Shortland NSW 2307
Shortland is a suburb in New South Wales, 156 km from Sydney CBD, around 2 hours by car. Population is 4,537; the median age is 33 and the median household income is $69,888 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The suburb grew 16.2% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $377 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,679. Shortland is characterised by high crime risk. Of 4 schools within the suburb boundary, 2 rank above the state average, and walkability is moderate.
Is Shortland a good suburb?
Shortland scores a C (43/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on schools and transit, weaker on safety.
Above the state average
4 schools · 2 above peer schools · Top 16% in NSW
Very walkable
Walkability 63/100 · 156.5 km · 118 min drive to Sydney
Around the state median
Median $810K
High crime risk
Fire 56/100 · Crime 79/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 3/10 · median age 33 · 4,537 residents
Liveability Rating
43 / 100 · Ranked #934 in NSWEach bar is Shortland's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
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 Shortland?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
43 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataShortland's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $810,000, roughly 13% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$810,000
5% below its 4 neighbours (median $848,750)
Based on 74 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 17 days — median across 28 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 14 sales $782K
- 3 bed 45 sales $825K
- 4 bed 9 sales $907K
Units
$707,500
Based on 18 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 23 days — median across 4 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 5 sales $680K
- 3 bed 12 sales $725K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Shortland are currently listed at around $780,000 on average. Based on 21 houses listed in the past six months.
$780K
21 houses listed in the last 6 months.
22 of the suburb's 1,866 dwellings (1.2%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Shortland rent for around $650 a week on average, based on 22 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$650/wk
7% below its 3 neighbours (median $700/wk)
22 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$350/wk
7 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
29 rentals advertised against an estimated 733 rented homes (4.0%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $650/wk
- 22 bonds
- +46% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2307 (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.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$650/week ($34,000 a year) on a $780,000 median
Not enough unit sales and rentals in the window to calculate a yield.
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 Shortland safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Shortland sits in the high band, with 324 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 43% on the prior year.
324 offences
42.7% 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
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
Four schools serve Shortland, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance. Margaret Jurd College and Our Lady of Victories Primary School lead the pack.
- • 504 students across 3 schools (avg 168)
- • Sectors: 2 Government, 1 Independent, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 889-1025, median 926 (below the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Shortland Public School (271 students)
Primary
Secondary
Combined
Universities nearby
- 1.9 kmThe University of Newcastle (Callaghan)University of Newcastle · 326 courses
- 9.7 kmThe University of Newcastle (Newcastle City)University of Newcastle · 108 courses
5.3% 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
Shortland is somewhat walkable on foot — at 63/100, 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 Shortland.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 73.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 45.0 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 28.6 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 17.6 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 Shortland.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 40%
- Premises covered
- 2,006
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
The ABS scores 10 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.
Shortland is home to about 4,500 residents, with a median age of 33, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $70,000 a year, with unemployment at 6.4%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
4,537
Median Age
33
Median Household Income
$69,888/yr
Census Median Rent
$377/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,679/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$35,412/yr
Unemployment Rate
6.4%
Unoccupied Dwellings
6.2%
Total Dwellings
1,866
Owner-Occupier Rate
60.7%
Houses
69.7%
Rental Stress
28.1%
Mortgage Stress
28.8%
Work From Home
19.0%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
64 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 35 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 671 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 80.8%
- English Spoken at Home
- 83.6%
- Employment Rate
- 54.8%
- Completed Year 12
- 38.7%
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.
236 residents (5.2%) 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.
3.3% of residents (142) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Sydney (84).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 4,249 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 (11 of 2,100).
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 985 people work here; 2,100 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.5 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 $1,783 a year through Newcastle based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Environmental 42%
- Infrastructure and transport 24%
- Residential 21%
- Parks and recreation 13%
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 6.1 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 4 days exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 16.5 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.53 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 2 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 1.
From the Wallsend monitoring station, 2.7 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Newcastle Nobbys Signal Station AWS, 10.9 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 25 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 6.5 km
- 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
5 facilities within 5 km- 0.8 kmSewerage and Drainage ServicesTop reported: Total Nitrogen · Hydrogen sulfide · Ammonia (total)
- 3.5 kmIron Smelting and Steel ManufacturingTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 3.9 kmOther Electricity GenerationTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Sulfur dioxide
- 4.3 kmOther Petroleum and Coal Product ManufacturingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Sulfur dioxide · Sulfuric acid
- 4.9 kmMetal Coating and FinishingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Hydrochloric acid
EV adoption
In postcode 2307, 15 of 3,300 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.3% (109 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.8%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2307, 659 rooftop-solar systems totalling 3.6 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,978 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 28 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
1 mortgage broker is registered in this suburb.
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 $810,000 this is $210,000 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 Sonia Hornery Labor
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Sonia Hornery ALP | 81.8% |
| 2019 | Sonia Hornery ALP | 75.4% |
| 2015 | Sonia Hornery ALP | 70.8% |
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 Shortland?
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 4,537 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.
Featured in
- #4 in Best Newcastle suburbs for first-home buyers (houses)
- #4 in Newcastle suburbs where 3-bedroom house rents rose most
- #5 in Where the Chinese community lives in Newcastle
- #5 in Newcastle suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- #7 in Newcastle suburbs with the largest Muslim community
- #7 in Newcastle suburbs with the largest Sikh community
- #9 in Where the Indian community lives in Newcastle
- #12 in Where the Filipino community lives in Newcastle
Nearby suburbs
Wallsend NSW 2287
Maryland NSW 2287
Birmingham Gardens NSW 2287
Warabrook NSW 2304
Callaghan NSW 2308
Sandgate NSW 2304
Compare Shortland 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 Shortland
Is Shortland a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Shortland is high (79/100, 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 Shortland?
Shortland has a moderate recorded bushfire history (56/100, 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 Shortland a good place to live?
Shortland has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (43/100), 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 Shortland?
Shortland, NSW had a population of 4,537 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Shortland, NSW?
The postcode for Shortland, NSW is 2307.
How far is Shortland from Sydney?
Shortland is 156 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 118 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Shortland?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Shortland was $69,888 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 Shortland?
The median advertised rent in Shortland is $650 a week for houses (22 listings) and $350 a week for units (7 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Shortland?
The median age of residents in Shortland was 33 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Shortland at risk of bushfire?
Shortland has a moderate recorded bushfire history (56/100). 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 Shortland?
There are 4 schools inside the Shortland boundary: 2 above and 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Shortland walkable?
Shortland scores 63/100 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 air quality in Shortland?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Shortland (Wallsend) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.1 µg/m³ and PM10 of 16.5 µg/m³. That puts Shortland 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 Shortland?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Shortland, Newcastle Nobbys Signal Station AWS (10.9 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.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Shortland?
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 Shortland belong to?
Shortland sits within the Newcastle local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Shortland?
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 Shortland?
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 Shortland in?
Shortland 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 · 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
- 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.