Chart Color Schemes
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
The median house price in Tea Gardens is $920k, with units at $580k. House values have moved 3.9% a year compounded over five years.
Curious about local property values? Filter the chart to assess the volume and appreciation (including resales) trends and regional comparisons, or scroll to the map below view this information at an individual property level.
Find a Recent Sale
Sales Detail
Tea Gardens has an estimated 3,357 residents, up from 3,288 at the 2021 Census — a change of 69 people, or 2.1%. Growth has averaged 1.0% a year over five years, slower than 80% of areas nationally. Density is about 41 people per square kilometre. Population is estimated from ABS Estimated Resident Population releases and GNAF address data, re-based from the 2021 Census and updated annually.
Detail
Demographic assessments incorporating broader regional ABS figures alongside post-Census address validations by AreaSearch place the population of the suburb of Tea Gardens at approximately 3,357 as of Aug 2026. This equates to an expansion of 69 people (2.1%) from the 3,288 residents recorded in the 2021 Census. The updated total is established from an Estimated Resident Population of 3,356 identified in the ABS June 2025 ERP release, combined with 58 validated new addresses confirmed after the Census. Consequently, population density stands at 41 persons per square kilometer, ensuring considerable personal space.
Over the preceding ten years, the suburb of Tea Gardens has sustained steady expansion, registering a 1.7% compound annual growth rate that exceeded the broader SA3 territory. Net gains were predominantly underpinned by interstate migration, which represented roughly 78.0% of overall demographic expansion in recent times. Forward projections by AreaSearch utilize 2024 ABS/Geoscience Australia SA2 releases anchored to 2022, supplemented where needed by 2022 NSW State Government SA2 models using a 2021 baseline, with age-group trajectory rates extended across all localities from 2032 to 2041. These aggregated SA2 figures indicate that the suburb of Tea Gardens will experience demographic growth outpacing the median for Australian non-metropolitan districts, adding 512 persons by 2041 to achieve an overall 16-year increase of 15.2%.
Frequently Asked Questions - Population
79 new dwellings have been approved in Tea Gardens over the past five years, an average of 15 a year. That is 4.0 approvals per 1,000 residents. Approvals are currently running at an annualised 11, well below that longer-run average. Figures come from ABS building approvals aggregated to this Suburb (SAL) boundary and are updated monthly as the ABS releases them.
Detail
According to AreaSearch's evaluation of ABS residential approval statistics mapped from statistical divisions, Tea Gardens records an annual average of approximately 15 residential approvals, accumulating an estimated 79 dwelling approvals across the preceding 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25) alongside 11 recorded during FY-25. An influx of 2.4 new residents per completed dwelling across the prior 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25) points to sustained buyer interest beneficial for real estate valuation, with newly approved dwellings carrying an average expected construction cost of $589,000 to highlight builder interest in upmarket residential supply.
Furthermore, commercial building approvals have totaled $847,000 in the current financial year, underscoring an emphasis on housing development over business premises. Relative to Rest of NSW, building activity on a per-capita basis in Tea Gardens reaches roughly 65%, placing the locality within the 56th percentile of evaluated Australian markets. Recent building patterns show detached houses capturing 77.0% of activity alongside 23.0% allocated to townhouses or apartments, sustaining the low-density urban form and catering to buyers prioritizing open space. A ratio of approximately 248 people per approval confirms the low-density character of local development. Long-term forecasts derived from the most recent quarterly estimate by AreaSearch anticipate Tea Gardens accommodating 511 additional residents by 2041. While current construction tracks in line with projected expansion, buyer demand may encounter rising competition as demographic totals increase.
Frequently Asked Questions - Development
Development applications around Tea Gardens
Loading development applications…
| Lodged | Address | Description | Type | Distance | Status |
|---|
SOURCE: Planning portals and council registers, compiled by AreaSearch. Distance & bearing measured from the suburb midpoint.
