Median price trend for houses
Based on 18 sales in the preceding 12 months
$1,740,000
Up 32.7% over 12 months
- 4 bed
- $1.66m
- 5+ bed
- $1.9m
Aerial view
Imagery © Esri
The quick read on
Catherine Hill Bay
NSW 2281 · Lake Macquarie
What homes cost, how rents have moved, and a feel for the people who call it home.
- Median house
- $1,740,000
- Population
- 943
- Postcode
- 2281
latest suburb median
ABS 2021
Catherine Hill Bay, New South Wales
Property market insights for Catherine Hill Bay
Median sale price and rental income of properties in Catherine Hill Bay NSW
Median rent trend for houses
Based on 19 rental listings in the preceding 12 months
$1,000 per week
Up 11.1% over 12 months
Market data updated October 2026.
The median house price in Catherine Hill Bay, NSW is currently $1,740,000, based on the latest 12 months of sales. Catherine Hill Bay has a 12-month growth rate of 32.7% for houses.
Four-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $1,660,000, Larger houses have a median sale price of $1,900,000 in Catherine Hill Bay.
If you're looking to lease, the median rent for houses in Catherine Hill Bay is $1,000 per week. The median house rent has increased 11.1% over the last 12 months.
The median rent for units and apartments in Catherine Hill Bay is $625 per week and has decreased 16.7% over the last 12 months.
Crime and safety
Is Catherine Hill Bay safe?
The overall rate for Catherine Hill Bay is 2,257 offences per 100,000 residents — 32% below the Rest of NSW benchmark.
That is the clearest suburb-wide answer. Open the detailed profile to see how the pattern changes across offence types and different parts of Catherine Hill Bay.
Overall crime rate
2,257
offences per 100,000 residents
32% belowRest of NSW
Catherine Hill BayRest of NSW: 3,298
Suburb-wide estimate from Microburbs' public crime model; it is not an address-level measure.
The people behind the postcode
Who lives in Catherine Hill Bay?
Catherine Hill Bay NSW 2281 is in New South Wales, within Rest of NSW.
943 people call Catherine Hill Bay home, with an average of 2.9 people per household and a median household income of $2,628 a week.
Public ABS 2021 Census figures. The bars compare the local share with the capital-region benchmark.
- Population
- 943
- Median age
- 37 years
- Median mortgage
- $2,741 / month
- 2021 household rent
- $420 / week
Above the benchmarkBelow the benchmarkIn lineRest of NSW benchmark
Age profile
Share of residents in each age band.
Under 1524.4%Above
15–3420.3%Below
35–5428.8%Above
55–7423.5%Below
75 and over3.0%Below
Homes
Share of occupied private dwellings.
Separate houses101.0%Above
Townhouses0.0%Below
Apartments0.0%Below
Ownership
Share of homes with a stated ownership or rental status.
Owned outright31.0%Below
Paying a mortgage53.3%Above
Renting15.7%Below
Cars at home
Vehicles available to occupied households.
No car0.0%Below
One car22.2%Below
Two cars52.3%Above
Three or more23.8%Above
Getting to work
Selected ways residents worked or travelled on Census day.
Worked from home31.1%Above
Drove to work48.5%Below
Train, tram or bus0.0%Below
Walked or cycled0.6%Below
What stands out in Catherine Hill Bay
31.1% of workers in Catherine Hill Bay worked from home on Census day — about twice the rate across Rest of NSW.
2.8% of Catherine Hill Bay residents were born in England.
44.6% of people in Catherine Hill Bay described themselves as having no religion in the 2021 Census.
A closer look at the Census
Questions people ask about Catherine Hill Bay
Open any question for a plain-English reading of the public 2021 Census for Catherine Hill Bay NSW 2281.
Is Catherine Hill Bay family-friendly?Age, family structure and household size describe the community families would be joining.
24.4% of Catherine Hill Bay's residents were children under 15 in the 2021 Census. That is well above the Rest of NSW average.
271 family households lived in Catherine Hill Bay; 55.0% were couple families and 7.4% were one-parent families.
