Bilambil Heights
Home ownership at Bilambil Heights runs exceptionally high: 37.8% of residents own outright and 46.1% hold a mortgage, leaving only 16.1% renting, well below the national average. The median house price sits at $1,018,500, driven by a stock that is 90.3% separate houses on an 8.51 square kilometre footprint near the Queensland border. The suburb's 3,491 residents skew older with a median age of 44, four years above national, and the household income percentile of 49.8 places it squarely at the national median despite the premium property values.
Population
3,491
Median Age
44.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,562/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
36
Median House
$1.0M
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The median house price is $1,018,500, with price history showing a rise from $995,000 in 2024 to $1,060,000 in 2025, a 6.5% gain in one year. Separate houses dominate at 90.3% of dwellings, and the bedroom mix tilts large: 44.9% have four or more bedrooms and 43.3% have three bedrooms. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,901, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 28.1%, below the 30% stress threshold, which is favourable compared to many NSW coastal markets. Outright owners at 37.8% outnumber renters at 16.1%, indicating a settled, debt-free ownership base rather than a high-churn market. The 4.6% vacancy rate suggests some slack in supply, worth noting for buyers who want negotiating room.
For Buyers
The median house price is $1,018,500, with price history showing a rise from $995,000 in 2024 to $1,060,000 in 2025, a 6.5% gain in one year. Separate houses dominate at 90.3% of dwellings, and the bedroom mix tilts large: 44.9% have four or more bedrooms and 43.3% have three bedrooms. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,901, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 28.1%, below the 30% stress threshold, which is favourable compared to many NSW coastal markets. Outright owners at 37.8% outnumber renters at 16.1%, indicating a settled, debt-free ownership base rather than a high-churn market. The 4.6% vacancy rate suggests some slack in supply, worth noting for buyers who want negotiating room.
For Investors
The rental market at Bilambil Heights is thin, with only 16.1% of dwellings occupied by renters and a vacancy rate of 4.6%, higher than the typical 2-3% low-vacancy benchmark. Weekly rent of $470 against a $1,018,500 median implies a gross yield near 2.4%, modest by investor standards. Development activity is active, with 34 applications lodged in the past 12 months, mostly new dwellings and alterations, indicating ongoing owner-occupier reinvestment rather than speculative supply. The 6.5% CAGR over the measured period is a positive signal, outpacing many regional NSW benchmarks. Rent-to-income at 30.1% flags renters as financially stretched, which can limit rental growth potential compared to higher-income catchments.
Development Activity
Total DAs
205
Last 12 Months
36
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+12.5%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
The median age of 44 is 4.0 years above the national figure, and the household composition confirms a mature-family orientation: 38.7% of families are couples with children and 30.6% are couples without children. Average household size of 2.6 is 0.1 above national. Overseas-born residents account for 16.5% of the population, which is 5.1 percentage points below national, reflecting an Anglo-leaning ancestry profile led by English (1,548), Irish (490) and Scottish (440). University qualifications reach 24.4%, which is 5.7 percentage points below the national figure, consistent with a trade and services workforce concentration. The volunteering rate of 13.9% indicates moderate community engagement.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
90.3%
Houses
5.3%
Townhouse
4.4%
Apartment
Tenure
Bilambil Heights is almost entirely detached houses at 90.3%, with semi-detached at 5.3% and apartments at just 4.4%, a stock profile that reinforces the owner-occupier market. The tenure split is 37.8% owned outright, 46.1% with a mortgage and 16.1% renting, meaning more than 80% of dwellings are owner-occupied, above the national average. Prices rose from $995,000 in 2024 to $1,060,000 in 2025, a 6.5% increase, reaching a current median of $1,018,500. The bedroom mix is weighted to large family homes: 44.9% have four or more bedrooms and 43.3% have three. Mortgage-to-income at 28.1% remains below the 30% stress threshold, a practical advantage compared to higher-priced coastal NSW suburbs.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,901
Rent / wk
$470
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$748
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.6%
Unoccupied
60
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
30.1% stressed
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
28.1%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
30.6%
Couples, no children
2,725
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare leads local employment at 24.8% of workers (263 people), nearly double the next sectors of Construction at 13.8% (146) and Education at 13.2% (140). Professional/Tech accounts for 7.0% and Retail for 6.8%. By occupation, Professionals are the largest group at 345, followed by Community/Personal workers at 206 and Managers at 178. The unemployment rate of 6.2% is elevated compared to the national average, and the participation rate of 53.9% is low, partly explained by the older median age of 44 and 960 residents not in the labour force. Full-time employment runs at 55.5% of those employed, with 649 part-time workers. SEIFA data is unavailable for this suburb, but the median household income sits at the 49.8th percentile nationally.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
55.5%
Part-time
38.3%
Participation
53.9%
Employed
1,458
Occupations
Top Industries
University
24.4%
Postgraduate
4.7%
Born Overseas
16.5%
Dwellings
1,253
Transport to Work
Car dependency at Bilambil Heights is near-total: 93.4% of residents drive to work and only 0.6% use public transport, which is significantly below the national rate. This reflects the suburb's position in the Tweed hinterland, where car access is essential for reaching the Gold Coast and Tweed Heads employment hubs. The need-for-assistance rate of 6.7% (216 people) is moderate, consistent with the older median age of 44. Rent-to-income at 30.1% places renters at the stress threshold, whereas mortgage-to-income at 28.1% remains below it. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary, so families travel to neighbouring areas for education. The 34 development applications in the past 12 months confirm ongoing residential investment, supporting the maintained amenity of the area.
Drive
93.4%
Public Transport
0.6%
Walk / Cycle
1.0%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Bilambil Heights compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bilambil Heights a good suburb to live in?
Bilambil Heights suits owner-occupier families well. More than 80% of dwellings are owner-occupied, the median age of 44 is 4 years above national, and mortgage-to-income sits at 28.1%, below the 30% stress threshold. The main trade-off is near-total car dependency, with only 0.6% using public transport.
What is the median house price in Bilambil Heights?
The median house price is $1,018,500, based on PSI-derived data. Prices rose 6.5% from $995,000 in 2024 to $1,060,000 in 2025. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,901, and weekly rent averages $470.
What schools are in Bilambil Heights?
No schools are recorded within the Bilambil Heights suburb boundary in this dataset. Families travel to neighbouring suburbs for primary and secondary education. The suburb's university qualification rate of 24.4% is 5.7 points below the national figure, consistent with a trade-oriented workforce.
Is Bilambil Heights safe?
Crime statistics specific to Bilambil Heights are not available in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, 6.7% of residents (216 people) require daily assistance, and the high owner-occupier rate of over 80% is generally associated with residential stability and lower transient crime risk.
Is Bilambil Heights good for property investment?
The suburb recorded 6.5% price growth from 2024 to 2025 and 34 development applications in 12 months, both positive signals. However, the 4.6% vacancy rate is above the low-vacancy benchmark, only 16.1% of dwellings are rented, and a gross rental yield of near 2.4% is modest against the $1,018,500 median.
How is Bilambil Heights's population changing?
Detailed population forecasts are not available for Bilambil Heights in this dataset. The current population is 3,491 across an 8.51 km2 area, giving a density of 410 per km2. The residential turnover rate of 20.3% indicates moderate mobility, while 79.7% of residents remained in place, pointing to a stable base.
How much development is happening in Bilambil Heights?
There were 34 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, including new dwelling constructions and alterations. This rate is above 20 applications, indicating active reinvestment by owner-occupiers in an established residential area at a density of 410 residents per km2.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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