Watanobbi is a suburb in New South Wales, 95 km from Sydney CBD, around 1 hour 20 minutes by car. Population is 3,980; the median age is 35 and the median household income is $68,380 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The suburb grew 3.1% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $380 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,710. Watanobbi is characterised by high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. All 1 school within the suburb boundary rank above the state average, and walkability is high.
Is Watanobbi a good suburb?
Watanobbi scores a C (42/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, weaker on safety and community.
Mixed results
1 school · 1 above peer schools
Very walkable
Walkability 70/100 · 95.2 km · 81 min drive to Sydney
Around the state median
Median $820K
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 83/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 35 · 3,980 residents
Liveability Rating
42 / 100 · Ranked #981 in NSWEach bar is Watanobbi'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 Watanobbi?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
42 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataWatanobbi's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $820,000, about 8% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$820,000
Based on 93 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 31 days — median across 19 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 52 sales $778K
- 4 bed 30 sales $918K
- 5 bed 5 sales $960K
Units
$618,750
Based on only 6 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Typically sold in 37 days — median across 3 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Watanobbi are currently listed at around $870,000 on average. Based on 14 houses listed in the past six months.
$870K
14 houses listed in the last 6 months.
14 of the suburb's 1,404 dwellings (1.0%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Watanobbi rent for around $650 a week on average, based on 15 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$650/wk
15 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
16 rentals advertised against an estimated 592 rented homes (2.7%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $650/wk
- 133 bonds
- +38% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $520/wk
- 23 bonds
- +35% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2259 (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 202584 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 36% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2259.
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 $870,000 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 Watanobbi safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Watanobbi sits in the high band, with 308 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 19% on the prior year.
308 offences
18.9% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20257 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
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
Central Coast 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 Watanobbi, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance. Wyong Public School leads the pack.
- • 433 students in one school (avg 433)
Primary
Universities nearby
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
Watanobbi is very walkable on foot — at 70/100, most daily errands can be done on foot.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Watanobbi.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 55.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 31.1 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 20.8 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 23.9 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 Watanobbi.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 49%
- Premises covered
- 1,634
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
Central Coast (NSW): 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 8 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.
Watanobbi is home to about 4,000 residents, with a median age of 35, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $68,000 a year, with unemployment at 6.8%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
3,980
Median Age
35
Median Household Income
$68,380/yr
Census Median Rent
$380/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,710/mo
Avg Household Size
2.6
Median Personal Income
$33,228/yr
Unemployment Rate
6.8%
Unoccupied Dwellings
3.3%
Total Dwellings
1,404
Owner-Occupier Rate
57.8%
Houses
86.8%
Rental Stress
28.9%
Mortgage Stress
30.0%
Work From Home
20.8%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
146 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 41 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 578 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 77.6%
- English Spoken at Home
- 83.2%
- Employment Rate
- 49.9%
- Completed Year 12
- 32.2%
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.
72 residents (1.8%) 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.
8.5% of residents (315) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Sydney (272).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 3,689 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
4% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (58 of 1,566).
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 258 people work here; 1,566 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.2 jobs per working resident. At least 84% 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 $1,409 a year through Central Coast (NSW) based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 74%
- Parks and recreation 11%
- Environmental 10%
- Infrastructure and transport 4%
- Industrial 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: Central Coast (NSW)
In the year to August 2026, 1,441 new dwellings were approved across Central Coast (NSW). That mix is 924 houses and 517 units. Approvals are up 66.7% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Darkinjung 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 5.1 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 14.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.36 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 1 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Wyong monitoring station, 1.4 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Norah Head AWS, 14.1 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 40 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 10.4 km
- Annual rainfall
- 1,272 mm
- 104 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 26.4°C
- 3 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 10.6°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
3 facilities within 5 km- 1.7 kmBasic Inorganic Chemical ManufacturingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 2.1 km
- 4.1 km
EV adoption
In postcode 2259, 343 of 53,188 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.6% (1,371 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.2%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2259, 14,019 rooftop-solar systems totalling 96.1 MW have been installed since 2001, against 25,175 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 1,032 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
29 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2259.
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 $820,000 this is $220,000 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 Emma Mcbride Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Emma Mcbride | 59.4% | 40.6% | +2.9 |
| 2022 | Emma Mcbride | 56.5% | 43.5% | -5.0 |
| 2019 | Emma Mcbride | 51.5% | 48.5% | +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 David Harris Labor
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | David Harris ALP | 69.8% |
| 2019 | David Harris ALP | 62.5% |
| 2015 | David Harris ALP | 58.7% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this 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 Watanobbi?
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 3,980 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
- #1 in Sportiest Central Coast suburbs
- #4 in Where the Filipino community lives in Central Coast
- #6 in Best Central Coast suburbs for first-home buyers (houses)
- #9 in Central Coast suburbs where young families live
- #11 in Highest-yielding Central Coast suburbs (houses)
- #12 in Central Coast suburbs with the largest Muslim community
- #13 in Central Coast suburbs with the largest Hindu community
- #14 in Central Coast suburbs with the deepest rental markets
- #15 in Where the Chinese community lives in Central Coast
Nearby suburbs
Compare Watanobbi 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 Watanobbi
Is Watanobbi a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Watanobbi is high (83/100, 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 Watanobbi?
Watanobbi has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Watanobbi a good place to live?
Watanobbi has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (42/100), 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 Watanobbi?
Watanobbi, NSW had a population of 3,980 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Watanobbi, NSW?
The postcode for Watanobbi, NSW is 2259.
How far is Watanobbi from Sydney?
Watanobbi is 95 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 81 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Watanobbi?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Watanobbi was $68,380 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 Watanobbi?
The median advertised rent in Watanobbi is $650 a week for houses (15 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Watanobbi?
The median age of residents in Watanobbi was 35 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Watanobbi?
There is 1 school inside the Watanobbi boundary: 1 above similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Watanobbi walkable?
Watanobbi scores 70/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very 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 Watanobbi?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Watanobbi (Wyong) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.1 µg/m³ and PM10 of 14.8 µg/m³. That puts Watanobbi 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 Watanobbi?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Watanobbi, Norah Head AWS (14.1 km away), summer days average 26.4°C, winter nights 10.6°C, 1,272 mm of rain a year over 104 rainy days, and 3 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Watanobbi?
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 Watanobbi belong to?
Watanobbi sits within the Central Coast (NSW) local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Watanobbi?
The average residential rates bill through Central Coast (NSW) is $1,409 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Watanobbi?
Across Central Coast (NSW), 1,441 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 66.7% 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 Watanobbi in?
Watanobbi sits within the federal Division of Dobell, currently held by Emma Mcbride (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
- 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.