Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff

Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, the population of Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff is around 12,118 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 161 people (1.3%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 11,957 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 12,081 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 79 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 749 persons per square kilometer, which is relatively in line with averages seen across locations assessed by AreaSearch. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which contributed approximately 62.4% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilizes the NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, as released in 2022 with 2021 as the base year. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are also applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Regarding demographic trends, a population increase just below the median of Australia's regional areas is expected, with the area expected to grow by 917 persons by 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting a gain of 7.3% in total over the 17 years.

Residential development activity is slightly higher than average within Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff when compared nationally

Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff has seen around 55 new homes approved each year, totalling 278 homes over the past 5 financial years. So far in FY-26, 21 approvals have been recorded. Given an average of only 0.8 new residents per year per dwelling constructed over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), supply is meeting or surpassing demand, providing greater buyer choice and supporting potential for population growth above projections. New homes are being built at an average value of $613,000, demonstrating a developer focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties. Additionally, $9.2 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded this financial year, suggesting the area's residential character.

When measured against the Rest of NSW, Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff shows approximately 75% of the construction activity per person and places within the 69th percentile of areas assessed nationally. New development consists of 53.0% standalone homes and 47.0% attached dwellings, with a growing mix of townhouses and apartments providing options across different price points, from family homes to more affordable compact living. This shows a considerable change from the current housing mix (currently 82.0% houses), reflecting reduced availability of development sites and addressing shifting lifestyle demands and affordability requirements. With around 193 people per dwelling approval, Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff shows characteristics of a low density area.

Population forecasts indicate Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff will gain 880 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). With current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 20% nationally

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total, 6 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include the Electrify 2515 Community Pilot, Thirroul Plaza Redevelopment, McCauley Lodge Redevelopment, and More Trains More Services Stage Two - Mortdale to Kiama Capital Works, with the list below detailing those likely to be of most relevance.

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

Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

Employment conditions in Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff demonstrate strong performance, ranking among the top 35% of areas assessed nationally

Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff features a highly educated workforce, with professional services showing strong representation, an unemployment rate of just 2.5%, and relative employment stability over the past year. As of December 2025, 6,584 residents are in work while the unemployment rate is 1.4% below Regional NSW's rate of 3.9%, and workforce participation is well beyond standard (68.7% compared to Regional NSW's 61.3%). Based on Census responses, a high 49.1% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

The key industries of employment among residents are health care & social assistance, education & training, and professional & technical. The area has particular employment specialization in professional & technical, with an employment share of 2.2 times the regional level. In contrast, agriculture, forestry & fishing employs just 0.5% of local workers, below Regional NSW's 5.3%. The predominantly residential area appears to offer limited employment opportunities locally, as indicated by the count of the Census working population versus the resident population.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, over the 12 months to December 2025, employment increased by 0.3% while the labour force increased by 0.5%, resulting in unemployment rising by 0.2 percentage points. By comparison, Regional NSW recorded an employment decline of 1.2%, a labour force decline of 0.8%, with unemployment rising 0.4 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff. These projections, covering five and ten-year periods, have been mapped against the local employment profile to estimate growth patterns. While national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.0% over five years and 14.4% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

Income metrics indicate excellent economic conditions, with the area achieving higher performance than 75% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch

The Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff SA2's income level is extremely high nationally according to the latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for FY-23. The Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff SA2's median income among taxpayers is $62,438 and the average income stands at $93,811, which compares to figures for Regional NSW's of $52,390 and $65,215 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $67,970 (median) and $102,123 (average) as of September 2025. Census 2021 income data shows household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff, between the 80th and 88th percentiles nationally. Income brackets indicate the largest segment comprises 28.1% earning $1,500 - 2,999 weekly (3,405 residents), consistent with broader trends across the surrounding region showing 29.9% in the same category. Higher earners represent a substantial presence with 41.1% exceeding $3,000 weekly, indicating strong purchasing power within the community. Housing accounts for 13.7% of income while strong earnings rank residents within the 89th percentile for disposable income and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Dwelling structure within Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 81.6% houses and 18.4% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), in comparison to Regional NSW's 82.6% houses and 17.4% other dwellings. Meanwhile, the level of home ownership within Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff was higher than that of Regional NSW, at 43.1%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (38.1%) or rented (18.8%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was well above the Regional NSW average at $2,600, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $550, compared to Regional NSW's $1,733 and $330. Nationally, Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are substantially above the national figure of $375.

Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households dominate at 78.4% of all households, comprising 38.9% couples with children, 30.8% couples without children, and 8.2% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 21.6%, with lone person households at 19.0% and group households comprising 2.5% of the total. The median household size of 2.7 people is larger than the Regional NSW average of 2.4.

Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff demonstrates exceptional educational outcomes, ranking among the top 5% of areas nationally based on AreaSearch's comprehensive analysis of qualification and performance metrics

Educational attainment in Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 44.9% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 21.3% in Rest of NSW and 25.2% in SA4 region. This substantial educational advantage positions the area strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees lead at 26.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (13.6%) and graduate diplomas (4.6%). Trade and technical skills feature prominently, with 29.7% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials, including advanced diplomas (10.8%) and certificates (18.9%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 30.4% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.2% in primary education, 8.4% in secondary education, and 5.8% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 113 active transport stops operating within Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff, comprising a mix of trains and buses. These stops are serviced by 28 individual routes, collectively providing 1,370 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents typically located 261 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward; the car remains the dominant mode at 88%, with 4% walking. Vehicle ownership averages 1.6 per dwelling. A high 49.1% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 195 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 12 weekly trips per individual stop. The accompanying map shows the 100 nearest stops to the location centrepoint.

Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Health outcomes data demonstrates outstanding results across Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. There is a very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups, and the rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 68% of the total population (8,179 people). This compares to 51.9% across Regional NSW and a national average of 55.7%.

The most common medical conditions in the area are arthritis and mental health issues, impacting 8.0% and 6.8% of residents, respectively, while 72.1% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 63.3% across Regional NSW. Working-age residents are notably healthy with low chronic condition prevalence. The area has 20.9% of residents aged 65 and over (2,529 people), which is lower than the 23.4% in Regional NSW. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff was found to be below average in terms of cultural diversity, with 82.9% of its population born in Australia, 92.7% being citizens, and 94.0% speaking English only at home. The main religion in Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff is Christianity, which makes up 44.0% of the people. However, the most apparent overrepresentation is in Judaism, which comprises 0.3% of the population, compared to 0.1% across Regional NSW.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff are English, comprising 29.5% of the population, Australian, comprising 25.3% of the population, and Irish, comprising 11.3% of the population. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: Welsh is notably overrepresented at 1.0% of Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff (vs 0.5% regionally), Scottish at 9.5% (vs 8.0%) and Macedonian at 0.4% (vs 0.4%).

Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff's median age exceeds the national pattern

With a median age of 43, Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff is equal to the Regional NSW figure of 43 and well above the 38-year national average. The age profile shows 45 - 54 year-olds are particularly prominent (13.7%), while the 25 - 34 group is comparatively smaller (9.3%) than in Regional NSW. Since the 2021 Census, the 75 to 84 age group has grown from 4.9% to 6.5% of the population, while the 15 to 24 cohort increased from 10.7% to 12.0%. Conversely, the 55 to 64 cohort has declined from 15.0% to 13.1%. Looking ahead to 2041, demographic projections reveal significant shifts in the age structure of Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff. Leading the demographic shift, the 75 to 84 group will grow by 48% (374 people), reaching 1,161 from 786. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 51% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, the 5 to 14 and 15 to 24 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.