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Shellharbour suburb profile

Shellharbour is a coastal suburb on the South Coast of New South Wales, centred on Shellharbour Village and its working harbour. It combines a village-scale waterfront and marina with a nearby surf beach and suburban streets of detached houses alongside some newer waterside apartments. The area has a relaxed, seaside character where boating, fishing and coastal walks are part of regular life, and the harbourfront supports cafes and eateries. Shellharbour attracts families, retirees and sea-change buyers looking for a quieter coastal pace, and it is well connected by the Princes Highway to Wollongong and other Illawarra centres.

Shellharbour property market performance

Current median dwelling price$1,140,000Past 3 months

Property growth+7.9%Past 12 months

Shellharbour has relatively few recent unit sales, so there isn't enough recent data to publish a reliable median unit price. The median house price is $1.35 million, having risen sharply, up 12.5% over the last 12 months.

Over the last 3 months 13 houses and 2 units sold. Houses had a median days on market of 41 over the last 12 months, while units were 29 days, so units sold faster than houses.

The rental market in Shellharbour shows average house rents of $750 a week, up a solid 7.1% over the last 12 months. Unit rents averaged $620 a week, down a marginal 1.6% over the same period, so house rents grew more strongly than unit rents.

HousesUnits
Median price
Past 3 months
$1.35MN/A
Change in value
Past 12 months
12.5%3.2%
Sold
Past 3 months
132
Median days on market
Past 12 months
4129
Average rent
Past 12 months
$750$620
Change in rent
Past 12 months
7.1%-1.6%

5 year median price trend for houses and units

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Shellharbour demographics

Shellharbour is a community of 3,520 people with a median age of 46. The typical household income is $1,596 a week, roughly $83,000 a year.

Families are the main household type. Couple families without children are the largest group at 44.0% (453 families), while couple families with children make up 39.7% (408 families); together they account for 83.7% of families. One-parent families represent 15.6% (161) and other families 0.7% (7).

In Shellharbour, owner-occupiers make up about two-thirds of homes — 38.4% are owned outright and 28.0% are owned with a mortgage, while renters account for 33.6%.

Suburbs near Shellharbour

Some popular suburbs near Shellharbour include:

  • Flinders: Small coastal suburb with beach access and local reserves.
  • Shell Cove: Harbour-side suburb centred on a waterfront marina and promenades.
  • Barrack Point: Compact coastal village with a surf beach and headland walks.
  • Barrack Heights: Established residential suburb with tree-lined streets and community parks.
  • Blackbutt: Leafy, semi-rural suburb with bushland pockets and larger property blocks.

How does Shellharbour compare to nearby suburbs?

  • Median house prices: Shellharbour’s median house price is 22.4% higher than Flinders’s.
  • Median unit prices: Shellharbour’s median unit price is 33.3% lower than Shell Cove’s.
  • House price growth: Over the past 12 months, house prices in Shellharbour have grown 0.7% higher than in Flinders.
  • Unit price growth: Over the past 12 months, unit prices in Shellharbour have grown 3.7% higher than in Shell Cove.
  • Selling speed for houses: Properties in Shellharbour are selling 35.9% faster than in Shell Cove.
  • Selling speed for units: Properties in Shellharbour are selling 62.3% faster than in Shell Cove.

Choose the right real estate agents in Shellharbour

There are 31 real estate agents in Shellharbour, but they don’t all deliver the same results.

Some agents have a much stronger presence in the suburb, with just 5 agents handling around 45.6% of all sales in the past year.

Commission rates in Shellharbour typically range from 1.63% to 2.63%. Comparing agents—including what they charge, what’s included, and how they structure their fees—is not only important when choosing an agent, the right structure can help ensure your chosen agent is motivated to achieve the best possible result.

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