Watsons Bay NSW 2030
Watsons Bay is a suburb in New South Wales, 13 km from Sydney CBD, around 27 minutes by car. Population is 883; the median age is 40 and the median household income is $152,048 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 20% nationally. Population grew 3.9% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $674 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $3,384. The area shows high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. Walkability is moderate.
Is Watsons Bay a good suburb?
Watsons Bay scores a A (75/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit and community, weaker on prices and safety.
Close to the CBD
Walkability 53/100 · 12.7 km · 27 min drive to Sydney
Above the state median
Median $8.35M · Less affordable than 99% of NSW
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 72/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 10/10 · median age 40 · 883 residents
Liveability Rating
75 / 100 · Ranked #227 in NSWEach bar is Watsons 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 Watsons Bay?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
75 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataThe median house sale price in Watsons Bay sits at $8.35 million, broadly flat year-on-year. That said, only eight sales settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level.
Houses
$8,350,000
Based on only 8 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Units
$2,910,000
Based on only 4 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Rental Market
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 2-bed units
- $928/wk
- 50 bonds
- +47% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2030 (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 202567 Severely unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 45% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2030.
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.
Short-Stay Rentals
7 active Airbnb listings: 7 whole homes and 0 rooms. Whole homes are about 2.2% of the suburb's homes.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Is Watsons Bay safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Watsons Bay sits in the high band, with 57 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 12% on the prior year.
57 offences
12.3% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20252 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
Woollahra Municipal Council has published 4 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1988–2024Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 158 m
- Rate
- -0.09 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -6.2 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
Universities nearby
- 6.8 kmAustralian Catholic University-North Sydney CampusAustralian Catholic University · 95 courses
- 7.4 kmSydney C.Q.U. CampusCentral Queensland University · 54 courses
- 8.2 km1-37 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010Torrens University Australia · 165 courses
2.5% 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
Watsons Bay is somewhat walkable on foot — at 53/100, 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 Watsons Bay.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 34.8 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 30.3 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 31.6 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 23.5 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 Watsons Bay.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 1%
- Premises covered
- 408
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
Woollahra: 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
Watsons Bay is home to 883 residents, with a median age of 40, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $152,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
883
Median Age
40
Median Household Income
$152,048/yr
Census Median Rent
$674/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$3,384/mo
Avg Household Size
2.4
Median Personal Income
$63,700/yr
Unemployment Rate
2.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
16.7%
Total Dwellings
270
Owner-Occupier Rate
69.7%
Houses
45.2%
Rental Stress
23.1%
Mortgage Stress
26.7%
Work From Home
49.2%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 62.6%
- English Spoken at Home
- 80.0%
- Employment Rate
- 57.3%
- Completed Year 12
- 62.7%
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.
20 residents (2.3%) 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.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 856 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
28% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (119 of 430).
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 892 people work here; 430 employed residents live here.
A jobs hub: 2.1 jobs for every working resident. At least 52% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.
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 $1,812 a year through Woollahra based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Environmental 31%
- Infrastructure and transport 27%
- Residential 21%
- Parks and recreation 15%
- Commercial 2%
- Not zoned 5%
Planning zones cover 96% 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: Woollahra
In the year to August 2026, 222 new dwellings were approved across Woollahra. That mix is 50 houses and 172 units. Approvals are down 21.3% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the La Perouse 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 6.3 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 13.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.84 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Cook And Phillip monitoring station, 7.3 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Sydney Airport AMO, 15.5 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 21 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 153 m
- 316 m to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 1,129 mm
- 99 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 27.5°C
- 7 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 9.5°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
2 facilities within 5 km- 4.1 kmSewerage and Drainage ServicesTop reported: Total Nitrogen · Ammonia (total) · Total Phosphorus
- 5.0 kmSewerage and Drainage ServicesTop reported: Total Nitrogen · Ammonia (total) · Total Phosphorus
EV adoption
In postcode 2030, 495 of 9,493 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 4.9% (461 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 10.1%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2030, 952 rooftop-solar systems totalling 8.8 MW have been installed since 2001, against 5,400 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 99 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, 10 across postcode 2030.
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 $8,350,000 this is $7,750,000 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 Allegra Spender Independent
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Allegra Spender | 50.6% | 49.4% | +1.7 |
| 2022 | Allegra Spender | 44.1% | 55.9% | -3.9 |
| 2019 | Dave Sharma | 40.1% | 59.9% | -7.9 |
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 Kellie Sloane Liberal
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Kellie Sloane LP | 62.9% |
| 2019 | Gabrielle Upton LP | 69.3% |
| 2015 | Gabrielle Upton LP | 72.9% |
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 Watsons 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 883 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.
Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Sydney There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Sydney suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Compare Watsons 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 Watsons Bay
Is Watsons Bay a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Watsons Bay is high (72/100, 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 Watsons Bay?
Watsons Bay has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Watsons Bay a good place to live?
Watsons Bay has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of A (75/100), 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 Watsons Bay?
Watsons Bay, NSW had a population of 883 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Watsons Bay, NSW?
The postcode for Watsons Bay, NSW is 2030.
How far is Watsons Bay from Sydney?
Watsons Bay is 13 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 27 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Watsons Bay?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Watsons Bay was $152,048 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 Watsons Bay?
There are too few current rental listings in Watsons Bay for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $674, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Watsons Bay?
The median age of residents in Watsons Bay was 40 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Watsons Bay walkable?
Watsons Bay scores 53/100 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 Watsons Bay?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Watsons Bay (Cook And Phillip) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 13.8 µg/m³. That puts Watsons Bay 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 Watsons Bay?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Watsons Bay, Sydney Airport AMO (15.5 km away), summer days average 27.5°C, winter nights 9.5°C, 1,129 mm of rain a year over 99 rainy days, and 7 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Watsons 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 Watsons Bay belong to?
Watsons Bay sits within the Woollahra local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Watsons Bay?
The average residential rates bill through Woollahra is $1,812 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Watsons Bay?
Across Woollahra, 222 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 21.3% 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 Watsons Bay in?
Watsons Bay sits within the federal Division of Wentworth, currently held by Allegra Spender (Independent).
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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
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- 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.