AreaSearch tracks one current infrastructure or development project inside Tea Gardens, worth an estimated $1 million. A further 32 sit in the immediately surrounding suburbs, taking the tracked pipeline within reach of the area to $1.23 billion. 5 are already under construction and 11 are due for completion within three years. The pipeline spans residential development, communities, precincts & urban renewal and tourism. Records are compiled from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, council planning portals and public announcements, reviewed and updated daily, then ranked by proximity, construction stage, completion horizon and project scale.
Detail
Infrastructure investments and urban planning initiatives play a crucial role in shaping local community development. AreaSearch has pinpointed 1 major initiative expected to influence the district. Prominent projects in the surrounding area encompass the Tea Gardens Library Upgrade & Extension, the Port Stephens Local Environmental Plan (LEP) & Development Control Plan (DCP), the Port Stephens Housing Delivery Program, and the Nelson Bay Road Duplication - Williamtown to Bobs Farm.
Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.
INFRASTRUCTURE SEARCH
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.
Frequently Asked Questions - Infrastructure
Tea Gardens Library Upgrade & Extension
97 m2 extension delivering a new meeting/events space (study area when not in use), amenities upgrade, access ramp upgrade, new carpet, self-serve technology and a local history alcove. Works commenced May 2025 and the upgraded library reopened on 15 September 2025. Project funded via Public Libraries Infrastructure Grant and State Library of NSW Local Special Projects funding.
d'Albora Marina Nelson Bay Hotel
Demolition of existing on-land structures at Nelson Bay Marina and construction of a four-storey 122-room waterfront hotel across three multi-storey buildings, along with upgraded restaurant and cafe facilities, enhanced retail spaces, a boat maintenance workshop, outdoor and rooftop terraces, a new foreshore public plaza, and multi-level car parking. A State Significant Development application (SSD-77938524) is being prepared for submission to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure following community engagement completed in October 2025.The precinct is owned and operated by d'Albora Marinas (MA Financial).
Nelson Bay Public Domain Plan
A 20-year vision by Port Stephens Council to revitalise the Nelson Bay town centre and foreshore. The plan focuses on upgrading streetscapes, improving pedestrian connectivity, and creating a greener, more attractive environment. Recent works include the Stockton Street stage upgrades and pedestrian wayfinding improvements, supported by smart parking revenue and government grants.
The Belvedere
An eight-storey luxury residential development comprising 56 apartments including two- and three-bedroom residences and penthouses, with rooftop amenities such as a pool, spa, gym, and sauna, along with communal green spaces, an office, and a coffee shop, aimed at addressing housing shortages in Port Stephens.
Nelson Bay Apartments
High-end block of five residential apartments, six storeys, penthouse with pool, ocean views.
Kurrara Hill
A 10-storey mixed-use development featuring 48 modern apartments with a mix of one to four-bedroom units, two business premises, one retail space, premium landscaping, and secure on-site parking.
Fingal Bay Link Road
A proposed $188 million link road project between Nelson Bay and Fingal Bay, intended to ease congestion, improve traffic flow and safety. Preliminary investigations highlighted environmental constraints and concerns, including significant impacts on threatened species like koalas in Tomaree National Park. Economic analysis indicated project costs outweighed benefits, and as of February 2024, Transport for NSW has stated that no further planning or investigations are currently proposed for the project.
Toboggan Hill Park
Established tourism attraction and redevelopment opportunity comprising approximately 2.6 hectares of freehold land and a 13.5 hectare Crown lease. The property is being marketed for sale with scope to revitalise the existing attraction, deliver an approved second toboggan track and pursue additional tourism development subject to approvals. The Crown lease has been secured to 2040.
828 residents of Tea Gardens are employed, from a labour force of 862. Unemployment sits at 3.9%, with participation at 26.8%. Weighted for its industry mix, the area's sectors are forecast to grow about 6.7% nationally over five years. That reflects industry composition only and makes no allowance for local population growth. Unemployment and labour force come from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, updated quarterly; the industry and occupation profile is from the 2021 Census.
