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This analysis uses Suburbs and Localities (SAL) boundaries, which can materially differ from Statistical Areas (SA2) even when sharing the same name.
SAL boundaries are defined by Australia Post and the Australian Bureau of Statistics to represent commonly-known suburb names used in postal addresses.
Statistical Areas (SA2) are designed for census data collection and may combine multiple suburbs or use different geographic boundaries. For comprehensive analysis, consider reviewing both boundary types if available.
est. as @ -- *
2021 Census | -- people
Sales Activity
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Sales Detail
Population
Bellambi is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends
Bellambi's population, as of Nov 2025, is estimated at around 4,216, reflecting an increase of 177 people since the 2021 Census. The population in 2021 was 4,039. This growth is inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of the resident population at 4,174 in Jun 2024, following examination of ABS ERP data release, and an additional 76 validated new addresses since the Census date. The population density ratio is 1,841 persons per square kilometer, above national averages assessed by AreaSearch. Bellambi's growth rate of 4.4% since the census positions it close to non-metro areas' average of 5.7%. Overseas migration contributed approximately 61.0% of overall population gains recently.
Population projections for the area are based on ABS/Geoscience Australia data released in 2024, with a base year of 2022, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections for areas not covered by this data, with a base year of 2021. By 2041, the Bellambi statistical area is projected to increase by 171 persons, reflecting an overall growth rate of 1.5%.
Frequently Asked Questions - Population
Development
Residential development activity is lower than average in Bellambi according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets
Based on AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers from statistical area data, Bellambi recorded around 24 residential properties granted approval per year over the past five financial years, totalling an estimated 124 homes. As of FY-26, 87 approvals have been recorded. On average, 0.6 people moved to the area for each dwelling built between FY-21 and FY-25, indicating that new supply is keeping pace with or exceeding demand. The average construction cost value of new homes was $517,000, suggesting developers are targeting the premium market segment.
In FY-26, $1.2 million in commercial approvals have been registered, reflecting the area's residential nature. Comparing Bellambi to Rest of NSW, it maintains similar construction rates per person, preserving market equilibrium consistent with surrounding areas. However, development activity has moderated in recent periods. The majority of new building activity comprises townhouses or apartments (59%), with standalone homes making up 41%.
This focus on higher-density living creates more affordable entry points for downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. Bellambi reflects a low density area, with around 241 people per approval. According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, the area is expected to grow by 63 residents through to 2041, suggesting that current development patterns should readily meet demand, offering good conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.
Frequently Asked Questions - Development
Infrastructure
Bellambi has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally
Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified nine projects likely affecting the area. Notable ones are 79 Dobbie Avenue Townhouses, Murray Road Shared Cycleway, Bellambi Estate Renewal Project, and Corrimal Transport Oriented Development Area. The following list details those most relevant:.
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INFRASTRUCTURE SEARCH
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Frequently Asked Questions - Infrastructure
Illawarra Offshore Wind Zone
The Illawarra Offshore Wind Zone is a Commonwealth-declared area covering 1,022 square kilometres in the Pacific Ocean, located 20km to 45km off the NSW coast between Wombarra and Kiama. Declared on 15 June 2024, the zone has a potential generation capacity of 2.9 GW, enough to power approximately 1.8 million homes. Following a competitive application process in late 2024, Corio Generation Australia was awarded the first feasibility licence in December 2025. This allows for seven years of detailed environmental assessments, geotechnical surveys, and community consultation to determine the technical and commercial viability of a large-scale floating offshore wind farm.
Bellambi Estate Renewal Project
A long-term, staged urban renewal led by Homes NSW to transform the aging Bellambi social housing estate (built in the 1950s-60s) into a modern mixed-use community. The project aims to deliver up to 2,500 new social, affordable, and market homes, with at least 30 percent dedicated to social housing. The proposal includes building heights of 3 to 6 storeys, a new local center with retail and services, a public plaza with beach access, improved streetscapes, and upgraded community open spaces. A State Assessed Rezoning Proposal is currently on public exhibition until March 13, 2026.
Rail Service Improvement Program (Mortdale-Kiama)
The Rail Service Improvement Program (formerly More Trains, More Services) is a multi-billion-dollar NSW Government initiative to modernize the rail network for the Mariyung fleet. The Mortdale to Kiama package involves infrastructure upgrades including the Mortdale Maintenance Centre (active maintenance and shunting works in February 2026), platform extensions at Kiama (completed), and ongoing signaling, power supply, and station improvements at Thirroul and Shellharbour Junction to enable increased service frequency on the T4 Illawarra and South Coast lines.