46.9% of local families included children under 15. That is well above the Rest of NSW average.
These are suburb-wide household figures, not school or childcare ratings.
What is the age profile of Catherine Hill Bay?The balance between younger adults, families and older residents changes how a suburb feels day to day.
Catherine Hill Bay had 943 residents at the 2021 Census.
25.3% of residents were aged 25 to 44.
26.5% were 55 or older. That is well below the Rest of NSW average.
Age shares use the suburb’s total Census population.
What kind of homes are in Catherine Hill Bay?The dwelling mix shows whether the suburb is mostly detached homes, townhouses or apartments.
Separate houses made up 101.0% of occupied private dwellings in Catherine Hill Bay.
Townhouses and other attached homes represented 0.0% of occupied private dwellings.
Flats and apartments accounted for 0.0% of occupied private dwellings.
All three shares use occupied private dwellings as the denominator.
Do people own or rent in Catherine Hill Bay?Tenure shows how many households own outright, have a mortgage or rent.
31.0% of households with a stated tenure owned their home outright. That is well below the Rest of NSW average.
53.3% were buying their home with a mortgage.
15.7% rented their home. That is well below the Rest of NSW average.
Tenure shares include households that stated one of these three arrangements.
How large are households in Catherine Hill Bay?Household-size data shows the mix behind the suburb-wide average.
The average household in Catherine Hill Bay had 2.9 people.
One-person households made up 13.4% of occupied homes. That is about half the Rest of NSW rate.
Two-person households represented 35.2%, while 40.4% had four or more usual residents.
Household size counts usual residents in occupied homes.
How do people get to work in Catherine Hill Bay?Census-day travel shows the balance between home, road, public transport and active travel.
31.1% of workers worked from home on Census day. That is about twice the Rest of NSW rate.
48.5% drove a car as their only travel method. That is well below the Rest of NSW average.
0.0% used only a train, tram or bus, while 0.6% walked or cycled.
Travel figures are a 2021 Census-day snapshot.
How many cars do households have in Catherine Hill Bay?Vehicle availability helps describe the routines local households can support.
0.0% of occupied households had no motor vehicle available. That is about half the Rest of NSW rate.
One-car households formed 22.2% of the total.
76.2% of households had two or more vehicles.
Vehicle counts refer to occupied households, not individual residents.
Who's moving to Catherine Hill Bay, and who stays?Address history shows how settled or recently mobile residents were at the Census date.
13.6% were at the same address five years earlier, while 86.4% reported a different address.
12.4% of residents were born outside Australia. That is almost exactly typical for Rest of NSW.
Mobility figures cover residents who answered the relevant Census question.
What languages are spoken in Catherine Hill Bay?Language at home gives a direct view of the community’s everyday linguistic mix.
91.8% of residents used only English at home.
5.8% used a language other than English at home.
0.6% spoke Mandarin at home, 0.0% spoke Cantonese and 0.4% spoke Hindi.
Home language is separate from English proficiency.
Where were Catherine Hill Bay residents born?Birthplace adds another layer to the local story, separate from ancestry and language.
12.4% of Catherine Hill Bay's population was born outside Australia, while roughly 87.6% was born in Australia.
0.0% of residents were born in China.
0.4% were born in India, while Australian citizenship across the whole suburb stood at 95.1%.
Birthplace, citizenship and ancestry describe different parts of identity.
What ancestries shape Catherine Hill Bay?Ancestry responses show how residents describe family and cultural background.
English ancestry accounted for 44.6% of ancestry responses in Catherine Hill Bay.
Australian ancestry made up 39.1% of responses.
Chinese ancestry represented 1.2% of responses.
People may nominate more than one ancestry, so these are shares of responses.
What work do people do in Catherine Hill Bay?Occupation describes a person’s role; industry describes the sector employing them.
24.7% of employed residents worked in professional occupations. That is somewhat above the Rest of NSW average.
Managers accounted for 14.9% of employed residents, while clerical and administrative workers made up 11.8%.
