Bar Beach
NSW 2300 · Newcastle
1,292 (2021) → 1,472 est. (2025) · High Growth
Part of the Newcastle local government area (est. 179,758 residents)
Based on transport, liveability & education. Safety is scored separately below.
Bar Beach is a high growth suburb in Newcastle, NSW 2300, about 116km from Sydney CBD. Its median house price of $2.77M is more expensive than the NSW average. The suburb has no schools recorded, a transport score of 76/100, and is right by the coast. Bar Beach has an overall score of 85/100, based on transport, liveability and education, plus a separate residential safety score of 5/100.
Demographics
Age distribution
Top countries of birth: England (3.72%), New Zealand (1.7%), South Africa (0.93%), India (0.7%), Italy (0.54%)
Top languages: Italian (0.77%), Serbian (0.54%), Vietnamese (0.54%), Greek (0.39%), Punjabi (0.31%)
Source: ABS Census 2021
Property
Median price history
Source: NSW Valuer General · Updated Q4 2025
Residential Safety
Small population (under 3,000) — crime rates may be volatile due to low sample size.
Commercial & services hub. This suburb is a major employment and services centre, drawing a significant daily influx of workers and visitors from surrounding areas. Crime figures are recorded by incident location and include offences involving commuters and visitors, not just residents, so the per-resident crime rates below may overstate the risk for people who live here.
Nightlife hub. This suburb has a high concentration of licensed venues. Crime figures include incidents involving visitors to the nightlife area, not just residents.
Recorded residential incidents (latest year), with rate per 100,000 residents:
Includes street and public-place assaults — supplementary context, not part of the safety score.
Residential incidents over time
Sum of the five residential categories above — not all recorded crime.
Area crime context
Totals include incidents involving commuters and visitors, not just residents.
An independent score — crime data quality varies by state, so safety is shown separately and is not part of the overall score.
Source: BOCSAR · Updated 2025
Schools
Strong school options
Well above average — good-quality schools within reach and a healthy range of options to choose from.
Average ICSEA of schools within 10km 1033 (above the national average of 1000).
No schools inside the suburb boundary — the schools below are in adjoining suburbs (counted within 10km for the education score).
Nearby (within 10km)
- Newcastle Grammar Park School CampusPrimary · Independent · 0.7km
- The Junction Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 0.9kmICSEA 1117
- St Joseph's Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · 0.9kmICSEA 1144
- Alesco Senior CollegeSecondary · Independent · 1.1kmICSEA 950
- Newcastle East Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 1.2kmICSEA 1114
- Newcastle High SchoolSecondary · Government · 1.3kmICSEA 1032
- Hamilton South Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 1.5kmICSEA 1130
- Newcastle Grammar SchoolCombined · Independent · 1.5kmICSEA 1172
- Newcastle Grammar Bolton Street CampusSecondary · Independent · 1.6km
- Holy Family Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · 1.8kmICSEA 1145
- St Francis Xavier's CollegeSecondary · Catholic · 1.9kmICSEA 1074
- Merewether Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 2.5kmICSEA 977
Source: ACARA 2023
Transport
Source: TfNSW GTFS
Liveability
Amenities within 2–3km
Counted within a short distance of the suburb centre (so nearby facilities count), with the in-boundary count shown beneath.
Source: Bureau of Meteorology · OpenStreetMap
Fitness
Fitness paradise
Top 20% nationally — gyms, leisure centres, pools and sports fields all close by. Easy to stay active without travelling far.
Facilities within 3km of the suburb centre. The Fitness Score is a national percentile of these counts per resident.
Source: OpenStreetMap
Outdoors
Outdoor paradise
Top 20% nationally — abundant parks and green space, plus trails, bike paths and places to enjoy the outdoors.
Within 3km of the suburb centre. The Outdoor Score is a national percentile led by parks and green space.
Source: OpenStreetMap
Culture
Cultural hotspot
Top 20% nationally — theatres, museums, galleries, libraries and landmarks all within reach. A genuinely vibrant cultural scene.
Within 3km of the suburb centre. The Culture Score is a national percentile weighting theatres, museums, galleries, libraries and arts centres most heavily.
Source: OpenStreetMap
Entertainment Scene
Not much nightlife
No licensed on-premises venues recorded in this suburb.
Nightlife hub. High licensed-venue density drives a significant evening economy here — incidents near the venues are recorded by location, so crime figures include visitors, not just residents.
No licensed pubs, bars or clubs are registered in this suburb per the Liquor & Gaming NSW register.
View nearby venues on the Entertainment Map →
Source: OpenStreetMap
Population & Growth
High GrowthSource: ABS ERP & NSW DPHI
Nearby suburbs in Newcastle
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Frequently asked questions about Bar Beach
Is Bar Beach safe?
Bar Beach has a residential safety score of 5/100, based on residential crime (break-ins, theft from dwellings, vehicle theft, domestic assault and robbery) per resident relative to the NSW median. Its total recorded incident rate is 17,183 per 100,000 across all categories.
What are property prices in Bar Beach?
In Bar Beach, the median house price is $2.77M and the median unit price is $948K. Median weekly house rent is $720.
How far is Bar Beach from Sydney CBD?
Bar Beach is about 116.2 km from Sydney CBD.
What schools are in Bar Beach?
Bar Beach has 0 schools. Schools are listed factually, not ranked.
What is public transport like in Bar Beach?
Bar Beach has a transport score of 76/100 and 11 bus stops.