Nelsons Plains NSW 2324

Nelsons Plains sits 171 km from Sydney CBD in New South Wales, around 2 hours 5 minutes by car. Census data records 326 residents with a median age of 48 and a median household income of $117,000 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 40% nationally. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $553 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,100. The area shows high crime risk. Walkability is low.

This locality is too small to rate.

The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 326. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.

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Median House Price

Public listings data

The median house sale price in Nelsons Plains sits at $1.98 million, broadly flat year-on-year. That said, only four sales settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level.

$1,975,000

Based on only 4 sales — small sample, take as indicative.

Rental Market

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 2025

100 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.

Is Nelsons Plains safe? Crime statistics

2025

Crime in Nelsons Plains sits in the moderate band, with 14 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 1300% on the prior year.

14 offences

1300.0% since 2024
Theft 6 (42.9%)
Assault 4 (28.6%)
Property Damage 2 (14.3%)
Arson 1 (7.1%)
Harassment & Stalking 1 (7.1%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

7 crashes

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital

Where they happened

Raymond Terrace Road 4 (57.1%)
Seaham Road 3 (42.9%)

Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the locality 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.

All 7 on the portal

Schools

No schools in this locality boundary.

Walkability

Nelsons Plains is very car-dependent on foot — at 14/100, nearly all errands require a car.

14
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Public Transport within 1 km 48
Schools within 1.5 km 0
Parks within 800 m 0
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 0
Hospitals within 5 km 0

NBN connectivity

The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Nelsons Plains.

30
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
116
Technology mix
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 99%
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 1%

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

Supermarkets
None
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
None
Parks & Reserves
None
Sport & Recreation
None
Beaches
None
Waterways
None
Childcare
1 in locality
GPs
None
Pharmacies
None
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
None
Fuel Stations
None
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
None
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
None

Port Stephens: council population

The whole council area, not just Nelsons Plains · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
80,070
+1.3% in a year
Change
+1,022
people since 2024
Density
93
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+48
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+716
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+258
arrivals minus departures

The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.

Socio-economic profile

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
8/10
8/10 within NSW
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
10/10
10/10 within NSW
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
5/10
4/10 within NSW
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Nelsons Plains is home to 326 residents, with a median age of 48, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $117,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.0%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

326

Median Age

48

Median Household Income

$117,000/yr

Top 19% in NSW

Census Median Rent

$553/wk

Census Median Mortgage

$2,100/mo

Avg Household Size

3.0

Median Personal Income

$43,004/yr

Unemployment Rate

2.0%

Unoccupied Dwellings

8.6%

Total Dwellings

93

Owner-Occupier Rate

96.8%

Houses

98.9%

Rental Stress

24.6%

Mortgage Stress

21.5%

Work From Home

29.2%

Dwelling Types

Houses 92 (98.9%)
Flats / Apartments 1 (1.1%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 47 (50.5%)
Mortgage 43 (46.2%)
Renting 3 (3.2%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
86.8%
English Spoken at Home
87.7%
Employment Rate
57.8%
Completed Year 12
30.1%

Occupations

Technicians & Trades 27 (18.2%)
Managers 25 (16.9%)
Professionals 23 (15.5%)
Clerical & Administrative 23 (15.5%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 19 (12.8%)
Labourers 16 (10.8%)
Community & Personal Service 10 (6.8%)
Sales 9 (6.1%)

Religion

Christianity 213 (65.3%)
No Religion 80 (24.5%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 4 (1.2%)
New Zealand 4 (1.2%)

Age Distribution

0-4 21 (6.4%)
5-14 51 (15.6%)
15-19 23 (7.1%)
20-24 11 (3.4%)
25-34 16 (4.9%)
35-44 33 (10.1%)
45-54 46 (14.1%)
55-64 55 (16.9%)
65-74 51 (15.6%)
75-84 12 (3.7%)
85+ 7 (2.1%)

Family & Household Composition

Couple Families 33 (66.0%)
Lone Person 8 (16.0%)
Other Families 6 (12.0%)
One Parent Families 3 (6.0%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 75 (57.7%)
Worked from Home 38 (29.2%)
Car (passenger) 11 (8.5%)
Walked Only 6 (4.6%)

Education

Certificate III & IV 56 (17.2%)
Bachelor Degree 34 (10.4%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 23 (7.1%)
Postgraduate Degree 7 (2.1%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 7 (2.1%)

Cars per Dwelling

1 car 12 (12.9%)
2 cars 27 (29.0%)
3 cars 26 (28.0%)
4+ cars 28 (30.1%)

Council Rates

Port Stephens
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,359 a year through Port Stephens based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,359/yr
10% above the NSW average of $1,230 · median of 128 councils
Valuation basis
Unimproved Value
land only

How this land is zoned

Share of Nelsons Plains's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 93%
  • Environmental 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 locality around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.

Building Approvals: Port Stephens

The whole council area, not just Nelsons Plains · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

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.

Trailing 12 months
495dwellings
-72.1% YoY
Houses
294
detached dwellings
Units
201
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Land Council

Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Worimi 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

MODERATE

PM2.5 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 17.5 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.72 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 1 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.

From the Beresfield monitoring station, 10.0 km away.

Climate & Setting

from Williamtown RAAF, 13.5 km

High rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.

Elevation
0 m
above sea level, at the locality centre
Distance to the ocean
13.1 km
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 locality 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

EV adoption

0.5%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.04% in 2021
+0.2 points this year

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%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.04%
2022
0.07%
2023
0.16%
2024
0.30%
2025
0.48%

Rooftop solar

54
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 6.3 kW each

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.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
401
2020
558
2021
476
2022
442
2023
511
2024
446
2025
320
2026
264

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).

Verify eligibility with Revenue NSW

Mortgage repayments

I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$10,300
Loan amount
$1,580,000
Total interest over 30 years
$2,128,150

5 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2324.

Deposit
$395,000
Stamp duty
$89,912
Cash needed at settlement
$484,912

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.

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

Division of Lyne

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 locality's voters across time.

State Electorate

Port Stephens District

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 locality's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.

Looking at a specific address in Nelsons Plains?

Every figure above is a locality 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.

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Nearby suburbs

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Common questions about Nelsons Plains

Is Nelsons Plains a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Nelsons Plains is moderate (67/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Nelsons Plains?

Nelsons Plains has a low recorded bushfire history (14/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

What is the population of Nelsons Plains?

Nelsons Plains, NSW had a population of 326 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Nelsons Plains, NSW?

The postcode for Nelsons Plains, NSW is 2324.

How far is Nelsons Plains from Sydney?

Nelsons Plains is 171 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 126 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Nelsons Plains?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Nelsons Plains was $117,000 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 Nelsons Plains?

There are too few current rental listings in Nelsons Plains for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $553, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Nelsons Plains?

The median age of residents in Nelsons Plains was 48 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Nelsons Plains at risk of bushfire?

Nelsons Plains has a low recorded bushfire history (14/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the locality 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 Nelsons Plains walkable?

Nelsons Plains scores 14/100 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 air quality in Nelsons Plains?

The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Nelsons Plains (Beresfield) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 17.5 µg/m³. That puts Nelsons Plains 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 Nelsons Plains?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Nelsons Plains, Williamtown RAAF (13.5 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 Nelsons Plains?

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 Nelsons Plains belong to?

Nelsons Plains 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 Nelsons Plains?

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 Nelsons Plains?

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 Nelsons Plains in?

Nelsons Plains sits within the federal Division of Lyne, currently held by Alison Penfold (The Nationals).

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