Little Bay NSW 2036
Little Bay is a suburb in New South Wales, 17 km from Sydney CBD, around 27 minutes by car. Population is 4,817; the median age is 42 and the median household income is $122,928 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 20% nationally. The suburb grew 7.6% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $590 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $3,000. Walkability is high.
Is Little Bay a good suburb?
Little Bay scores a B (68/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit and community, weaker on prices.
Very walkable
Walkability 70/100 · 17.2 km · 27 min drive to Sydney
Above the state median
Median $2.85M · Less affordable than 86% of NSW
Moderate bushfire risk
Fire 45/100 · Crime 48/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 10/10 · median age 42 · 4,817 residents
Liveability Rating
68 / 100 · Ranked #353 in NSWEach bar is Little Bay'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 Little Bay?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
68 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median Unit Price
Public listings dataLittle Bay's unit market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $1.45 million, about 6% above where it sat a year earlier.
Units
$1,450,000
Based on 51 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 27 days — median across 18 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 18 sales $897K
- 2 bed 21 sales $1.48M
- 3 bed 11 sales $2.1M
Houses
$2,850,000
4% above its 3 neighbours (median $2,740,000)
Based on 30 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 28 days — median across 17 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 5 sales $2.33M
- 4 bed 13 sales $2.8M
- 5 bed 9 sales $3.08M
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Little Bay rent for around $1,575 a week on average, based on 8 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$1,575/wk
8 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$1,300/wk
20 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
28 rentals advertised against an estimated 774 rented homes (3.6%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $1,275/wk
- 20 bonds
- +54% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $1,100/wk
- 321 bonds
- +85% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2036 (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 202569 Severely unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 43% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2036.
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.
Short-Stay Rentals
8 active Airbnb listings: 7 whole homes and 1 room. Whole homes are about 0.3% 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 Little Bay safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Little Bay sits in the moderate band, with 155 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 16% on the prior year.
155 offences
15.8% 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
Randwick City Council has published 5 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
1989–2015Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 1.0 km
- Rate
- -0.04 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -1.2 m
- Certainty
- likely rocky coastline
Data Quality
Schools
Universities nearby
1.9% 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
Little Bay is very walkable on foot — at 70/100, most daily errands can be done on foot.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Little Bay.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 105.5 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 95.7 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 79.1 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 23.3 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 Little Bay.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 33%
- Premises covered
- 1,169
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
Randwick: 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 11 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.
Little Bay is home to about 4,800 residents, with a median age of 42, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $123,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.8%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
4,817
Median Age
42
Median Household Income
$122,928/yr
Census Median Rent
$590/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$3,000/mo
Avg Household Size
2.4
Median Personal Income
$59,332/yr
Unemployment Rate
2.8%
Unoccupied Dwellings
10.0%
Total Dwellings
1,857
Owner-Occupier Rate
58.3%
Houses
28.9%
Rental Stress
25.0%
Mortgage Stress
29.3%
Work From Home
48.5%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
90 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 42 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 741 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 57.8%
- English Spoken at Home
- 68.4%
- Employment Rate
- 58.5%
- Completed Year 12
- 56.0%
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.
260 residents (5.4%) 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.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 4,521 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
26% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (611 of 2,333).
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 926 people work here; 2,333 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.4 jobs per working resident. At least 58% 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 $1,641 a year through Randwick based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Parks and recreation 43%
- Residential 35%
- Environmental 17%
- Infrastructure and transport 5%
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: Randwick
In the year to August 2026, 455 new dwellings were approved across Randwick. That mix is 66 houses and 389 units. Approvals are down 25.6% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the La Perouse 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 6.1 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 16.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.64 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 2 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 1.
From the Randwick monitoring station, 5.7 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Sydney Airport AMO, 7.8 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 36 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 611 m
- 1.6 km to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 1,129 mm
- 99 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 27.5°C
- 7 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 9.5°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
22 facilities within 5 km- 1.9 kmPlaster Product ManufacturingTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 2.0 kmWaste Treatment and Disposal ServicesTop reported: Zinc and compounds · Lead & compounds · Chromium (III) compounds
- 2.4 kmSewerage and Drainage ServicesTop reported: Total Nitrogen · Ammonia (total) · Total Phosphorus
- 2.5 kmPulp, Paper and Paperboard ManufacturingTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 2.7 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
EV adoption
In postcode 2036, 333 of 20,962 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.8% (790 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 5.4%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2036, 2,519 rooftop-solar systems totalling 20.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 13,134 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 207 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
13 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2036.
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 $1,450,000 this is $850,000 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 Matt Thistlethwaite Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Matt Thistlethwaite | 67.2% | 32.8% | +3.9 |
| 2022 | Matt Thistlethwaite | 64.5% | 35.5% | -5.7 |
| 2019 | Matt Thistlethwaite | 58.8% | 41.2% | -0.2 |
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 Michael Daley Labor
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Michael Daley ALP | 68.7% |
| 2019 | Michael Daley ALP | 58.5% |
| 2015 | Michael Daley ALP | 60.8% |
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 Little Bay?
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 4,817 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 Little Bay to another suburb
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Common questions about Little Bay
Is Little Bay a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Little Bay is moderate (48/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Little Bay?
Little Bay has a moderate recorded bushfire history (45/100, 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 Little Bay a good place to live?
Little Bay has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (68/100), 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 Little Bay?
Little Bay, NSW had a population of 4,817 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Little Bay, NSW?
The postcode for Little Bay, NSW is 2036.
How far is Little Bay from Sydney?
Little Bay is 17 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 27 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Little Bay?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Little Bay was $122,928 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 Little Bay?
The median advertised rent in Little Bay is $1,575 a week for houses (8 listings) and $1,300 a week for units (20 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Little Bay?
The median age of residents in Little Bay was 42 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Little Bay at risk of bushfire?
Little Bay has a moderate recorded bushfire history (45/100). 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.
Is Little Bay walkable?
Little Bay scores 70/100 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 Little Bay?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Little Bay (Randwick) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.1 µg/m³ and PM10 of 16.8 µg/m³. That puts Little Bay 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 Little Bay?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Little Bay, Sydney Airport AMO (7.8 km away), summer days average 27.5°C, winter nights 9.5°C, 1,129 mm of rain a year over 99 rainy days, and 7 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Little Bay?
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 Little Bay belong to?
Little Bay sits within the Randwick local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Little Bay?
The average residential rates bill through Randwick is $1,641 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Little Bay?
Across Randwick, 455 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 25.6% 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 Little Bay in?
Little Bay sits within the federal Division of Kingsford Smith, currently held by Matt Thistlethwaite (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.