Corrimal Transport Oriented Development Area
The Transport Oriented Development Program enables higher density residential development within 400m of Corrimal station, allowing residential flat buildings up to 22m height with FSR 2.5:1 and shop top housing up to 24m, requiring a minimum 2% affordable housing contribution in perpetuity for developments over 2000 sqm GFA, to increase housing supply near public transport.
More Trains More Services Stage Two - Mortdale to Kiama Capital Works
Package of rail upgrades along the T4 Illawarra and South Coast lines between Mortdale and Kiama to support more frequent services and new trains. Works include platform extensions (e.g. Kiama), new and expanded stabling yards (e.g. Waterfall, Wollongong, Kiama), track and turnout changes, power and overhead wiring upgrades, signalling, and Mortdale Maintenance Centre upgrades.
Bellambi Social Housing Development
Transformation of four aging cottages into a two-storey building comprising eighteen new, accessible, and high-quality social housing units (8 one-bedroom and 10 two-bedroom), with 16 car and two motorbike on-grade parking spaces, and extensive landscaped areas. The project was completed as part of the NSW Government's $6.6 billion Building Homes for NSW package, at a cost of $9.74 million.
Russell Vale Underground Expansion Project
Revised underground expansion of Russell Vale Colliery using bord and pillar mining methods to extract up to 3.7 million tonnes of coal over a five-year period (MP09_0013). Approved by the NSW Independent Planning Commission in December 2020. The project has undergone extensive environmental assessment and was subject to public debate due to its location within the Greater Sydney Water Catchment. Operations were subsequently halted in January 2024 under a NSW Resources Regulator prohibition notice following multiple underground ignition events, and Wollongong Resources announced closure of the Russell Vale Colliery in February 2024. Any future activity would require compliance with regulator directions and updated approvals.
Freight Rail Access to Port Kembla (Maldon to Dombarton / SWIRL options)
Program of works to improve freight rail access to Port Kembla, including investigation of the Maldon to Dombarton (also known as South West Illawarra Rail Link, SWIRL) corridor and complementary network upgrades to address capacity constraints on existing lines and better connect Port Kembla to Western Sydney intermodals.
Employment
Employment conditions in Bellambi face significant challenges, ranking among the bottom 10% of areas assessed nationally
Bellambi has a skilled workforce with well-represented essential services sectors. The unemployment rate was 10.0% in September 2024, with an estimated employment growth of 1.4%.
As of September 2025, the unemployment rate decreased to 6.2%, still above Rest of NSW's rate of 3.8%. Workforce participation is lower at 49.3% compared to Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Key industries include health care & social assistance, education & training, and construction. Notably, education & training has employment levels at 1.3 times the regional average.
Agriculture, forestry & fishing is under-represented with only 0.5% of Bellambi's workforce compared to 5.3% in Rest of NSW. Employment opportunities appear limited locally as indicated by Census data. In the year to September 2025, employment increased by 1.4%, while labour force decreased by 0.2%, leading to a 1.4 percentage point drop in unemployment. In contrast, Rest of NSW saw employment decline by 0.5% and labour force decrease by 0.1%. State-level data as of 25-Nov-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.03%, with an unemployment rate of 3.9%. National forecasts from May-25 project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Bellambi's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.6% over five years and 13.8% over ten years, though this is a simplified extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.
Frequently Asked Questions - Employment
Income
The area's income levels rank in the lower 15% nationally based on AreaSearch comparative data
Bellambi's income level is lower than average nationally according to latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2023. The suburb's median income among taxpayers is $44,384 and the average income stands at $56,139, compared to Rest of NSW's $52,390 and $65,215 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% since financial year 2023, estimated median and average incomes as of September 2025 are approximately $48,316 and $61,113 respectively. Census data shows household, family, and personal incomes in Bellambi fall between the 12th and 13th percentiles nationally. Income analysis reveals 27.1% of the population (1,142 individuals) earn within the $400 - $799 range, differing from surrounding regions where $1,500 - $2,999 dominates at 29.9%. Housing affordability pressures are severe, with only 78.8% of income remaining, ranking at the 9th percentile nationally.
