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Living in Catherine Hill Bay, NSW
Catherine Hill Bay is in the Lake Macquarie council area. About 943 people lived here at the 2021 Census. Here's who they are, their homes and how they get around, next to the rest of Lake Macquarie and New South Wales.
Rent now
$700 a week
That's the median rent on new leases in Swansea and Caves Beach (2281), the postcode most of Catherine Hill Bay is in, in the June quarter 2026. Half of new leases cost more and half cost less.
Who lives here
| Measure | Catherine Hill Bay | Lake Macquarie | NSW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37 | 42 | 39 |
| People per home | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| Household income, a week (median) | $2,628 | $1,623 | $1,829 |
Homes
| Measure | Catherine Hill Bay | Lake Macquarie | NSW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 31% | 38% | 32% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 54% | 37% | 33% |
| Rented | 16% | 24% | 33% |
| Separate houses | 100% | 85% | 66% |
| Flats and apartments | 0% | 4% | 22% |
| Rent, a week (median, 2021) | $420 | $375 | $420 |
| Mortgage repayment, a month (median) | $2,741 | $1,950 | $2,167 |
Shares of homes where people answered the question. Rent and mortgage figures are from 2021, so they're well below today's. See what tenants pay now.
Getting around
| Measure | Catherine Hill Bay | Lake Macquarie | NSW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes with no car | 0% | 5% | 9% |
| Homes with two or more cars | 77% | 62% | 52% |
| Went to work by car | 59% | 71% | 54% |
| Went to work by public transport | 0% | 1% | 4% |
| Walked or cycled to work | 1% | 2% | 3% |
| Worked from home | 37% | 24% | 36% |
How people got to work on Census day, as a share of those who went to work or worked at home. The Census was on 10 August 2021, when Greater Sydney and Melbourne were in lockdown, so many more people there worked from home than usual, and fewer took public transport.
Schools
There's no school in Catherine Hill Bay itself.
School zones for 2026
- Nords Wharf Public School primary
- Swansea High School high school
The middle of Catherine Hill Bay is in these government school zones. A zone is set by your exact address, and streets near its edge may be zoned for another school, so check your address with the school before you rent or buy.
Government schools only: New South Wales doesn't publish an open list of Catholic and independent schools. Distances are in a straight line from the middle of Catherine Hill Bay. Check enrolment rules with the school or the state's education department. We don't rank or rate schools.
Bushfire map
- 94% of Catherine Hill Bay's land is mapped as bushfire prone.
These are planning maps. They decide building rules, like how a new home must be built. They aren't an insurance price or a promise: a place outside them can still burn or flood. Check a street address on the NSW Planning Portal spatial viewer.
More about Lake Macquarie
- What it costs to live in Lake Macquarie: rent, power, fuel, pokies losses and crime, against New South Wales.
- Compare Lake Macquarie with another area.
- Is living in Catherine Hill Bay worth the drive? Add up rent and fuel against another suburb.
- Other suburbs in Lake Macquarie.
Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021, General Community Profile, and Suburbs and Localities boundaries, CC BY 4.0. Lake Macquarie figures use the council's 2021 boundaries. School zones: NSW Department of Education, school intake zones, CC BY. Rent: state rental bond data (see the rent pages). Hazards: NSW Rural Fire Service, Bush Fire Prone Land (NSW Planning Portal), CC BY.