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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.
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2021 Census | -- people
Sales Activity
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Population
Lake Munmorah is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends
As of May 2026, the estimated population of the suburb of Lake Munmorah is around 5,165, reflecting a growth of 81 people since the 2021 Census. This increase represents a 1.6% change from the previous population count of 5,084. The current estimate of 5,163 residents is based on AreaSearch's analysis of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2025 and validation of five new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 904 persons per square kilometer. Lake Munmorah's growth rate of 1.6% places it within 1.8 percentage points of the SA4 region, indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Overseas migration contributed approximately 75.0% of overall population gains during recent periods in the suburb.
AreaSearch is using ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises NSW State Government's SA2 level projections released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for the years 2032 to 2041. According to population projections, over this period, Lake Munmorah's overall population is expected to decline by 3 persons by 2041. However, specific age cohorts are anticipated to grow, notably the 85 and over age group which is projected to increase by 234 people.
Frequently Asked Questions - Population
Development
The level of residential development activity in Lake Munmorah is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch
AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers for Lake Munmorah shows an average of around 9 new dwelling approvals per year over the past 5 financial years, totalling an estimated 45 homes. As of FY-26 so far, 36 approvals have been recorded. Despite a fall in population during this period, housing supply has remained adequate relative to demand, indicating a balanced market with good buyer choice. The average construction cost value for new homes is $221,000, which is below regional norms and reflects more affordable housing options.
This financial year, $290,000 in commercial approvals have been registered, demonstrating the area's residential nature. Compared to Greater Sydney, Lake Munmorah has significantly less development activity, with 59.0% fewer approvals per person. This scarcity of new properties typically strengthens demand and prices for existing properties. Nationally, Lake Munmorah also reflects lower development levels, indicating market maturity and possible development constraints. New development consists of 86.0% standalone homes and 14.0% medium and high-density housing, preserving the area's low density nature and attracting space-seeking buyers.
The estimated population per dwelling approval is 735 people. With population expected to remain stable or decline, Lake Munmorah should see reduced pressure on housing, potentially creating opportunities for buyers.
Frequently Asked Questions - Development
Development applications around Lake Munmorah
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| Lodged | Address | Description | Type | Distance | Status |
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SOURCE: Planning portals and council registers, compiled by AreaSearch. Distance & bearing measured from the suburb midpoint.
Infrastructure
Lake Munmorah has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally
AreaSearch has identified three key infrastructure projects that could significantly impact a specific area. These projects are Crangan Bay Residential Estate, Lake Munmorah Recreation Facility, Lakes Ridge Residential Estate, and Darkinjung LALC & Landcom Housing Project. The following list details those considered most relevant to the area's performance.
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Frequently Asked Questions - Infrastructure
Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone
The Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) is a critical network infrastructure project upgrading approximately 85km of existing 132kV sub-transmission lines between Kurri Kurri and Muswellbrook, and constructing two new substations at Sandy Creek (Muswellbrook) and Antiene (Singleton). The project delivers an additional 1GW of network transfer capacity, enabling connection of approximately 1.8GW of new renewable generation and storage. Ausgrid, as appointed network operator, is responsible for design, financing, construction and operation. The Project Deed with EnergyCo was signed in December 2025 following Australian Energy Regulator determination, and construction officially commenced on 27 February 2026. The REZ is the first in Australia to upgrade existing distribution poles and wires rather than build new transmission infrastructure. It will create 590 jobs during construction and 220 ongoing local positions, with full capacity expected by 2028.
High Speed Rail - Newcastle to Sydney (Line 1)
High Speed Rail Line 1 will connect Newcastle to Sydney on a new dedicated 194km rail line with trains capable of speeds up to 320 km/h on surface sections and 200 km/h in tunnels. Around 115km of the route will run through tunnels. The line will reduce travel time between Newcastle and Sydney to around one hour, with Central Coast trips of about 30 minutes. Six stations are proposed at central Newcastle (Broadmeadow), Lake Macquarie, the Central Coast (Gosford), Sydney Central, Parramatta and Western Sydney International Airport. Following release of the business case in early 2026, the project moved into a two-year Development Phase, with the Australian Government investing a further $230 million for design refinement, environmental and planning approvals, and corridor preservation. The first two major contract packages went to tender in 2026: Area Package 1 (around 35km of twin TBM tunnels, an underground station and associated civil works) and Trains, Systems and Systems Integration (supply of trains, design of all systems, rail depot and operations control centre). The Newcastle to Sydney section is estimated to cost around $61.2 billion by 2039, with a further $32 billion to extend to Western Sydney International Airport by 2042. The project is forecast to support up to 15,000 construction jobs annually at peak and add around $250 billion to the Australian economy over a 50-year appraisal period.
