Sandgate NSW 2304
Sandgate sits 157 km from Sydney CBD in New South Wales, around 1 hour 55 minutes by car. Census data records 276 residents with a median age of 69 and a median household income of $35,724 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. Population fell 9.5% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $288 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,684. The area shows high crime risk and high bushfire risk. Walkability is moderate.
This suburb is too small to rate.
The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 276. 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
Q4 2025Sandgate's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $4.3 million in the December 2025 quarter, roughly 648% above where it sat a year earlier. That said, only one sale settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level. Zoom out: prices have climbed roughly 1265% over the past decade — 29.9% per year on average.
$4,300,000
Based on only 1 sale — small sample, take as indicative.
Rental Market
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $730/wk
- 61 bonds
- +40% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $565/wk
- 24 bonds
- +50% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2304 (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 202587 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 34% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2304.
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 Sandgate safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Sandgate sits in the high band, with 101 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 98% on the prior year.
101 offences
98.0% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202511 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
Newcastle City Council has published 2 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
Schools
Universities nearby
- 2.8 kmThe University of Newcastle (Callaghan)University of Newcastle · 326 courses
- 9.5 kmThe University of Newcastle (Newcastle City)University of Newcastle · 108 courses
1.1% 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
Sandgate is car-dependent on foot — at 42/100, most errands require a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Sandgate.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 33.8 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 21.8 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 17.2 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 23.1 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 Sandgate.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 74%
- Premises covered
- 283
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
Newcastle: 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
Sandgate is home to 276 residents, with a median age of 69 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $36,000 a year, with unemployment at 0.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
276
Median Age
69
Median Household Income
$35,724/yr
Census Median Rent
$288/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,684/mo
Avg Household Size
2.0
Median Personal Income
$28,132/yr
Unemployment Rate
0.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
8.0%
Total Dwellings
75
Owner-Occupier Rate
53.3%
Houses
65.3%
Rental Stress
41.9%
Mortgage Stress
56.6%
Work From Home
0.0%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
0 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 12 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 28 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 45.3%
- English Spoken at Home
- 46.7%
- Employment Rate
- 19.8%
- Completed Year 12
- 17.0%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,783 a year through Newcastle based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Industrial 42%
- Infrastructure and transport 33%
- Environmental 23%
- Parks and recreation 2%
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: Newcastle
In the year to August 2026, 912 new dwellings were approved across Newcastle. That mix is 266 houses and 646 units. Approvals are up 77.4% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Awabakal 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 6.6 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 2 days exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 21.1 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.75 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 7 · NO₂ 0.
From the Mayfield monitoring station, 2.9 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Newcastle Nobbys Signal Station AWS, 10.4 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 8 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 5.6 km
- Near high-voltage lines
- 6.3% of addresses
- 26 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 1,025 mm
- 91 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 25.4°C
- 4 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 10.2°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
7 facilities within 5 km- 2.6 kmSewerage and Drainage ServicesTop reported: Total Nitrogen · Hydrogen sulfide · Ammonia (total)
- 3.4 kmIron Smelting and Steel ManufacturingTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 3.6 kmOther Petroleum and Coal Product ManufacturingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Sulfur dioxide · Sulfuric acid
- 4.0 kmMetal Coating and FinishingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Hydrochloric acid
- 4.4 kmOther Structural Metal Product ManufacturingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10) · Carbon monoxide
EV adoption
In postcode 2304, 85 of 13,211 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.3% (436 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2304, 2,160 rooftop-solar systems totalling 15.3 MW have been installed since 2001, against 6,889 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 182 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
Q4-2025 median1 mortgage broker is registered in postcode 2304.
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 $4,300,000 this is $3,700,000 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 Sharon Claydon Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Sharon Claydon | 70.8% | 29.2% | +2.9 |
| 2022 | Sharon Claydon | 68.0% | 32.0% | -4.2 |
| 2019 | Sharon Claydon | 63.8% | 36.2% | +0.0 |
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 Tim Crakanthorp Labor
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Tim Crakanthorp ALP | 72.6% |
| 2019 | Tim Crakanthorp ALP | 67.7% |
| 2015 | Tim Crakanthorp ALP | 57.4% |
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 Sandgate?
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 276 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 Sandgate 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 Sandgate
Is Sandgate a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Sandgate is high (99/100, 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 Sandgate?
Sandgate has a moderate recorded bushfire history (63/100, 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.
What is the population of Sandgate?
Sandgate, NSW had a population of 276 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Sandgate, NSW?
The postcode for Sandgate, NSW is 2304.
How far is Sandgate from Sydney?
Sandgate is 157 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 117 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Sandgate?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Sandgate was $35,724 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 Sandgate?
There are too few current rental listings in Sandgate for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $288, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Sandgate?
The median age of residents in Sandgate was 69 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Sandgate at risk of bushfire?
Sandgate has a moderate recorded bushfire history (63/100). 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 Sandgate walkable?
Sandgate scores 42/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it 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 Sandgate?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Sandgate (Mayfield) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.6 µg/m³ and PM10 of 21.1 µg/m³. That puts Sandgate 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 Sandgate?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Sandgate, Newcastle Nobbys Signal Station AWS (10.4 km away), summer days average 25.4°C, winter nights 10.2°C, 1,025 mm of rain a year over 91 rainy days, and 4 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
What is the median house price in Sandgate?
The median sale price for houses in Sandgate was $4,300,000 in the Q4 2025 quarter, based on a small sample of 1 sales — take as indicative.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Sandgate?
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 Sandgate belong to?
Sandgate sits within the Newcastle local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Sandgate?
The average residential rates bill through Newcastle is $1,783 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Sandgate?
Across Newcastle, 912 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 77.4% 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 Sandgate in?
Sandgate sits within the federal Division of Newcastle, currently held by Sharon Claydon (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Q4 2025
- 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
- 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.
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