicative only.
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
2 active Airbnb listings: 2 whole homes and 0 rooms. Whole homes are about 0.1% 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 Illawong safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Illawong sits in the low band, with 113 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 20% on the prior year.
113 offences
20.2% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20253 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
Sutherland Shire Council has published 6 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
Schools
Three schools serve Illawong, and results are mixed — some outperforming peer-suburb schools, some below. Menai High School leads the pack.
- • 1,581 students across 3 schools (avg 527)
- • ICSEA 1046-1085, median 1069 (above the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Menai High School (1,062 students)
Primary
Secondary
Universities nearby
3.0% 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
Illawong is somewhat walkable on foot — at 62/100, a short cluster of errands work on foot but most trips still benefit from a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Illawong.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 174.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 96.2 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 66.6 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 19.0 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 Illawong.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 1%
- Premises covered
- 2,545
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
Sutherland: 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 21 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 4 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Illawong is home to about 7,400 residents, with a median age of 44, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $144,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.1%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
7,427
Median Age
44
Median Household Income
$144,456/yr
Census Median Rent
$650/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,976/mo
Avg Household Size
3.1
Median Personal Income
$51,220/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.1%
Unoccupied Dwellings
3.6%
Total Dwellings
2,346
Owner-Occupier Rate
91.9%
Houses
92.6%
Rental Stress
23.4%
Mortgage Stress
24.7%
Work From Home
46.3%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 74.4%
- English Spoken at Home
- 73.8%
- Employment Rate
- 60.6%
- Completed Year 12
- 52.0%
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.
70 residents (0.9%) 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 7,041 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
14% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (536 of 3,718).
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 suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 1,044 people work here; 3,718 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.3 jobs per working resident. At least 71% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
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 $1,552 a year through Sutherland based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Environmental 91%
- Infrastructure and transport 3%
- Parks and recreation 3%
- Residential 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 suburb around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Sutherland
In the year to August 2026, 1,449 new dwellings were approved across Sutherland. That mix is 213 houses and 1,236 units. Approvals are up 117.3% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Gandangara 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 6.5 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 16.1 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.79 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Earlwood monitoring station, 12.6 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Lucas Heights (Ansto), 8.2 kmHigh rainfall.
- Elevation
- 77 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 8.0 km
- Near high-voltage lines
- 12.0% of addresses
- 332 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 1,038 mm
- 89 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.
EV adoption
In postcode 2234, 329 of 23,089 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.5% (800 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 4.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2234, 4,875 rooftop-solar systems totalling 37.0 MW have been installed since 2001, against 10,042 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 386 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 this suburb, 12 across postcode 2234.
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 $1,955,000 this is $1,355,000 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 David Moncrieff Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | David Moncrieff | 53.1% | 46.9% | +6.5 |
| 2022 | Jenny Ware | 43.0% | 57.0% | -2.8 |
| 2019 | Craig Kelly | 40.1% | 59.9% | +0.5 |
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 Eleni Petinos Liberal
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Eleni Petinos LP | 52.4% |
| 2019 | Eleni Petinos LP | 64.6% |
| 2015 | Eleni Petinos LP | 63.0% |
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 Illawong?
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 7,427 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.
Featured in
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
Oatley NSW 2223
Menai NSW 2234
Lugarno NSW 2210
Bangor NSW 2234
Como NSW 2226
Alfords Point NSW 2234
Compare Illawong 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 Illawong
Is Illawong a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Illawong is low (24/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Illawong?
Illawong has a high recorded bushfire history (86/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Illawong a good place to live?
Illawong has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (62/100), 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 Illawong?
Illawong, NSW had a population of 7,427 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Illawong, NSW?
The postcode for Illawong, NSW is 2234.
How far is Illawong from Sydney?
Illawong is 35 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 37 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Illawong?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Illawong was $144,456 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 Illawong?
The median advertised rent in Illawong is $1,250 a week for houses (11 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Illawong?
The median age of residents in Illawong was 44 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Illawong at risk of bushfire?
Illawong has a high recorded bushfire history (86/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb 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 Illawong?
There are 3 schools inside the Illawong boundary: 1 above and 2 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Illawong walkable?
Illawong scores 62/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it somewhat 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 Illawong?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Illawong (Earlwood) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.5 µg/m³ and PM10 of 16.1 µg/m³. That puts Illawong 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 Illawong?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Illawong, Lucas Heights (Ansto) (8.2 km away), 1,038 mm of rain a year over 89 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Illawong?
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 Illawong belong to?
Illawong sits within the Sutherland local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Illawong?
The average residential rates bill through Sutherland is $1,552 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Illawong?
Across Sutherland, 1,449 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 117.3% 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 Illawong in?
Illawong sits within the federal Division of Hughes, currently held by David Moncrieff (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
- 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.