Brightwaters
NSW 2264 · Lake Macquarie
875 (2021) → 926 est. (2025) · Moderate Growth
Part of the Lake Macquarie local government area (est. 222,310 residents)
Based on transport, liveability & education. Safety is scored separately below.
Brightwaters is a moderate growth suburb in Lake Macquarie, NSW 2264, about 90km from Sydney CBD. Its median house price of $1.08M is around the same as the NSW average. The suburb has 1 school, a transport score of 33/100, and is a short drive from the coast. Brightwaters has an overall score of 38/100, based on transport, liveability and education, plus a separate residential safety score of 85/100.
Demographics
Age distribution
Housing tenure
- Owned
- Mortgage
- Rented
Commute to work
- Car
- Public transport
- Walk/cycle
- Work from home
Top countries of birth: England (3.2%), New Zealand (1.49%), South Africa (1.37%), Germany (0.8%), Malta (0.57%)
Top languages: Greek (1.14%), Afrikaans (0.57%), Cantonese (0.46%), Tagalog (0.46%), Australian Indigenous Languages (0.34%)
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.
Recorded residential incidents (latest year), with rate per 100,000 residents:
Residential incidents over time
Sum of the five residential categories above — not all recorded crime.
Area crime context
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
Average ICSEA of schools within 10km 987 (below the national average of 1000).
In suburb
- Brightwaters Christian CollegeCombined · IndependentICSEA 985
Nearby (within 10km)
- Bonnells Bay Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 2.7kmICSEA 935
- Heritage College Lake MacquarieCombined · Independent · 3.8kmICSEA 1012
- Gwandalan Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 4.4kmICSEA 952
- Mannering Park Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 4.9kmICSEA 933
- Morisset Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 5.4kmICSEA 918
- Morisset High SchoolSecondary · Government · 5.5kmICSEA 926
- Dora Creek Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 5.6kmICSEA 946
- St John Vianney's Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · 5.6kmICSEA 974
- Nords Wharf Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 6.2kmICSEA 1032
- Wangi Wangi Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 6.2kmICSEA 979
- Arcadia Vale Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 6.6kmICSEA 966
- Rathmines Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 8.7kmICSEA 1000
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
Population & Growth
Moderate GrowthSource: ABS ERP & NSW DPHI
Nearby suburbs in Lake Macquarie
Compare Brightwaters with another suburb
Compare two suburbs
Frequently asked questions about Brightwaters
Is Brightwaters safe?
Brightwaters has a residential safety score of 85/100, 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 1,829 per 100,000 across all categories.
What are property prices in Brightwaters?
In Brightwaters, the median house price is $1.08M. Median weekly house rent is $650.
How far is Brightwaters from Sydney CBD?
Brightwaters is about 90.3 km from Sydney CBD.
What schools are in Brightwaters?
Brightwaters has 1 school, with an average ICSEA of 985 (the national average is 1000). Schools are listed factually, not ranked.
What is public transport like in Brightwaters?
Brightwaters has a transport score of 33/100 and 14 bus stops.