Detail
Tea Gardens features a balanced occupational profile spanning professional and trade disciplines alongside notable representation in essential public services, registering an unemployment rate of 3.9% and an annual employment expansion of 2.5% based on AreaSearch's statistical regional mapping. As of March 2026, employed residents total 828, while the local jobless rate sits 0.2% below the 4.1% recorded for Regional NSW; however, the labor participation rate remains subdued at 26.8% versus 60.6% across Regional NSW. Census records indicate that 19.7% of employed individuals worked from home, a metric subject to the effects of Covid-19 restrictions.
Primary employment sectors for local workers are health care & social assistance, retail trade, and accommodation & food. Health care & social assistance exhibits strong concentration, capturing an employment proportion 1.2 times greater than the regional benchmark. Conversely, education & training accounts for only 4.8% of the local workforce, trailing the 9.6% observed across the wider region. Comparing the resident workforce against the number of working positions recorded locally at the Census indicates a constrained volume of local employment opportunities. Analysis by AreaSearch utilizing SALM and ABS datasets shows annual employment growing by 2.5% while the labor pool expanded by 1.7%, driving down the unemployment rate by 0.8 percentage points. This trend diverged from Regional NSW, which experienced a 0.9% drop in employment, a 0.4% contraction in the labor force, and a 0.5 percentage point increase in unemployment. National employment projections from Jobs and Skills Australia as of Mar-26 provide an outlook on potential future labor demand in Tea Gardens. Against national expectations of 6.6% growth over five years and 13.7% over ten years, local industry composition implies potential employment gains of 6.7% over five years and 13.9% over ten years when mapped to sector weighting, although this simple extrapolation is illustrative and excludes localized population dynamics.
Frequently Asked Questions - Employment
Median household income in Tea Gardens is $991 a week (about $52,000 a year), with median personal income at $529 a week. ATO records put median taxable income at $43,502 a year against an average of $52,908. Household income is from the 2021 Census; taxable income is from ATO Taxation Statistics for the latest financial year available, indexed forward using the ABS Wage Price Index.
Detail
Postcode-level ATO figures compiled by AreaSearch for financial year 2023 indicate that taxpayers in the suburb of Tea Gardens had a median income of $43,502 and an average income of $52,908, trailing the Regional NSW median of $52,390 and average of $65,215, as well as the national benchmark. Factoring in Wage Price Index growth of 10.32% since financial year 2023, estimated earnings as of March 2026 stand at roughly $47,991 for the median and $58,368 for the average. In the 2021 Census, local household, family, and individual income tiers all ranked between the 3rd and 5th percentiles across Australia.
The earnings bracket of $800 - 1,499 represents the largest cohort at 33.7% of residents (1,131 individuals), contrasting with Regional NSW where the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket leads at 29.9%. Although housing commitments leave 88.3% of income retained, overall disposable income remains limited, placing at the 6th percentile nationally.
Frequently Asked Questions - Income
Tea Gardens had 1,541 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, 91% detached houses and 1% apartments. 18% are owned with a mortgage, 16% rented and 66% owned outright. At that Census the median rent was $365 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,420 a month. Rent absorbs 36.8% of household income here and mortgage repayments 33.1%. Dwelling stock, tenure and housing costs are 2021 Census measures — the only source that counts dwellings at this boundary size.
Detail
Residential property across Tea Gardens at the most recent Census was composed of 91.1% separate houses and 8.9% alternative dwellings such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and other configurations, compared to 82.6% separate houses and 17.4% other dwellings in Regional NSW. Outright property ownership reached 66.4%, notably higher than the regional rate, while mortgaged properties accounted for 17.8% and rented dwellings comprised 15.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment stood at $1,420 and the median weekly rent was $365, both lower than Regional NSW benchmarks of $1,733 and $330. Nationally, local repayments remain beneath the Australian median mortgage of $1,863 and median rent of $375.
