Sanctuary Point NSW 2540
Sanctuary Point is a suburb in New South Wales, 193 km from Sydney CBD, around 2 hours 40 minutes by car. Population is 7,874; the median age is 47 and the median household income is $55,536 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The suburb grew 9.0% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $360 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,545. Sanctuary Point is characterised by high crime risk. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is moderate.
Is Sanctuary Point a good suburb?
Sanctuary Point scores a C (39/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, weaker on community.
Mixed results
1 school
Very walkable
Walkability 60/100 · 193.2 km · 161 min drive to Sydney
Around the state median
Median $710K
Moderate crime risk
Fire 15/100 · Crime 62/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 47 · 7,874 residents
Liveability Rating
39 / 100 · Ranked #1049 in NSWEach bar is Sanctuary Point'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 Sanctuary Point?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
39 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataSanctuary Point's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $710,000, about 5% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$710,500
Based on 324 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 37 days — median across 182 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 38 sales $618K
- 3 bed 177 sales $700K
- 4 bed 87 sales $828K
- 5 bed 9 sales $905K
Land
$600,000
Based on 15 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 98 days — median across 9 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Sanctuary Point are currently listed at around $750,000 on average. Based on 80 houses listed in the past six months.
$750K
80 houses listed in the last 6 months.
81 of the suburb's 3,231 dwellings (2.5%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Sanctuary Point rent for around $600 a week on average, based on 48 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$600/wk
48 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
50 rentals advertised against an estimated 934 rented homes (5.4%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $600/wk
- 116 bonds
- +27% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $470/wk
- 11 bonds
- +30% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2540 (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 2540.
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$600/week ($31,000 a year) on a $750,000 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 Sanctuary Point safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Sanctuary Point sits in the moderate band, with 362 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 15% on the prior year.
362 offences
15.2% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20257 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
Shoalhaven City Council has published 31 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
Schools
One school serve Sanctuary Point, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 408 students in one school (avg 408)
Primary
Walkability
Sanctuary Point is somewhat walkable on foot — at 60/100, 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 Sanctuary Point.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 26.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 14.3 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 9.8 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 14.2 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 Sanctuary Point.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 54%
- Premises covered
- 4,620
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
Shoalhaven: 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 18 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 3 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the suburb closely.
Sanctuary Point is home to about 7,900 residents, with a median age of 47, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $56,000 a year, with unemployment at 6.4%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
7,874
Median Age
47
Median Household Income
$55,536/yr
Census Median Rent
$360/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,545/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$29,016/yr
Unemployment Rate
6.4%
Unoccupied Dwellings
31.1%
Total Dwellings
3,231
Owner-Occupier Rate
71.1%
Houses
94.8%
Rental Stress
33.7%
Mortgage Stress
33.4%
Work From Home
9.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
13 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 20 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 909 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 79.8%
- English Spoken at Home
- 88.3%
- Employment Rate
- 42.6%
- Completed Year 12
- 26.7%
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.
76 residents (1.0%) 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.
12.2% of residents (911) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Sydney (742).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 7,456 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
1% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (32 of 2,804).
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 735 people work here; 2,804 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.3 jobs per working resident. At least 74% 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 $1,501 a year through Shoalhaven based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 68%
- Parks and recreation 18%
- Rural and farming 5%
- Environmental 4%
- Industrial 2%
- Infrastructure and transport 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: Shoalhaven
In the year to August 2026, 854 new dwellings were approved across Shoalhaven. That mix is 513 houses and 341 units. Approvals are down 9.5% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Jerrinja 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 Ulladulla AWS, 31.7 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 15 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 6.0 km
- Annual rainfall
- 1,302 mm
- 100 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 23.9°C
- 2 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 9.6°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- 2.1 kmSewerage and Drainage ServicesTop reported: Ammonia (total) · Total Nitrogen · Total Phosphorus
EV adoption
In postcode 2540, 206 of 40,088 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.3% (940 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2540, 11,477 rooftop-solar systems totalling 73.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 26,038 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 786 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
6 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2540.
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 $710,500 this is $110,500 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 Fiona Phillips Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Fiona Phillips | 55.1% | 44.9% | +5.0 |
| 2022 | Fiona Phillips | 50.2% | 49.8% | +2.4 |
| 2019 | Fiona Phillips | 52.6% | 47.4% | -3.3 |
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 Liza Butler Labor
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Liza Butler ALP | 53.8% |
| 2019 | Shelley Hancock LP | 60.5% |
| 2015 | Shelley Hancock LP | 59.6% |
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 Sanctuary Point?
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 7,874 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 Sanctuary Point 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 Sanctuary Point
Is Sanctuary Point a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Sanctuary Point is moderate (62/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Sanctuary Point?
Sanctuary Point has a low recorded bushfire history (15/100, 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 Sanctuary Point a good place to live?
Sanctuary Point has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (39/100), 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 Sanctuary Point?
Sanctuary Point, NSW had a population of 7,874 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Sanctuary Point, NSW?
The postcode for Sanctuary Point, NSW is 2540.
How far is Sanctuary Point from Sydney?
Sanctuary Point is 193 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 161 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Sanctuary Point?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Sanctuary Point was $55,536 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 Sanctuary Point?
The median advertised rent in Sanctuary Point is $600 a week for houses (48 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Sanctuary Point?
The median age of residents in Sanctuary Point was 47 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Sanctuary Point at risk of bushfire?
Sanctuary Point has a low recorded bushfire history (15/100). 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 Sanctuary Point?
There is 1 school inside the Sanctuary Point boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Sanctuary Point walkable?
Sanctuary Point scores 60/100 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 weather like in Sanctuary Point?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Sanctuary Point, Ulladulla AWS (31.7 km away), summer days average 23.9°C, winter nights 9.6°C, 1,302 mm of rain a year over 100 rainy days, and 2 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Sanctuary Point?
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 Sanctuary Point belong to?
Sanctuary Point sits within the Shoalhaven local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Sanctuary Point?
The average residential rates bill through Shoalhaven is $1,501 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Sanctuary Point?
Across Shoalhaven, 854 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 9.5% 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 Sanctuary Point in?
Sanctuary Point sits within the federal Division of Gilmore, currently held by Fiona Phillips (Australian Labor Party).
Search another suburb or address
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.