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
Sales Activity
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.
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Sales Detail
Population
Valentine 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 February 2026, the estimated population of the suburb of Valentine is around 5,761. This figure reflects a decrease of 12 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 5,773. The current estimate is based on AreaSearch's validation of new addresses and analysis of resident population data from June 2024 ABS ERP release, indicating 5,755 residents plus three additional validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density of approximately 1,173 persons per square kilometer, comparable to averages seen across other locations assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration contributed around 94% of overall population gains in recent periods.
Population projections for Valentine are based on ABS/Geoscience Australia estimates released in 2024 with a base year of 2022 for covered areas, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections for uncovered areas, using a base year of 2021. These projections indicate an overall population decline by 287 persons by 2041, but anticipate growth in specific age cohorts, notably the 85 and over group expected to grow by 108 people during this period.
Frequently Asked Questions - Population
Development
The level of residential development activity in Valentine is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch
AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers shows Valentine averaged approximately four new dwelling approvals annually. Between FY21-FY25, about 22 homes were approved, with one more in FY26 to date.
On average, 0.2 new residents arrived per new home over the past five financial years. This indicates that new supply is keeping pace with or exceeding demand, providing ample buyer choice and creating capacity for population growth beyond current forecasts. The average development value was $716,000, suggesting a focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties. Compared to Rest of NSW, Valentine has significantly lower building activity, 82.0% below the regional average per person. This scarcity typically strengthens demand and prices for existing properties, although recent periods have seen an increase in development activity. Nationally, this activity is also below average, reflecting the area's maturity and potential planning constraints.
New building activity consists of 67.0% detached houses and 33.0% medium to high-density housing, with a growing mix of townhouses and apartments offering options across different price points. This shift marks a significant departure from existing housing patterns, which are currently 88.0% houses, suggesting diminishing developable land availability and responding to evolving lifestyle preferences and housing affordability needs. With around 675 people per dwelling approval, Valentine reflects a highly mature market. Given stable or declining population projections, housing demand pressures in Valentine should reduce, benefiting potential buyers.
Frequently Asked Questions - Development
Infrastructure
Valentine has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally
The influence of local infrastructure changes on an area's performance is significant. AreaSearch has identified a single project likely to impact the area. Key projects include Bareki Road, Eleebana to Valentine Shared Path, Woolworths Belmont North Supermarket Development, Brooks Parade Belmont Mixed Use Development, and Belmont North Community Recycling Centre. The following list details those most relevant.
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
High Speed Rail - Newcastle to Sydney (Stage 1)
The first stage of Australia's High Speed Rail network involves a 194km dedicated rail line connecting Newcastle to Sydney. The project features trains reaching speeds of 320 km/h on surface sections and 200 km/h in tunnels, aiming to reduce travel time to approximately one hour. Following the 2025 business case evaluation, the project has moved into a two-year Development Phase focusing on design refinement (to 40% maturity), securing planning approvals, and corridor preservation. The route includes approximately 115km of tunneling and six planned stations: Broadmeadow, Lake Macquarie, Gosford, Sydney Central, Parramatta, and Western Sydney International Airport.
Woolworths Belmont North Supermarket Development
Redevelopment of the 4.04-hectare former Bunnings site into a retail hub featuring a 3,800sqm full-line Woolworths supermarket. The project includes repurposing the existing warehouse structure to house specialty tenancies for food, health, and services, alongside 341 at-grade parking spaces and Direct to Boot facilities.
Swansea Channel Permanent Dredging Solution
A permanent dredging solution for Swansea Channel, the entrance to Lake Macquarie, involving a Beaver 30 dredge vessel and sand transfer system to maintain safe navigation for vessels, with sand pumped to Blacksmiths Beach. The project includes upgrades to the Blacksmiths boat ramp and aims to address ongoing sand accumulation issues.
Rathmines Park Transformation
Comprehensive redevelopment of Rathmines Park into a regional recreation destination. Features a $2+ million transformation including Lake Macquarie's biggest skate park, new pump track, youth activity areas, upgraded playground equipment, new playground, learn-to-ride area, youth hub, sports facilities, walking trails, and waterfront amenities. Enhanced connection to Lake Macquarie foreshore with improved accessibility and parking.