Frequently Asked Questions - Housing
Tea Gardens counted 1,541 households at the 2021 Census, averaging 1.9 people each. 9% are couples with children, fewer than in 98% of areas nationally, against 56% couples without children. 27% of households are people living alone, and families average 2.1 children. Household and family composition is measured only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Family units constitute 70.6% of local domestic structures, encompassing couples without children at 56.3%, couples with children at 8.8%, and single parent families at 4.6%. The remaining 29.4% consists of non-family households, divided between lone person residences at 27.3% and group arrangements at 2.0%. The median household size is 1.9 people, below the Regional NSW figure of 2.4.
Frequently Asked Questions - Households
16.3% of adults in Tea Gardens hold a university qualification, including 11.3% with a bachelor degree and 3.3% with postgraduate qualifications, lower than 88% of areas nationally. A further 30.7% hold a vocational qualification. 1 school serves the area, with 145 enrolment places and an average ICSEA of 914 against a national benchmark of 1,000. Qualifications come from the 2021 Census; school enrolments, ICSEA and results come from ACARA's current release.
Detail
Tertiary attainment in the local community is relatively subdued, with higher education qualification rates at 16.3% compared to the NSW benchmark of 32.2%. Bachelor degrees represent the largest tertiary category at 11.3%, followed by postgraduate degrees at 3.3% and graduate diplomas at 1.7%. Technical and practical qualifications are prevalent, as 44.0% of individuals aged 15+ hold vocational credentials, including 13.3% with advanced diplomas and 30.7% with certificates. Formal education enrolments across primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions involve 15.0% of local residents. Within this cohort, primary schooling accounts for 5.2%, secondary schooling represents 4.5%, and higher education participation stands at 1.7%.
Frequently Asked Questions - Education
Schools Detail
Public transport in Tea Gardens reaches 20 stops on 18 routes, timetabled for about 130 services a week. The typical home sits about 280 m from its nearest stop. Households keep an average of 1.2 vehicles. Stop and service counts are built from operators' published GTFS timetables and refresh with each timetable release; vehicle ownership is from the 2021 Census.
Detail
Public transport networks in Tea Gardens feature 20 operating stops accommodating bus services across 18 separate routes that combine for 129 passenger trips each week. Access to transport is solid, with properties typically situated 280 meters from their closest stop. Commuting largely involves travel outside the suburb, dominated by private vehicle use at 91% alongside 6% of journeys made on foot. Vehicle ownership stands at 1.2 per household, beneath the regional standard. Census findings from 2021 showed 19.7% of workers operating from home, though this figure reflects pandemic conditions. Transit frequencies across all combined routes average 18 trips daily, translating to roughly 6 weekly services at each individual stop.
Frequently Asked Questions - Transport
Transport Stops Detail
45.2% of residents in Tea Gardens report no long-term health condition. 8.8% need daily assistance with core activities, and 47.9% hold private health cover. The standardised death rate runs at 4.1 per 1,000 residents. Health conditions, assistance needs and insurance are 2021 Census measures; the death rate comes from current ABS releases.
Detail
Health measures in Tea Gardens point to reduced outcomes based on AreaSearch evaluations of mortality and condition incidence across different generations. Private health insurance participation is low, encompassing roughly 48% of the local population (~1,608 people), beneath the 51.9% recorded across Regional NSW and the 55.7% national benchmark. Arthritis and heart disease represent the primary diagnosed medical conditions, affecting 20.0% and 9.1% of residents respectively, while 45.2% reported having no diagnosed conditions compared to 63.3% in Regional NSW. Residents of working age experience notable chronic illness rates. Individuals aged 65 and over comprise 64.8% of the local population (2,175 people), well above the 23.3% proportion across Regional NSW, with senior health outcomes presenting difficulties consistent with wider demographic benchmarks.