Frequently Asked Questions - Income
Housing
Bellambi displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region
Bellambi's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 51.4% houses and 48.6% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Non-Metro NSW had 58.9% houses and 41.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Bellambi was at 20.3%, with mortgaged dwellings at 25.1% and rented ones at 54.7%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,950, lower than Non-Metro NSW's average of $2,189. The median weekly rent in Bellambi was $252, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $400. Nationally, Bellambi's mortgage repayments were higher at $1,950 versus the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were lower at $252 compared to the national figure of $375.
Frequently Asked Questions - Housing
Household Composition
Bellambi features high concentrations of lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size
Family households account for 63.4% of all households, including 21.2% couples with children, 20.1% couples without children, and 20.4% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 36.6%, with lone person households at 33.4% and group households comprising 3.2%. The median household size is 2.3 people, which is smaller than the Rest of NSW average of 2.5.
Frequently Asked Questions - Households
Local Schools & Education
Educational outcomes in Bellambi fall within the lower quartile nationally, indicating opportunities for improvement in qualification attainment
The area's university qualification rate is 19.3%, significantly lower than the SA3 area average of 33.6%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 13.2%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (4.0%) and graduate diplomas (2.1%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 40.1% of residents aged 15+ holding them, including advanced diplomas (10.2%) and certificates (29.9%). Educational participation is high at 30.4%, comprising primary education (10.1%), secondary education (8.8%), and tertiary education (4.2%).
Educational participation is notably high, with 30.4% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.1% in primary education, 8.8% in secondary education, and 4.2% pursuing tertiary education.
Frequently Asked Questions - Education
Schools Detail
Nearby Services & Amenities
Transport
Transport servicing is high compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility
Bellambi has 31 active public transport stops offering a mix of train and bus services. These stops are served by 46 different routes, collectively facilitating 1,904 weekly passenger trips. Residential accessibility to these stops is excellent, with residents typically situated 136 meters from the nearest stop.
The service frequency averages 272 trips per day across all routes, translating to approximately 61 weekly trips per individual stop.
Frequently Asked Questions - Transport
Transport Stops Detail
Health
Health performance in Bellambi is well below average with a range of health conditions having marked impacts on both younger and older age cohorts
Health data indicates significant health challenges in Bellambi, affecting both younger and older age groups. Approximately 49% (~2,073 people) have private health cover, compared to 56.8% across Rest of NSW and a national average of 55.7%. Mental health issues impact 11.6% of residents, while arthritis affects 10.2%.
Around 60.6% report no medical ailments, lower than the 68.6% in Rest of NSW. The area has 17.5% (737 people) aged 65 and over, with senior health outcomes presenting challenges broadly aligned with the general population's health profile.
Frequently Asked Questions - Health
Cultural Diversity
In terms of cultural diversity, Bellambi records figures broadly comparable to the national average, as found in AreaSearch's assessment of a number of language and cultural background related metrics
Bellambi's population showed cultural diversity similar to the wider region, with 86.4% being citizens, 79.9% born in Australia, and 88.4% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 49.1%. Islam was overrepresented compared to Rest of NSW, comprising 2.5% versus 2.5%.
The top three ancestral groups were English (28.7%), Australian (27.2%), and Other (7.8%). Notably, Welsh (0.8%) and Spanish (0.6%) were slightly overrepresented in Bellambi compared to regional averages of 0.8% and 0.5%, respectively. Additionally, Australian Aboriginal ancestry was significantly more prevalent at 6.0% versus the region's 1.7%.
Frequently Asked Questions - Diversity
Age
Bellambi's population aligns closely with national norms in age terms
The median age in Bellambi is 37 years, which is lower than Rest of NSW's average of 43 years and close to the national average of 38 years. The age profile shows that individuals aged 25-34 years are particularly prominent, making up 15.9% of the population, while those aged 65-74 years constitute a smaller proportion at 9.9%. Between 2021 and present, the percentage of individuals aged 25 to 34 has increased from 14.4% to 15.9%, while the percentages for the age groups 55 to 64 (from 13.1% to 11.8%) and 45 to 54 (from 12.4% to 11.2%) have decreased. By 2041, demographic projections indicate that the number of individuals aged 25-34 will increase by 92 people, from 670 to 763. Conversely, both the age groups 45-54 and 5-14 are projected to decrease in numbers.