Question 1

Is Shortland a nice place to live?

Accepted Answer

Shortland is an established, mostly residential suburb on Newcastle's inner western fringe, with quiet tree-lined streets and a mix of mid-20th century cottages, later brick homes and pockets of newer townhouses. It attracts families and long-term residents who value a calm neighbourhood; the community numbers 4,537 with a median age of 33, and about three in five homes (60.8%) are owner-occupied.

Everyday convenience comes from local shops, community facilities and sporting fields, with green spaces and walking options nearby and regular bus services plus straightforward road links to the wider region. The local centre on Sandgate Road has been upgraded, there is a new social housing development on Macarthur Street, and a public preschool is planned at Shortland Public School. Whether Shortland suits you will depend on which of those features matter most.

Question 2

Is it expensive to live in Shortland?

Accepted Answer

On the figures for Shortland, buying looks much more stretched against local incomes at the last Census than renting. A median house price of $800,000 is about 11.4 times a typical local annual household income at the last Census (weekly household income $1,344 ? $69,888 a year), which sits well above local incomes.

Renting is comparatively less extreme but still significant: a house rent of $660 a week would take about 49.1% of a typical local household's weekly income at the last Census (a large share), while a unit rent of $480 a week would take about 35.7% (a sizeable share). Which of those matters most depends on whether you plan to rent or buy and on your own circumstances.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

Question 3

Is Shortland a good place to invest?

Accepted Answer

The housing side showed the clearest movement this year: house values climbed 16.9% over the past 12 months, a strong rise, while house rents increased a solid 6.5% over the same period. For houses in Shortland, price growth outpaced rental growth over the year, so capital growth was the stronger contributor to movement on the housing side.

Unit rents rose 1.1%, a slight increase, so the rent a unit earns moved more slowly than house rents. If rental income is your main focus, the house rental figures have been the stronger movement this year; whether that pattern fits your goals and circumstances is for you to weigh up.

This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.

	Houses	Units
Median price Past 3 months	$800K	N/A
Change in value Past 12 months	16.9%	N/A
Sold Past 3 months	23	4
Median days on market Past 12 months	16	36
Average rent Past 12 months	$660	$480
Change in rent Past 12 months	6.5%	1.1%

Get a property report and suburb profile for any property in Shortland

Shortland suburb profile

Shortland property market performance

5 year median price trend for houses and units

Shortland demographics

Suburbs near Shortland

How does Shortland compare to nearby suburbs?

Choose the right real estate agents in Shortland

Get a head start and compare top local agents in Shortland

Not quite ready to sell?

Suburb and property report

Digital estimate for your property

Navigate the market