Lake Illawarra
NSW 2528 · Shellharbour
3,288 (2021) → 3,324 est. (2025) · Stable
Part of the Shellharbour local government area (est. 83,053 residents)
Based on transport, liveability & education. Safety is scored separately below.
Lake Illawarra is a stable suburb in Shellharbour, NSW 2528, about 81km from Sydney CBD. Its median house price of $899K is around the same as the NSW average. The suburb has 2 schools, a transport score of 60/100, and is right by the coast. Lake Illawarra has an overall score of 56/100, based on transport, liveability and education, plus a separate residential safety score of 46/100.
Demographics
Age distribution
Housing tenure
- Owned
- Mortgage
- Rented
Commute to work
- Car
- Public transport
- Walk/cycle
- Work from home
Top countries of birth: England (4.68%), New Zealand (1.25%), Philippines (0.91%), Scotland (0.7%), Germany (0.64%)
Top languages: Arabic (1.34%), Spanish (1.22%), Macedon (0.61%), Thai (0.58%), Italian (0.55%)
Source: ABS Census 2021
Property
Median price history
Source: NSW Valuer General · Updated Q4 2025
Residential Safety
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 965 (below the national average of 1000).
In suburb
- Lake Illawarra South Public SchoolPrimary · GovernmentICSEA 943
- Lake Illawarra High SchoolSecondary · GovernmentICSEA 899
Nearby (within 10km)
- Warilla North Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 0.9kmICSEA 868
- Windang Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 1.3kmICSEA 976
- Willans Hill SchoolCombined · Government · 1.6kmICSEA 931
- Peterborough SchoolCombined · Government · 1.6kmICSEA 960
- Warilla Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 1.7kmICSEA 925
- Mount Warrigal Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 2kmICSEA 894
- Barrack Heights Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 2.3kmICSEA 870
- Aspect South Coast School, Barrack HeightsPrimary · Independent · 2.3km
- Warilla High SchoolSecondary · Government · 2.5kmICSEA 970
- Oak Flats High SchoolSecondary · Government · 3.1kmICSEA 933
- Balarang Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 3.4kmICSEA 970
- Amity College Illawarra CampusCombined · Independent · 3.4km
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
StableSource: ABS ERP & NSW DPHI
Nearby suburbs in Shellharbour
Compare Lake Illawarra with another suburb
Compare two suburbs
Frequently asked questions about Lake Illawarra
Is Lake Illawarra safe?
Lake Illawarra has a residential safety score of 46/100, 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 9,033 per 100,000 across all categories.
What are property prices in Lake Illawarra?
In Lake Illawarra, the median house price is $899K and the median unit price is $699K. Median weekly house rent is $680.
How far is Lake Illawarra from Sydney CBD?
Lake Illawarra is about 81.0 km from Sydney CBD.
What schools are in Lake Illawarra?
Lake Illawarra has 2 schools, with an average ICSEA of 921 (the national average is 1000). Schools are listed factually, not ranked.
What is public transport like in Lake Illawarra?
Lake Illawarra has a transport score of 60/100 and 36 bus stops.