Sunshine Bay sits 287 km from Sydney CBD in New South Wales, around 3 hours 55 minutes by car. Census data records 1,439 residents with a median age of 56 and a median household income of $59,176 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The suburb grew 17.9% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $370 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,650. Sunshine Bay is characterised by no recorded bushfire exposure. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is moderate.
Is Sunshine Bay a good suburb?
Sunshine Bay scores a B (52/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on safety.
Mixed results
1 school
Some car dependence
Walkability 45/100 · 286.6 km · 237 min drive to Sydney
Around the state median
Median $800K
Low all-round risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 31/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 3/10 · median age 56 · 1,439 residents
Liveability Rating
52 / 100 · Ranked #691 in NSWEach bar is Sunshine 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 Sunshine Bay?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
52 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataSunshine Bay's house market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $800,000, roughly 13% below where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$800,000
3% above its 3 neighbours (median $777,000)
Based on 71 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 70 days — median across 30 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 7 sales $395K
- 3 bed 26 sales $670K
- 4 bed 32 sales $890K
- 5 bed 6 sales $1.05M
Land
$360,000
Based on 10 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 112 days — median across 4 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Sunshine Bay are currently listed at around $850,000 on average, with the typical listing on the market for 1 days. Based on 29 houses listed in the past six months.
$850K
29 houses listed in the last 6 months — typical time on market 1 days.
31 of the suburb's 644 dwellings (4.8%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Sunshine Bay rent for around $650 a week on average, based on 7 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$650/wk
7 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
8 rentals advertised against an estimated 162 rented homes (4.9%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $600/wk
- 50 bonds
- +33% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $450/wk
- 25 bonds
- +29% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2536 (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 2025104 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 29% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2536.
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$650/week ($34,000 a year) on a $850,000 median
Based on a small sample (7 listings) — indicative only.
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 Sunshine Bay safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Sunshine Bay sits in the low band, with 34 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 26% on the prior year.
34 offences
26.1% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–2025No crash in Sunshine Bay killed anyone or put anyone in hospital in 2021–2025.
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
Eurobodalla Shire Council has published 10 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
- Batemans Bay Urban Creeks Flood Study 2021
- Flood Prone Access to Moruya Hospital - Flood Assessment and Murray Street Crossing Upgrade Concept Design 2014
- Moruya Flooding - Climate Change Assessment 2011
- Reedy Creek, Malua Bay Floodplain Risk Management Study & Plan 2005
- Lot 100 DP Flora Crescent, Batemans Bay - Flood Study 2004
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1988–2024Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 574 m
- Rate
- -0.11 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -3.6 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
One school serve Sunshine Bay, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 203 students in one school (avg 203)
Primary
Walkability
Sunshine Bay is car-dependent on foot — at 45/100, most errands require a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Sunshine Bay.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 14.5 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 9.6 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 2.8 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 10.1 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 Sunshine Bay.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 55%
- Premises covered
- 943
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
Eurobodalla: 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
Sunshine Bay is home to about 1,400 residents, with a median age of 56 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $59,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.1%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,439
Median Age
56
Median Household Income
$59,176/yr
Census Median Rent
$370/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,650/mo
Avg Household Size
2.1
Median Personal Income
$31,460/yr
Unemployment Rate
5.1%
Unoccupied Dwellings
20.3%
Total Dwellings
644
Owner-Occupier Rate
74.8%
Houses
78.9%
Rental Stress
32.5%
Mortgage Stress
33.5%
Work From Home
9.5%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
16 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 12 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 156 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 76.2%
- English Spoken at Home
- 89.0%
- Employment Rate
- 41.9%
- Completed Year 12
- 32.8%
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.
15 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.
12.5% of residents (172) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Sydney (109).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,379 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 (4 of 521).
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.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,246 a year through Eurobodalla based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 76%
- Environmental 19%
- Parks and recreation 3%
- Commercial 1%
- Not zoned 1%
Planning zones cover 99% of the suburb's area. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
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: Eurobodalla
In the year to August 2026, 211 new dwellings were approved across Eurobodalla. That mix is 153 houses and 58 units. Approvals are down 9.4% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Mogo 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 Moruya Heads Pilot Station, 18.9 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 24 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 549 m
- 611 m to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 914 mm
- 83 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 23.7°C
- 2 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 7.5°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
5 facilities within 5 km- 1.4 km
- 2.9 kmSewerage and Drainage ServicesTop reported: Total Phosphorus · Total Nitrogen · Ammonia (total)
- 2.9 kmSolid Waste Collection ServicesTop reported: Zinc and compounds · Lead & compounds · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 3.0 kmWaste Treatment and Disposal ServicesTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 4.4 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds
EV adoption
In postcode 2536, 99 of 16,251 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.4% (387 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.0%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2536, 4,592 rooftop-solar systems totalling 30.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 11,110 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 320 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, 5 across postcode 2536.
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 $800,000 this is $200,000 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 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 Michael Holland Labor
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Michael Holland ALP | 60.4% |
| 2019 | Andrew Constance LP | 56.9% |
| 2015 | Andrew Constance LP | 58.2% |
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 Sunshine 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 1,439 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 Sunshine Bay 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 Sunshine Bay
Is Sunshine Bay a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Sunshine Bay is low (31/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Sunshine Bay?
Sunshine Bay has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Sunshine Bay a good place to live?
Sunshine Bay has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (52/100), 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 Sunshine Bay?
Sunshine Bay, NSW had a population of 1,439 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Sunshine Bay, NSW?
The postcode for Sunshine Bay, NSW is 2536.
How far is Sunshine Bay from Sydney?
Sunshine Bay is 287 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 237 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Sunshine Bay?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Sunshine Bay was $59,176 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 Sunshine Bay?
The median advertised rent in Sunshine Bay is $650 a week for houses (7 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Sunshine Bay?
The median age of residents in Sunshine Bay was 56 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Sunshine Bay?
There is 1 school inside the Sunshine Bay boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Sunshine Bay walkable?
Sunshine Bay scores 45/100 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 weather like in Sunshine Bay?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Sunshine Bay, Moruya Heads Pilot Station (18.9 km away), summer days average 23.7°C, winter nights 7.5°C, 914 mm of rain a year over 83 rainy days, and 2 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Sunshine 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 Sunshine Bay belong to?
Sunshine Bay sits within the Eurobodalla local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Sunshine Bay?
The average residential rates bill through Eurobodalla is $1,246 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Sunshine Bay?
Across Eurobodalla, 211 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 9.4% 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 Sunshine Bay in?
Sunshine Bay sits within the federal Division of Gilmore, currently held by Fiona Phillips (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
- 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.