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Living in Shoal Bay, NSW
Shoal Bay is in the Port Stephens council area. About 1,815 people lived here at the 2021 Census. Here's who they are, their homes and how they get around, next to the rest of Port Stephens and New South Wales.
Rent now
$650 a week
That's the median rent on new leases in Nelson Bay and Corlette (2315), the postcode most of Shoal Bay is in, in the June quarter 2026. Half of new leases cost more and half cost less.
Who lives here
| Measure | Shoal Bay | Port Stephens | NSW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 59 | 47 | 39 |
| People per home | 2.0 | 2.4 | 2.6 |
| Household income, a week (median) | $1,007 | $1,372 | $1,829 |
Homes
| Measure | Shoal Bay | Port Stephens | NSW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 40% | 42% | 32% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 17% | 31% | 33% |
| Rented | 34% | 25% | 33% |
| Separate houses | 53% | 81% | 66% |
| Flats and apartments | 14% | 4% | 22% |
| Rent, a week (median, 2021) | $338 | $370 | $420 |
| Mortgage repayment, a month (median) | $1,700 | $1,733 | $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 | Shoal Bay | Port Stephens | NSW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes with no car | 8% | 4% | 9% |
| Homes with two or more cars | 40% | 60% | 52% |
| Went to work by car | 67% | 72% | 54% |
| Went to work by public transport | 2% | 1% | 4% |
| Walked or cycled to work | 7% | 2% | 3% |
| Worked from home | 22% | 22% | 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
In Shoal Bay
- Shoal Bay Public School Government, primary
School zones for 2026
- Shoal Bay Public School primary
- Tomaree High School high school
The middle of Shoal 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 Shoal Bay. Check enrolment rules with the school or the state's education department. We don't rank or rate schools.
Bushfire map
- 83% of Shoal 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 Port Stephens
- What it costs to live in Port Stephens: rent, power, fuel, pokies losses and crime, against New South Wales.
- Compare Port Stephens with another area.
- Is living in Shoal Bay worth the drive? Add up rent and fuel against another suburb.
- Other suburbs in Port Stephens.
Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021, General Community Profile, and Suburbs and Localities boundaries, CC BY 4.0. Port Stephens figures use the council's 2021 boundaries. Schools: NSW Department of Education, CC BY. 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.