Question 1

Is South West Rocks a nice place to live?

Accepted Answer

South West Rocks is a coastal town beside Trial Bay with Trial Bay Gaol, the Smoky Cape Lighthouse in Arakoon National Park and a compact centre near boat ramps.

The community is older, with many households owning their homes outright, incomes below the NSW median and 5,058 residents. The town has a compact centre of shops, cafes and services close to the estuary, and the shoreline mixes walking tracks, rock platforms and surf beaches; beach recreation, national park visits and seasonal whale watching set the town's pace. Mulumun Trail Stage One was completed, upgrading about seven kilometres of track with realignments, gradient improvements, new steps and enhanced viewpoints.

Question 2

Is it expensive to live in South West Rocks?

Accepted Answer

A typical local household earned about $980 a week at the most recent Census. At a current median house price of $752,500, buying a house in South West Rocks works out to about 14.8 times a typical local annual household income, which sits well above local incomes.

If you are looking to rent, the average house rent of $580 a week would take about 59% of that weekly household income, and the average unit rent of $430 a week would take about 44% — both are a large share of a typical local household's income. Whether that feels expensive depends on your own income and 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 South West Rocks a good place to invest?

Accepted Answer

What stands out in South West Rocks over the past 12 months is the 30.5% rise in median unit values, paired with a 16.2% increase in unit rents. On units, capital growth outpaced rental growth: unit values climbed strongly while unit rents also rose strongly but by a smaller amount. Houses moved more modestly, with median house values up 4.1% and house rents up 4.5%, the rents edging ahead of values for houses. Unit value growth was much larger than house value growth, and unit rent growth was stronger than house rent growth, so unit owners saw larger capital gains alongside solid rental increases while house owners saw more modest gains in both capital and income.

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	$753K	N/A
Change in value Past 12 months	4.1%	30.5%
Sold Past 3 months	20	9
Median days on market Past 12 months	112	69
Average rent Past 12 months	$580	$430
Change in rent Past 12 months	4.5%	16.2%

	Suburb	NSW
Median age years	58	39
Median household income weekly	$980	$1,829
Couples with children share of families	24.3%	44.7%
Couples without children share of families	59.9%	37.9%
One-parent families share of families	14.6%	15.8%
Homes owned outright share of homes	54.9%	32.6%
Homes with a mortgage share of homes	20.2%	33.6%
Homes rented share of homes	24.9%	33.7%

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