Health care and social assistance employed 15.1% of workers, and education and training employed 10.8%.
Occupation and industry figures describe employed residents of the suburb.
How active is the workforce in Catherine Hill Bay?Participation, employment pattern and unemployment describe the resident labour force.
The labour-force participation rate was 69.1%, compared with 56.4% across Rest of NSW.
38.6% of residents aged 15 and over worked full time, while 22.8% worked part time.
Unemployment was 2.6%, compared with 4.6% across Rest of NSW.
Labour-force figures come from the 2021 Census.
What does the health profile of Catherine Hill Bay show?Selected long-term health conditions help describe community service needs.
65.0% reported no selected long-term health condition.
9.0% reported a long-term mental health condition, including depression or anxiety.
8.5% reported asthma, 8.4% arthritis and 2.7% diabetes excluding gestational diabetes.
These are self-reported suburb-wide Census figures, not address-level health risks.
How educated is Catherine Hill Bay?Qualifications describe the study pathways represented among local residents.
22.4% of people in the qualifications table held a bachelor degree. That is close to the Rest of NSW average.
Postgraduate degrees accounted for 7.5% of qualification responses.
Diploma-level qualifications represented 17.3%, while certificate-level qualifications represented 38.0%.
Qualification categories are reported separately and are not school ratings.
What do incomes and housing costs look like in Catherine Hill Bay?Census income and household payments give historical context for local living costs.
Median household income was $2,628 per week in the 2021 Census.
The median monthly mortgage repayment reported by local households was $2,741.
Occupied renting households reported a median rent of $420 per week.
These household figures are from 2021; current sale and asking-rent medians appear in the market section.
How does Catherine Hill Bay compare with Rest of NSW?A few clear differences place the suburb in its wider metropolitan context.
Working from home was 31.1% in Catherine Hill Bay, compared with 15.7% across Rest of NSW.
Outright ownership was 31.0% locally and 39.6% across Rest of NSW. That is well below the Rest of NSW average.
Renting accounted for 15.7% in Catherine Hill Bay, against 27.9% across Rest of NSW.
Capital-region comparisons use the same Census definitions and year.
Three useful questions
A buyer’s quick guide to Catherine Hill Bay
Is Catherine Hill Bay expensive?
The median house price is $1,740,000. Bedroom count, land and condition still create a wide range around those suburb medians.
Is Catherine Hill Bay good for families?
The Census counted 271 local families, and 24.4% of residents were under 15. That describes the community; school quality, travel times and the right fit for a particular family need separate research.
What can I get for $1.5m in Catherine Hill Bay?
4-bedroom houses have a median around $1,660,000, the closest bedroom benchmark we hold to a $1.5m budget. Individual homes can differ substantially with block size, renovation and location.
Medians describe recorded market activity across the suburb; they are historical context, not a valuation or forecast for an individual home.
Explore the area
Streets and suburbs around Catherine Hill Bay
28 streets in Catherine Hill Bay
Street-by-street reports are not published yet. The streets below are the ones this suburb covers.
- Anouska St
- Breakers Bvd
- Clarke St
- Colliery Rd
- Farr St
- Flowers Dr
- Frangipani Ave
- Frazer St
- Gillespie Street
- Hale St
- Hooey St
- Hopwood Cl
- Lindsley St
- Mine Camp Rd
- Montefiore Parkway
- Northwood Rd
- Quinn St
- Raywood Cct
Show all 28 streetsShow fewer streets
- Rockpool Rd
- Sandhill Cl
- Silkstone Cct
- Stollard St
- Sunnyspot Bvd
- Surfside Dr
- Trevillion Lane
- Wardle Ave
- Whale St
- Woodbury Cct
12 suburbs surrounding Catherine Hill Bay
Compare nearby suburb prices, rents and five-year market trends.
Keep exploring
Is Catherine Hill Bay right for your search?
Use the finders to compare places and properties, or open the full report when you need the street, risk, schools and growth research.
Read the thinking
Figures update as new market and census data arrives. This suburb overview is general information, not a valuation or financial advice.