Belmont Sports Fields Master Plan
The Belmont Sports Fields Master Plan involves multi-stage upgrades to create a premier sports precinct. Stage 1, completed in March 2025 at a cost of $14 million, includes new rectangular fields, a baseball diamond, cricket wickets, irrigation, lighting, amenities buildings, and resurfacing of 14 netball courts. Future stages, estimated at $25 million, will include further field improvements, drainage, grandstands, seating, and car park upgrades to support local and regional competitions.
Belmont Business Park
Lake Macquarie's new commercial and light industrial development offering exceptional quality units with innovative space for business owners, trades, start-ups, hobbyists, and entrepreneurs. Features high-quality concrete construction, mezzanines, dedicated parking, and amenities.
Newcastle 2040
City of Newcastle's Community Strategic Plan (CSP) setting the shared vision and priorities for the next 10+ years. Originally adopted in 2022 and revised in 2024/25, the updated CSP was endorsed by Council on 15 April 2025. It guides policies, strategies and actions across the LGA and is implemented through the Delivery Program and Operational Plan known as Delivering Newcastle 2040.
Brooks Parade Belmont Mixed Use Development
Demolition of existing structures and construction of a mixed-use, multi-storey development comprising four towers (one 7-storey and three 6-storey with rooftop gardens), 130 residential units, three retail/commercial units, basement car parking, and associated landscaping.
Employment
Employment conditions in Valentine rank among the top 10% of areas assessed nationally
Valentine's workforce is well-educated with prominent representation in essential services sectors. The unemployment rate was 1.2% as of December 2025. Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 0.9%.
This rate is below Regional NSW's unemployment rate of 3.9%, with Valentine's participation rate at 66.5% compared to Regional NSW's 61.3%. According to Census responses, 32.2% of residents work from home, potentially influenced by Covid-19 lockdowns. Key industries include health care & social assistance, education & training, and construction. Notably, professional & technical employment is at 1.5 times the regional average.
However, agriculture, forestry & fishing has limited presence with only 0.4% employment compared to 5.3% regionally. The area may offer limited local employment opportunities, indicated by the difference between working population and resident population counts. Between December 2024 and December 2025, employment increased by 0.9%, labour force by 1.5%, leading to an unemployment rise of 0.6 percentage points. In contrast, Regional NSW saw employment decline by 1.2% and labour force decline by 0.8%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 suggest potential future demand within Valentine. Over five years, national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6%, and over ten years by 13.7%. Applying these projections to Valentine's employment mix indicates local employment should increase by 6.9% over five years and 14.2% over ten years.
Frequently Asked Questions - Employment
Income
Income analysis reveals strong economic positioning, with the area outperforming 60% of locations assessed nationally by AreaSearch
AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data, released for financial year 2023, indicates Valentine's median income among taxpayers is $54,034 with an average of $72,487. This is above the national average and compares to Regional NSW's median of $52,390 and average of $65,215. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% since financial year 2023, current estimates would be approximately $58,821 (median) and $78,909 (average) as of September 2025. The 2021 Census shows household, family and personal incomes in Valentine cluster around the 71st percentile nationally. Income analysis reveals 29.9% of the population, equating to 1,722 individuals, fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 income range, aligning with the region where this cohort likewise represents 29.9%. Higher earners represent a substantial presence with 34.0% exceeding $3,000 weekly, indicating strong purchasing power within the community. After housing costs, residents retain 88.6% of income, reflecting strong purchasing power and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.
Frequently Asked Questions - Income
Housing
Valentine is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership
Valentine's dwelling structure, as assessed in the most recent Census, consisted of 88.0% houses and 12.0% other dwellings. In comparison, Regional NSW had 82.6% houses and 17.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Valentine stood at 49.2%, with mortgaged dwellings at 39.5% and rented ones at 11.3%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Valentine was $2,096, higher than Regional NSW's average of $1,733. The median weekly rent in Valentine was recorded as $490, compared to Regional NSW's $330. Nationally, Valentine's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,096 compared to the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.
