Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest

Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest lies within the top quartile of areas nationally for population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest's population was around 5866 as of November 2025. This reflected an increase of 62 people, a 1.1% rise since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 5804 people. The change was inferred from the estimated resident population of 5806 in June 2024 and an additional 71 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population resulted in a density ratio of 28 persons per square kilometer, providing ample space per person. Over the past decade, Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest demonstrated resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 1.6%, outpacing the SA3 area. Population growth was primarily driven by interstate migration which contributed approximately 78.4% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch adopted ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area as released in 2024 with a base year of 2022, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections for areas not covered by this data, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations were applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Anticipating future population dynamics, an above median population growth of national non-metropolitan areas was projected, with the area expected to increase by 985 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting a gain of 15.8% in total over the 17 years.

Residential development activity is slightly higher than average within Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest when compared nationally

Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest averaged approximately 31 new dwelling approvals annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25159 homes were approved, with an additional 12 approved so far in FY26. On average, each dwelling has attracted around 2.1 new residents per year over these five years, indicating strong demand that supports property values.

New homes are being constructed at an average expected cost of $373,000. This financial year alone, $2.0 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, suggesting a predominant focus on residential development. Comparatively, Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest has 12.0% less new development per person than the rest of NSW, while nationally it ranks at the 60th percentile among assessed areas.

The majority of new developments consist of standalone homes, with 81.0% of approvals for this type of housing and only 19.0% for medium and high-density housing. This maintains the area's low density nature and attracts space-seeking buyers. With around 247 people per dwelling approval, Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest demonstrates characteristics of a low-density area. Population forecasts indicate that Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest is expected to gain approximately 925 residents by 2041, according to the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate. Current development trends appear well-matched to future needs, suggesting steady market conditions without extreme price pressure.

Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified nine projects likely impacting the area. Notable ones are Tea Gardens Library Upgrade & Extension, The Belvedere, Kurrara Hill, and Fingal Bay Link Road. Relevant projects are detailed below.

Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.

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While Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest retains a healthy unemployment rate of 3.5%, recent employment declines have impacted its national performance ranking

Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest has a skilled workforce with significant representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate as of September 2025 is 3.5%. In this period, 1691 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 0.3% lower than Rest of NSW's rate of 3.8%.

Workforce participation stands at 32.4%, significantly lower than Rest of NSW's 61.5%. According to Census responses, a moderate 23.7% of residents work from home. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, construction, and accommodation & food sectors, while education & training shows lower representation at 5.8% compared to the regional average of 9.6%.

The area may offer limited local employment opportunities based on the comparison between Census working population and resident population. Between September 2024 and September 2025, the labour force decreased by 2.8%, while employment declined by 1.6%, leading to a fall in unemployment rate of 1.1 percentage points. This contrasts with Rest of NSW where employment fell by 0.5%, labour force contracted by 0.1%, and unemployment rose by 0.4 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 indicate that national employment is projected to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.7% over five years and 13.9% over ten years, though these are simple weighted extrapolations for illustrative purposes only and do not account for localized population projections.

The area's income levels rank in the lower 15% nationally based on AreaSearch comparative data

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of the latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year ending June 2023, Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest SA2 had a median income among taxpayers of $48,799 and an average income of $58,440. Both figures are lower than national averages of $52,390 and $65,215 respectively for Rest of NSW. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% from financial year ending June 2023 to September 2025, estimated median income would be approximately $53,123 and average income would be around $63,618 by the latter date. According to Census figures from 2021, household, family, and personal incomes in Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest fall between the 4th and 6th percentiles nationally. Income brackets show that 32.2% of the population (1,888 individuals) earn within the $800 to $1,499 range, differing from broader area trends where the $1,500 to $2,999 category is predominant at 29.9%. Despite modest housing costs allowing for 86.8% income retention, total disposable income ranks at only the 7th percentile nationally.

Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

In Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest, as per the latest Census, 88.8% of dwellings were houses while 11.3% were other types such as semi-detached, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This compares to Non-Metro NSW's figures of 82.6% houses and 17.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest stood at 62.1%, with mortgaged dwellings at 19.9% and rented ones at 18.0%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,600, lower than Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,733. The median weekly rent was $350, higher than Non-Metro NSW's figure of $330. Nationally, Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest had lower mortgage repayments at $1,600 compared to Australia's average of $1,863, and rents were lower at $350 compared to the national average of $375.

Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest has a typical household mix, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households comprise 69.1% of all households, including 11.2% couples with children, 50.9% couples without children, and 6.2% single parent families. Non-family households make up 30.9%, consisting of lone person households at 28.7% and group households comprising 2.3%. The median household size is 2.0 people, which is smaller than the Rest of NSW average of 2.4.

Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area's university qualification rate is 18.8%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. This disparity presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are most common at 13.1%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (4.0%) and graduate diplomas (1.7%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 44.1% of residents aged 15+ holding them - advanced diplomas account for 12.9% and certificates for 31.2%.

School and university attendance comprises 17.1% of the community, including 5.8% in primary education, 5.4% in secondary education, and 1.8% pursuing tertiary education.

Transport servicing is low compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility

Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest has 57 active public transport stops, served by a mix of buses via 27 routes offering 203 weekly trips. Residents enjoy good accessibility, with an average distance of 257 meters to the nearest stop. The area is predominantly residential, with outward commuting being common. Cars are the primary mode of transport (90%), followed by walking at 7%. Vehicle ownership averages 1.3 per dwelling, lower than the regional average. According to the 2021 Census, 23.7% of residents work from home, which may be influenced by COVID-19 conditions.

The service frequency across all routes is 29 trips per day on average, resulting in approximately 3 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest is lower than average with common health conditions somewhat prevalent across both younger and older age cohorts

Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest faces significant health challenges based on AreaSearch's assessment. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence are somewhat prevalent across both younger and older age cohorts, with common health conditions impacting residents. The rate of private health cover is very low at approximately 48% of the total population (~2,827 people), compared to 51.9% across Rest of NSW and the national average of 55.7%.

The most common medical conditions are arthritis and heart disease, affecting 17.2 and 8.0% of residents respectively. However, 50.0% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments compared to 63.3% across Rest of NSW. The working-age population faces notable health challenges due to elevated chronic condition rates. The area has 52.7% of residents aged 65 and over (3,091 people), which is higher than the 23.0% in Rest of NSW. National rankings for this age group are even higher than the general population.

Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics

Tea Gardens-Hawks Nest, surveyed in August 2016, had low cultural diversity with 82.6% Australian-born population, 89.1% citizens, and 96.0% speaking English only at home. Christianity dominated at 66.6%, higher than the regional average of 55.9%. Key ancestral groups were English (35.6%), Australian (27.2%), and Irish (10.2%).

Notably, Scottish ancestry was overrepresented at 9.6% compared to 8.0% regionally, Welsh at 0.8% versus 0.5%, and French at 0.6% against 0.4%.

Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest ranks among the oldest 10% of areas nationwide

Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest's median age is 65 years, significantly higher than the Rest of NSW average of 43 and Australia's median of 38. The 75-84 age group comprises 21.4%, compared to Rest of NSW's percentage, while the 25-34 cohort makes up 4.1%. This 75-84 concentration is notably higher than the national average of 6.0%. Between the 2021 Census and present, the 75-84 age group has grown from 18.7% to 21.4%, and the 15-24 cohort has increased from 5.1% to 6.2%. Conversely, the 65-74 cohort has decreased from 27.0% to 24.7%. By 2041, Tea Gardens - Hawks Nest's age composition is expected to shift significantly. The 85+ age group is projected to grow by 435 people (112%), from 387 to 822. Residents aged 65 and above will drive 67% of population growth, reflecting demographic aging trends. Meanwhile, the 5-14 and 15-24 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.