Karuah NSW 2324
Karuah is a suburb in New South Wales, 196 km from Sydney CBD, around 2 hours 30 minutes by car. Population is 1,618; the median age is 50 and the median household income is $55,172 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The suburb grew 14.7% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $300 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,444. Karuah is characterised by high bushfire risk and high crime risk. All 1 school within the suburb boundary rank above the state average, and walkability is low.
Is Karuah a good suburb?
Karuah scores a D (12/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit, safety, and community.
Mixed results
1 school · 1 above peer schools
Car-dependent
Walkability 10/100 · 196.5 km · 151 min drive to Sydney
Around the state median
Median $654K · Cheaper than 82% of NSW
High bushfire risk
Fire 76/100 · Crime 74/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 50 · 1,618 residents
Liveability Rating
12 / 100 · Ranked #1547 in NSWEach bar is Karuah'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 Karuah?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
12 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataKaruah's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $654,000, about 8% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$654,000
Based on 58 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 34 days — median across 18 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 27 sales $650K
- 4 bed 19 sales $760K
Land
$350,000
Based on 24 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 102 days — median across 3 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Karuah are currently listed at around $865,000 on average. Based on 24 houses listed in the past six months.
$865K
24 houses listed in the last 6 months.
24 of the suburb's 633 dwellings (3.8%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Karuah rent for around $620 a week on average, based on 21 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$620/wk
21 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
21 rentals advertised against an estimated 132 rented homes (15.9%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $620/wk
- 58 bonds
- +43% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $535/wk
- 18 bonds
- +46% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2324 (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 2025100 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 30% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2324.
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$620/week ($32,000 a year) on a $865,000 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.
Is Karuah safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Karuah sits in the high band, with 89 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 18% on the prior year.
89 offences
17.6% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20259 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
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
Port Stephens Council has published 7 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
1988–2024Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 2.7 km
- Rate
- -0.02 m/yr
- Net Movement
- 6.0 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
One school serve Karuah, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance. Karuah Public School leads the pack.
- • 157 students in one school (avg 157)
Primary
Walkability
Karuah is very car-dependent on foot — at 10/100, nearly all errands require a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Karuah.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 7.8 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 1.2 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 0.2 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 3 min
- Span of service
- 10.4 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 Karuah.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 43%
- Premises covered
- 1,055
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
Port Stephens: 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 5 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.
Karuah is home to about 1,600 residents, with a median age of 50 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $55,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.5%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,618
Median Age
50
Median Household Income
$55,172/yr
Census Median Rent
$300/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,444/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$28,860/yr
Unemployment Rate
5.5%
Unoccupied Dwellings
10.0%
Total Dwellings
633
Owner-Occupier Rate
79.2%
Houses
92.6%
Rental Stress
28.3%
Mortgage Stress
31.4%
Work From Home
12.0%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
6 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 12 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 127 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 80.8%
- English Spoken at Home
- 88.2%
- Employment Rate
- 39.8%
- Completed Year 12
- 19.8%
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.
6 residents (0.4%) 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.
3.5% of residents (53) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Sydney (39).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,528 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 suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 328 people work here; 529 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.6 jobs per working resident. At least 36% 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 $1,359 a year through Port Stephens based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 67%
- Environmental 27%
- Infrastructure and transport 4%
- 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: Port Stephens
In the year to August 2026, 495 new dwellings were approved across Port Stephens. That mix is 294 houses and 201 units. Approvals are down 72.1% 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 Williamtown RAAF, 21.2 kmHigh rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 2 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 2.6 km
- Near high-voltage lines
- 17.2% of addresses
- 279 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 1,181 mm
- 95 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 28.7°C
- 13 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 7.5°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
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
1 facility within 5 km- 3.8 kmOther Construction Material MiningTop reported: Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10) · Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide
EV adoption
In postcode 2324, 101 of 21,048 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.0% (425 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.5%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2324, 6,194 rooftop-solar systems totalling 39.3 MW have been installed since 2001, against 11,531 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 382 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
5 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2324.
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 $654,000 this is $54,000 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 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 suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Kate Washington Labor
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Kate Washington ALP | 69.0% |
| 2019 | Kate Washington ALP | 55.8% |
| 2015 | Kate Washington ALP | 54.7% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this 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 Karuah?
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 1,618 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 Karuah 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 Karuah
Is Karuah a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Karuah is high (74/100, 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 Karuah?
Karuah has a high recorded bushfire history (76/100, 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 Karuah a good place to live?
Karuah has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (12/100), 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 Karuah?
Karuah, NSW had a population of 1,618 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Karuah, NSW?
The postcode for Karuah, NSW is 2324.
How far is Karuah from Sydney?
Karuah is 196 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 151 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Karuah?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Karuah was $55,172 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 Karuah?
The median advertised rent in Karuah is $620 a week for houses (21 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Karuah?
The median age of residents in Karuah was 50 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Karuah at risk of bushfire?
Karuah has a high recorded bushfire history (76/100). 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 Karuah?
There is 1 school inside the Karuah boundary: 1 above similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Karuah walkable?
Karuah scores 10/100 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 Karuah?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Karuah, Williamtown RAAF (21.2 km away), summer days average 28.7°C, winter nights 7.5°C, 1,181 mm of rain a year over 95 rainy days, and 13 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Karuah?
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 Karuah belong to?
Karuah sits within the Port Stephens local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Karuah?
The average residential rates bill through Port Stephens is $1,359 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Karuah?
Across Port Stephens, 495 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 72.1% 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 Karuah in?
Karuah 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
- 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.