Frequently Asked Questions - Health
Tea Gardens is largely Australian-born, at 82.1% of residents, with 3.3% speaking a language other than English at home. The largest reported ancestries are English (37.0%) and Australian (26.8%). Ancestry, language and country of birth are counted only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Cultural diversity metrics in Tea Gardens sit below wider averages, with 82.1% of residents Australian-born, 89.6% holding Australian citizenship, and 96.7% speaking solely English at home. Christianity is the predominant religious affiliation, accounting for 71.7% of the community compared to 55.9% across Regional NSW. Regarding reported parental background, English ancestry is the most common in Tea Gardens at 37.0%, exceeding the 30.5% regional proportion, followed by Australian ancestry at 26.8% and Irish ancestry at 10.7%. Other ancestries exhibit specific divergences from regional patterns, including Scottish at 9.7% (compared to 8.0% regionally), Welsh at 0.8% (versus 0.5%), and French at 0.7% (versus 0.4%).
Frequently Asked Questions - Diversity
The median resident of Tea Gardens is 69, older than 99% of areas nationally. 8.5% of residents are aged 15 to 34. Age cohorts are not raw Census counts: the Census split is re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections.
Detail
Tea Gardens displays a mature age distribution relative to its broader region, with residents aged 65+ making up 64.8% of the demographic as at August 2026 versus 23.3% in Regional NSW, while young cohorts aged 0 - 24 account for 10.4% compared to 29.3% regionally. The estimated median age remains at 69, unchanged from the 2021 Census and exceeding both the Regional NSW median of 43 and the national figure of 38 from the same Census. Among middle-aged residents and early retirees (45 - 64), the population share decreased from 20.5% at the Census to an estimated 17.7%.
Specifically, cohorts aged 65 to 74 contracted from 31.4% to an estimated 29.4%, while those aged 75 to 84 grew from 23.5% to 27.4% without an influx among younger brackets. Projections to 2041 indicate that the 65+ age group will experience the largest growth, rising by 411 residents (19%) to 2,586, while youth cohorts are expected to decrease.
Frequently Asked Questions - Age
Data & MethodBoundaries, Sources & Method for Tea Gardens
9 of 14 data sections on this page were updated within the last 12 months — the newest current to Oct 2026.
Everything is aggregated to the Suburb (SAL) boundary shown above, on a 2021 Census baseline. Only 3 sections — housing, households and cultural diversity — still wait on the 2026 Census.
The ledger — source, cycle and currency by section
| Section | Source & update cycle | Currency |
|---|---|---|
| Updated within the last 12 months 9 sections | ||
| Population | ABS, GNAF, Geoscience Australia Annual (ABS ERP) | Aug 2026 2 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release) and updated with new dwellings from GNAF address data. Current to Aug 2026, with the 2021 Census supplying the small-area baseline. | ||
| Age profile | ABS, Geoscience Australia, State governments Annual | Aug 2026 2 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Age cohorts are re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections, current to Aug 2026. Each cohort is held as a Census baseline and a current estimate. | ||
| Development & approvals | ABS, GNAF Monthly (ABS approvals) | Aug 2026 2 months ago headline measures · Jul 2026 baseline |
| Property sales & rents | Valuer General, Rental Board, ABS Weekly sales, quarterly rents | Oct 2026 this month headline measures · Sep 2026 baseline |
| Sales from the state Valuer General register, refreshed weekly, and rents from quarterly rental bond lodgements. Both are read live each time this page loads, current to Oct 2026. | ||
| Infrastructure projects | Infrastructure Australia, State agencies, Local governments Daily | Oct 2025 about a year ago all 1 projects tracked here |
| Project pipeline maintained continuously from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, local government and public announcements. Records are added and revised daily; this area was last updated Oct 2025. | ||
| Employment | ABS, DEWR, JSA Quarterly (ABS SALM) | Mar 2026 7 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Unemployment and labour force from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, current to Mar 2026. The growth outlook applies Department of Employment (now Jobs and Skills Australia) forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to the local industry mix, so it measures sector composition rather than local expansion and makes no allowance for population growth. Job demand comes from the same agency via its Internet Vacancy Index; industry and occupation structure from the 2021 Census. | ||
| Education | ABS, ACARA Annual (ACARA) | Sep 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Transport | ABS, State Transport Departments Each timetable release | Jul 2026 3 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Services & amenities | Provider directories, ACECQA Continuous | Sep 2026 last month all 14 measures |
| Annual and financial-year sources 2 sections | ||
| Income | ABS, ATO Annual (ATO) | FY 2023 3 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| ATO taxable income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index. Census household income provides the distribution detail. | ||
| Health | ABS, ATO Annual | 2024 2 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Census-measured — next update: 2026 Census 3 sections No more current small-area source exists for these, so they are labelled as Census-measured rather than implied to be current. | ||
| Housing | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 30 measures |
| Households | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 18 measures |
| Cultural diversity | ABS, Geoscience Australia 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 44 measures |
"Currency" is the most recent release feeding that section. Where the Census supplies the structural baseline underneath a current headline figure, the row says so.