Frequently Asked Questions - Housing
Household Composition
Valentine features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size
Family households account for 81.2% of all households, including 37.4% couples with children, 32.8% couples without children, and 10.1% single parent families. Non-family households make up 18.8%, consisting of 17.9% lone person households and 1.1% group households. The median household size is 2.7 people, larger than the Regional NSW average of 2.4.
Frequently Asked Questions - Households
Local Schools & Education
Valentine shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators
The area's educational profile is notable regionally, with university qualification rates of 29.4% among residents aged 15+, surpassing the Rest of NSW average of 21.3% and the SA3 area rate of 23.5%. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 20.1%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.2%) and graduate diplomas (3.1%). Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 40.0% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications - advanced diplomas comprise 13.2%, while certificates account for 26.8%.
Educational participation is high, with 28.3% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.2% in primary education, 8.2% in secondary education, and 4.1% 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
Public transport analysis shows 77 active stops operating within Valentine. These are mixed-use bus stops serviced by 24 routes offering 364 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is excellent with residents typically located 128 meters from the nearest stop. Most residents commute outward in this primarily residential area, with car being dominant at 96%. Vehicle ownership averages 1.8 per dwelling, above regional average. According to the 2021 Census, 32.2% of residents work from home, which may reflect COVID-19 conditions.
Service frequency averages 52 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 4 weekly trips per stop.
Frequently Asked Questions - Transport
Transport Stops Detail
Health
The level of general health in Valentine is notably higher than the national average with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions
Valentine exhibits superior health outcomes, as assessed by AreaSearch's evaluation of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. Both younger and older age groups show a low prevalence of common health conditions.
Approximately 56% (~3,201 people) have private health cover, higher than Regional NSW's 51.9%. The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (9.5%) and asthma (8.0%). About 66.3% claim to be free from medical ailments, compared to Regional NSW's 63.3%. Under-65 residents have better health outcomes than average. Around 23.3% (~1,342 people) are aged 65 and over. Senior health outcomes are above average, aligning with national rankings for the general population.
Frequently Asked Questions - Health
Cultural Diversity
Valentine is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics
Valentine's population was found to be predominantly Australian-born, with 88.7% having been born in Australia. This is higher than the average for Regional NSW. Furthermore, a significant majority of Valentine residents are citizens, with 94.9% holding citizenship.
English is spoken exclusively at home by 95.9% of the population, also higher than regional averages. Christianity was identified as the primary religion in Valentine, comprising 53.2% of the population. This figure is notably higher compared to Regional NSW where Christianity makes up approximately 40%. In terms of religious representation, Judaism showed a slight overrepresentation in Valentine with 0.2% of the population identifying as Jewish, compared to 0.1% across Regional NSW. The ancestry of Valentine residents was predominantly English (34.5%), Australian (29.8%), and Scottish (8.7%). Notably, Welsh ancestry was disproportionately represented at 1.0%, compared to 0.5% regionally. Similarly, South Australian ancestry was overrepresented at 0.6% versus 0.2%, and Polish ancestry was also higher than average at 0.8%.
Frequently Asked Questions - Diversity
Age
Valentine hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide
The median age in Valentine is 46, which is slightly higher than Regional NSW's figure of 43 and significantly greater than the national average of 38. The age group of 45-54 years has a strong representation at 13.9%, compared to Regional NSW, while the 25-34 cohort is less prevalent at 6.7%. According to post-2021 Census data, the population aged 15 to 24 grew from 11.3% to 13.5%, whereas the 55 to 64 group declined from 13.9% to 12.7% and the 65 to 74 cohort decreased from 13.3% to 12.2%. By 2041, Valentine is expected to experience notable shifts in its age composition, with the 85+ group projected to grow by 64%, reaching 246 people from 149. The aging population trend is evident, with those aged 65 and above comprising 61% of the projected growth. Conversely, population declines are projected for the 75 to 84 and 35 to 44 age cohorts.