Toukley Desalination Water Treatment Plant
A proposed seawater desalination water treatment plant adjacent to the existing Toukley Sewage Treatment Plant, being developed as a 'plan ready' drought response project under the Central Coast Water Security Plan. The current concept is a reverse osmosis facility with an initial capacity of 30 ML/day, with provision in the EIS for staged expansion up to 40 ML/day to support normal water supply if needed. The preferred design uses a direct ocean intake located around one kilometre offshore from Jenny Dixon Reserve, with the transfer pump station relocated to the desalination plant site (replacing the earlier Lakes Beach underground well concept under Budgewoi Beach) and connected by a deep tunnel bored about 25 metres below ground. Brine would be discharged via the existing Norah Head ocean outfall. Council is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement, with a community drop-in session held in August 2025 and another planned for the second quarter of 2026. The plant would only be constructed if dam storage falls below the 45 percent trigger at Mangrove Creek Dam, with construction estimated to take 3 to 4 years once activated. GHD has been appointed as the specialist consultant supporting concept design and statutory approvals.
Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy
Comprehensive NSW state planning reforms designed to increase housing density in well-located areas. The policy mandates mid-rise apartment buildings (3-6 storeys) and low-rise multi-dwelling housing (terraces, townhouses, and dual occupancies) within 800m of 171 high-frequency transport hubs and town centres. As of May 2026, the policy is fully operational following the phased rollout of dual occupancy provisions in July 2024 and mid-rise apartment provisions in early 2025. Recent updates include refined floor space ratios (FSR) and non-refusal standards to streamline local council assessments.
Lake Munmorah Shopping Centre Expansion
The expansion of the existing Lake Munmorah Shopping Centre (also known as Lake Munmorah Marketplace) involves the delivery of additional specialty retail space, increased parking capacity, and improved site access. Positioned on a prominent corner of the Pacific Highway, the project supports significant residential growth in the Greater Lake Munmorah and Northern Lakes area, including the nearby Lakes Ridge master-planned estate. The existing centre is anchored by a Woolworths supermarket and a petrol station, with the expansion adding more specialty tenancies to serve the local and tourist populations.
Crangan Bay Residential Estate
A 623 lot masterplanned environmentally inspired residential estate on the Central Coast, surrounded by National Parks and enjoying nearly 1 km of lakefront reserve on Lake Macquarie. The estate offers large, easy-to-build fully serviced home sites with stages being released progressively. Stages 1 and 2 are complete and registered. Stage 3/4 is completed with registration in progress, and Stage 5 is currently selling off the plan with registration due late 2026. The estate includes a children's playground, community spaces, and a lakeside boardwalk/pathway. Project updates are as current as July 2025.
Newcastle-Sydney and Wollongong-Sydney Rail Line Upgrades
Program of upgrades to existing intercity rail corridors linking Newcastle-Central Coast-Sydney and Wollongong-Sydney to reduce travel times and improve reliability. Current scope includes timetable and service changes under the Rail Service Improvement Program, targeted network upgrades (signalling, power, station works) and the introduction of the Mariyung intercity fleet on the Central Coast & Newcastle Line, alongside Federal planning led by the High Speed Rail Authority for a dedicated Sydney-Newcastle high speed corridor.
Newcastle Offshore Wind Project
The Newcastle Offshore Wind project proposes a floating wind farm off Newcastle, NSW, with an expected capacity of up to 10 gigawatts, pending a Scoping Study's results.
Employment
Employment conditions in Lake Munmorah remain below the national average according to AreaSearch analysis
Lake Munmorah has a balanced workforce with white and blue collar jobs well represented. Essential services sectors are prominent. The unemployment rate was 4.5% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 3.2%.
As of December 2025, 2,179 residents were employed, while the unemployment rate was 0.3% higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation lagged at 51.8%, compared to Greater Sydney's 68.8%. According to Census responses, 22.5% of residents worked from home. Leading industries were health care & social assistance, construction, and retail trade.
The area had a higher employment share in construction (1.8 times the regional level) but lower representation in professional & technical services (3.8% vs regional average of 11.5%). Employment opportunities appeared limited locally based on Census data. Between December 2024 and December 2025, employment levels increased by 3.2%, labour force grew by 3.7%, causing unemployment to rise by 0.5 percentage points. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia projected a growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Lake Munmorah's employment mix suggested local employment should increase by 6.5% over five years and 13.5% over ten years.
Frequently Asked Questions - Employment
Income
Income figures position the area below 75% of locations analysed nationally by AreaSearch
The suburb of Lake Munmorah's median income among taxpayers was $51,791 and average income stood at $62,811 in financial year 2023. This compares to Greater Sydney's figures of $60,817 and $83,003 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.32% since financial year 2023, current estimates would be approximately $57,136 for median income and $69,293 for average income as of March 2026. According to the 2021 Census, household, family and personal incomes in Lake Munmorah all fell between the 10th and 15th percentiles nationally. The data showed that 30.0% of the population (1,549 individuals) had incomes within the $400 - 799 range, unlike metropolitan trends where 30.9% fell within the $1,500 - 2,999 range. Housing affordability pressures were severe with only 83.5% of income remaining, ranking at the 11th percentile.