How the numbers are built
Population
The Census provides the small-area baseline, aggregated from mesh blocks to this boundary. It is then re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release), and new dwellings built since Census night are counted from address data — 58 validated new addresses here. The headline figure is therefore a current estimate for Aug 2026, not a 2021 count (3,288 at the 2021 Census → 3,357 now). Annual growth rates are compound (CAGR), not simple averages.
Age profile
Cohort shares are not raw Census counts. Every cohort is held as a pair — the Census baseline and a current estimate — and the split is re-based using ERP and state population projections, current to Aug 2026. Median age is the Census median plus modelled change since. Charts that show both are labelled "2021 Census vs Current Estimate".
Property sales
Sourced from the state valuation authority's sales register — current, not Census, and refreshed weekly. Medians are calculated from settled transactions in the period shown; periods with very low transaction counts are flagged or suppressed, because a handful of sales can move a median substantially.
Rents
Derived from state rental bond lodgement data, by dwelling type and bedroom count. Bonds are lodged at the start of a new tenancy, so this reflects new lettings, not the whole rented stock.
Development & infrastructure
Building approvals come from current ABS releases; development applications are collected from council and state planning portals; the infrastructure pipeline is compiled from Infrastructure Australia and local government sources. Applications are matched to this boundary by address or coordinates, so very recent lodgements may not yet appear.
Employment & income
Industry and occupation structure comes from the Census, but the headline labour-market indicators do not. Unemployment and labour force are derived from ABS Small Area Labour Markets (quarterly). The employment outlook applies Department of Employment forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to this area's own industry mix (the agency is now Jobs and Skills Australia), as does the Internet Vacancy Index used for job demand. Because it is weighted on industry composition alone, that outlook carries no allowance for local population growth — in fast-growing areas the real rise in local jobs will typically be higher. Income combines Census household income with ATO taxable-income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index.
Education, transport & amenities
School enrolments, ICSEA and performance come from ACARA's current release, not the Census. Public transport stops and service frequency are derived from GTFS timetable feeds published by state transport departments. Services and amenities are proximity and count scores built from provider directories, refreshed on their own cycle. The Census contributes only the travel-to-work and qualification measures.
Rankings and benchmarks. Where we rank this area, the comparison set is every area of the same boundary type — suburbs against suburbs, SA2s against SA2s. Benchmarks compare this area against its greater capital city region and the national figure for the same measure and period.
Limits worth knowing. Small areas carry larger error margins, and the ABS introduces small random adjustments to Census counts to protect confidentiality — so totals may not sum exactly. Estimates re-based from regional data describe the area's expected trajectory, not a direct count of it. Figures are indicative for research and are not financial, planning or valuation advice.
Cross-check us. The Census baseline for this boundary is at ABS 2021 Census QuickStats (SAL13794). QuickStats reports 2021 only — the figures on this page are more current wherever the ledger shows a later date.