SuburbCheck

Nowra

NSW 2541 · Shoalhaven

9,956 (2021) → 10,330 est. (2025) · High Growth

Part of the Shoalhaven local government area (est. 111,712 residents)

50
Overall score

Based on transport, liveability & education. Safety is scored separately below.

9,956
Population
$694K
Median house (2025)
5
Safety score
35
Transport score

Nowra is a high growth suburb in Shoalhaven, NSW 2541, about 125km from Sydney CBD. Its median house price of $694K is more affordable than the NSW average. The suburb has 7 schools, a transport score of 35/100, and is about 13km inland. Nowra has an overall score of 50/100, based on transport, liveability and education, plus a separate residential safety score of 5/100.

125.0 km
To Sydney CBD
13.0 km
To coast
$550/wk
Median rent (house)
3.1 km
To nearest station

Demographics

9,956
Population
40
Median age
2.2
Avg household

Age distribution

Housing tenure

  • Owned
  • Mortgage
  • Rented

Commute to work

  • Car
  • Public transport
  • Walk/cycle
  • Work from home
Shoalhaven LGA population (est. 2025)111,712
Median household income (weekly)$1,037
vs NSW median-43.9%
Bachelor degree or higher20.2%
Born in Australia75.3%
Dwellings: house / unit / townhouse3,120 / 188 / 524

Top countries of birth: England (3.17%), India (1.33%), Philippines (0.87%), New Zealand (0.86%), China (0.65%)

Top languages: Nepali (0.54%), Thai (0.46%), Tagalog (0.42%), Punjabi (0.38%), Mandarin (0.36%)

Source: ABS Census 2021

Property

$694K+5.7%
Median house (2025)
$425K+24.7%
Median unit (2025)

Median price history

Median rent — house / unit$550 / $440 wk
Rental yield (house)4.1%
Days on market (house)33 days

Source: NSW Valuer General · Updated Q4 2025

Residential Safety

5
Residential

Visitor / tourist hub. This suburb attracts significant visitor and tourist traffic. Crime figures are recorded by incident location and include offences involving visitors, not just residents, so the per-resident rates below may overstate the risk for people living here.

Recorded residential incidents (latest year), with rate per 100,000 residents:

81
Break & enter dwelling814/100k
45
Steal from dwelling452/100k
57
Motor vehicle theft573/100k
190
Domestic assault1,908/100k
8
Robbery80/100k

Residential incidents over time

Sum of the five residential categories above — not all recorded crime.

Area crime context

Total recorded incidents: 3,111 (all categories, latest year)31,248 per 100,000 residents2-yr5-yr

These totals are recorded by incident location and include offences involving the suburb's many 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

20
Within 10km7 in suburb
4
Govt (suburb)
2
Catholic (suburb)
1
Indep. (suburb)

Average ICSEA of schools within 10km 955 (below the national average of 1000).

In suburb

  • St John the Evangelist Catholic High SchoolSecondary · CatholicICSEA 1031
  • St Michael's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · CatholicICSEA 990
  • Nowra High SchoolSecondary · GovernmentICSEA 953
  • Nowra Public SchoolPrimary · GovernmentICSEA 896
  • Shoalhaven High SchoolSecondary · GovernmentICSEA 864
  • Nowra East Public SchoolPrimary · GovernmentICSEA 793
  • Novo Education Space NowraSecondary · Independent

Nearby (within 10km)

  • Nowra Christian SchoolCombined · Independent · 2.7kmICSEA 1039
  • Shoalhaven River CollegeSecondary · Independent · 2.7kmICSEA 947
  • Terara Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 2.8kmICSEA 997
  • Nowra Anglican CollegeCombined · Independent · 2.8kmICSEA 1093
  • Illaroo Road Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 2.9kmICSEA 1001
  • Bomaderry Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 3.9kmICSEA 898
  • North Nowra Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 3.9kmICSEA 912
  • Havenlee SchoolCombined · Government · 4kmICSEA 865
  • Bomaderry High SchoolSecondary · Government · 4.2kmICSEA 954
  • Nowra Hill Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 7kmICSEA 990
  • William Campbell CollegePrimary · Independent · 7.3km
  • Cambewarra Public SchoolPrimary · Government · 8.1kmICSEA 1010

Source: ACARA 2023

Transport

35
CBD commute (est.)Data not available
Nearest train stationBomaderry (3.1 km)

Source: TfNSW GTFS

Liveability

26.5°C
Summer max
17.0°C
Winter max
1,100mm
Rainfall/yr
6.9h
Sun/day

Amenities within 2–3km

Counted within a short distance of the suburb centre (so nearby facilities count), with the in-boundary count shown beneath.

65 in suburbSupermarkets
77 in suburbCafes/Rest.
1716 in suburbParks
1010 in suburbPlaygrounds
401 in suburbPools
31 in suburbGyms
0Dog parks
21 in suburbGPs
33 in suburbPharmacies
11 in suburbChildcare
11 in suburbLibraries
9570 in suburbSports fields
0Vets
Nearest beachData not available
Nearest hospitalShoalhaven District Memorial Hospital (1.7 km)
Nearest vet4.2 km
Nearest airportWestern Sydney (111.5 km)

Source: Bureau of Meteorology · OpenStreetMap

Population & Growth

High Growth
Annual growth rate0.93%
Projected population 204117,444
Projected households 2041Data not available

Source: ABS ERP & NSW DPHI

Nearby suburbs in Shoalhaven

Bomaderry$750K83transportBrundeeData not available0transportBolongData not available35transportBangalee$1.30M0transportCambewarra Village$936K0transportCambewarra$1.28M0transport

Compare Nowra with another suburb

Compare two suburbs

Nowra

Frequently asked questions about Nowra

Is Nowra safe?

Nowra 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 31,248 per 100,000 across all categories.

What are property prices in Nowra?

In Nowra, the median house price is $694K and the median unit price is $425K. Median weekly house rent is $550.

How far is Nowra from Sydney CBD?

Nowra is about 125.0 km from Sydney CBD.

What schools are in Nowra?

Nowra has 7 schools, with an average ICSEA of 921 (the national average is 1000). Schools are listed factually, not ranked.

What is public transport like in Nowra?

Nowra has a transport score of 35/100.

Data sources: ABS Census 2021 & ERP, NSW Valuer General, BOCSAR, TfNSW, ACARA, Bureau of Meteorology, OpenStreetMap, NSW DPHI. Data refreshed quarterly.

Data shown is from public sources and may not reflect current conditions. How we calculate scores.