Frequently Asked Questions - Income
Housing
Lake Munmorah is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership
Lake Munmorah's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, consisted of 96.6% houses and 3.3% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), contrasting with Sydney metro's 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Lake Munmorah stood at 51.3%, with mortgaged dwellings at 30.7% and rented ones at 17.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,733, lower than Sydney metro's $2,427. The median weekly rent was $380, compared to Sydney metro's $470. Nationally, Lake Munmorah's mortgage repayments were below the average of $1,863, while rents exceeded the national figure of $375.
Frequently Asked Questions - Housing
Household Composition
Lake Munmorah features high concentrations of lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size
Family households account for 66.8% of all households, including 21.8% couples with children, 32.5% couples without children, and 11.7% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 33.2%, with lone person households at 30.6% and group households comprising 2.7%. The median household size is 2.3 people, which is smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.
Frequently Asked Questions - Households
Local Schools & Education
Lake Munmorah faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally
The area's university qualification rate is 12.5%, significantly lower than Greater Sydney's average of 38.0%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 9.6%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (1.7%) and graduate diplomas (1.2%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 43.1% of residents aged 15+ holding them, including advanced diplomas (9.4%) and certificates (33.7%). A total of 23.6% of the population is actively engaged in formal education, broken down into primary (8.1%), secondary (6.8%), and tertiary (3.0%) levels.
A substantial 23.6% of the population actively pursues formal education. This includes 8.1% in primary education, 6.8% in secondary education, and 3.0% pursuing tertiary education.
Frequently Asked Questions - Education
Schools Detail
Nearby Services & Amenities
Transport
Transport servicing is moderate compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility
Lake Munmorah has 47 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 57 different routes that together facilitate 454 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents located an average of 193 meters from the nearest stop. Most residents commute outward due to Lake Munmorah being primarily residential. Cars remain the dominant mode of transport, used by 97% of residents. On average, there are 1.3 vehicles per dwelling.
According to the 2021 Census, 22.5% of residents work from home, which may be due to COVID-19 conditions. Service frequency averages 64 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 9 weekly trips per individual stop.
Frequently Asked Questions - Transport
Transport Stops Detail
Health
Health performance in Lake Munmorah is well below average with a range of health conditions having marked impacts on both younger and older age cohorts
Lake Munmorah faces substantial health challenges, as per AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. A range of health conditions significantly impacts both younger and older age cohorts.
Private health cover is relatively low, at approximately 52% (~2,674 people), compared to Greater Sydney's 59.9%. The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (14.1%) and mental health issues (10.1%). Conversely, 54.4% of residents report being completely clear of medical ailments, lower than Greater Sydney's 74.6%. Working-age population health challenges include elevated chronic condition rates. Lake Munmorah has 33.3% of residents aged 65 and over (1,719 people), higher than Greater Sydney's 15.5%. Senior health outcomes present notable challenges, generally in line with national rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions - Health
Cultural Diversity
Lake Munmorah is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics
Lake Munmorah, as per the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2016 data, exhibited low cultural diversity with 88.1% of its population born in Australia, 92.6% being citizens, and 96.8% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, comprising 60.7%, compared to 49.2% across Greater Sydney. Regarding ancestry, the top three groups were English (33.6%), Australian (31.9%), and Irish (8.2%).
Notably, Maltese (1.0%) and Australian Aboriginal (3.8%) populations were higher than regional averages of 1.0% and 1.3%, respectively, while Lebanese (0.4%) was lower than the regional average of 2.6%.
Frequently Asked Questions - Diversity
Age
Lake Munmorah ranks among the oldest 10% of areas nationwide
Lake Munmorah's median age is 50 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Sydney's 37 years and the national average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Sydney, Lake Munmorah has a higher percentage of residents aged 75-84 (14.1%) but fewer residents aged 25-34 (9.2%). This concentration of 75-84 year-olds is well above the national average of 6.1%. Between the 2021 Census and present, the percentage of Lake Munmorah's population aged 75 to 84 has grown from 12.0% to 14.1%, while the percentage of residents aged 85+ increased from 3.1% to 4.8%. Conversely, the percentage of residents aged 45-54 declined from 10.8% to 8.3%, and those aged 65-74 dropped from 15.6% to 14.4%. By 2041, Lake Munmorah's age composition is expected to shift notably. The demographic shift will be led by the 85+ group, which is projected to grow by 88%, reaching 466 people from 247. This growth will result in residents aged 65 and older representing 98% of the anticipated population increase. Conversely, both the 65-74 age group and the 15-24 age group are expected to decrease in number.