Tumbi Umbi
Detached houses make up 81.2% of dwellings here and apartments just 0.2%, which is what gives Tumbi Umbi its low-density, family-house character at only 409.6 residents per km2 across 13.11 km2. The median house price of $970,000 sits well below Sydney's premium markets, and household income reads in the 57.4th percentile nationally, close to the middle. The resident base is aging: the median age of 45 is 5.0 years above national, the senior share rose 4.4 points over the decade and the young share fell 2.0 points. SEIFA scores land mid-pack, with IRSAD at decile 5 and IRSD at decile 6, while economic resources rank higher at IER decile 8 on the back of high outright home ownership.
Population
5,369
Median Age
45.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,657/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
29
Median House
$970K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The $970,000 median reflects a detached-house market, since 81.2% of dwellings are separate houses and only 0.2% are apartments, so buyers are effectively shopping for standalone homes. Prices moved sharply, climbing 14.8% from $945,000 in 2024 to $1,085,000 in 2025. Stock skews large: 50.7% of homes have four or more bedrooms and a further 30.1% have three, leaving little for downsizers since two-bedroom dwellings are just 18.1%. Average monthly mortgage repayments of $2,146 produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 29.9%, which stays just below the 30% stress threshold because incomes sit mid-range at the 57.4th percentile rather than because homes are cheap. Outright owners at 39.3% and mortgage holders at 43.7% together mean owner-occupiers dominate, with renters a small 17.0%.
For Buyers
The $970,000 median reflects a detached-house market, since 81.2% of dwellings are separate houses and only 0.2% are apartments, so buyers are effectively shopping for standalone homes. Prices moved sharply, climbing 14.8% from $945,000 in 2024 to $1,085,000 in 2025. Stock skews large: 50.7% of homes have four or more bedrooms and a further 30.1% have three, leaving little for downsizers since two-bedroom dwellings are just 18.1%. Average monthly mortgage repayments of $2,146 produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 29.9%, which stays just below the 30% stress threshold because incomes sit mid-range at the 57.4th percentile rather than because homes are cheap. Outright owners at 39.3% and mortgage holders at 43.7% together mean owner-occupiers dominate, with renters a small 17.0%.
For Investors
Renters make up only 17.0% of households, a thin tenant pool that limits the rental market, and weekly rent of $410 against the $970,000 median implies a gross yield near 2.2%, modest for a detached market. The vacancy rate of 3.7% is balanced rather than tight, so there is little pressure pushing rents up quickly. That said, rent has grown 41.7% over the period, the strongest single signal for income investors. Demand support is slim: net overseas migration adds 80 residents a year while internal migration removes 16, and annual population growth runs at just 0.37%. Development activity is light at 28 applications in 12 months, mostly alterations and complying development rather than new dwellings, so supply stays constrained and the case rests on gradual capital growth more than yield.
Development Activity
Total DAs
197
Last 12 Months
29
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-3.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Tumbi Umbi iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St John Fisher Catholic Primary School
K-6 · 370 students
Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College Tumbi Umbi Campus
7-10 · 802 students
Demographics
The median age of 45 is 5.0 years above national, and the profile is aging because the senior share climbed 4.4 points while the young share slipped 2.0 points over the decade. Only 14.0% of residents were born overseas, which is 7.6 points below the national figure, and ancestry leans Anglo-Celtic, led by English (2,361), Irish (695) and Scottish (598). University qualifications reach 23.7%, sitting 6.4 points below national, consistent with a workforce weighted toward trades and service roles rather than knowledge sectors. Average household size is 2.7, which is 0.2 above national, reflecting the family-house stock, and couples with children (1,660 families) outnumber couples with no children (1,323, or 29.3% of families). Christianity dominates religious affiliation at 3,109 residents.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
81.2%
Houses
18.6%
Townhouse
0.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts firmly toward ownership: 39.3% own outright and 43.7% carry a mortgage, leaving renters at just 17.0%. The combined 83% owner-occupier share is well above what you see in inner-city markets and explains the high IER decile of 8 despite mid-range incomes, since residents hold substantial home equity. The stock is 81.2% separate houses, 18.6% semi-detached and effectively no apartments at 0.2%, and homes run large with 50.7% holding four or more bedrooms. The median house price rose 14.8% from $945,000 to $1,085,000 across 2024 to 2025. Mortgage-to-income sits at 29.9% and rent-to-income at 24.7%, both below stress thresholds, a comfort that comes from the mid-range housing price relative to a 57.4th-percentile income base.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,146
Rent / wk
$410
HH Size
2.7
Personal Income / wk
$739
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.7%
Unoccupied
73
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.7%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
29.9%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
29.3%
Couples, no children
4,520
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the largest employer at 20.4% of workers (317), followed by Construction at 14.3% (222) and Education at 12.0% (186), with Retail at 7.0% and Public Administration at 6.4%, a service and trades mix rather than a corporate one. By occupation, Professionals (450), Clerical and Administrative workers (323) and Managers (309) lead, which aligns with the modest IEO decile of 4 for education and occupation. Unemployment is low at 4.6% and the full-time employment rate is 58.7%, but participation reads just 48.9% because the aging profile leaves 1,762 residents not in the labour force. Real incomes grew 21.0% over the decade. The economic resources score is stronger than the income picture would suggest, at IER decile 8 against IEO decile 4, because high outright home ownership lifts household wealth above what wages alone would imply.
Unemployment
2.5%
Labour Force
8,729
Unemployed
214
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
58.7%
Part-time
36.7%
Participation
48.9%
Employed
2,054
Occupations
Top Industries
University
23.7%
Postgraduate
4.7%
Born Overseas
14.0%
Dwellings
1,917
Transport to Work
Car dependence is near total, with 91.4% of residents driving to work, only 0.7% taking public transport and 2.0% walking or cycling, a profile typical of low-density outer suburbs at 409.6 residents per km2. No schools are recorded inside the 13.11 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a practical trade-off for the spread-out, detached-house setting. The suburb scores mid-range on disadvantage, at IRSD decile 6 and IRSAD decile 5, meaning a typical Australian level of resource access rather than concentrated hardship. Volunteering runs at 13.2% and 7.3% of residents (373 people) need daily assistance, higher than younger suburbs would show, consistent with the median age of 45 sitting 5.0 years above national.
Drive
91.4%
Public Transport
0.7%
Walk / Cycle
2.0%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.37%/yr
(+62 people/yr)
EstablishedTumbi Umbi is a slow-growth, established market: annual population growth registers 0.37%, about 62 people a year, and the 10-year change is just 5.0%. Overseas migration is the primary driver at 80 residents a year, partly offset by a net internal outflow of 16. Medium forecasts lift the population only modestly through 2031, in line with trend continuation rather than expansion. The suburb is not gentrifying on the headline measure, though early shift signals show up in a 41.7% rise in rents and 21.0% real income growth over the decade. Affordability improved slightly, easing from 56.7% in 2011 to 54.0% in 2021, which is better than most Sydney markets but still elevated. The aging trajectory, with the senior share up 4.4 points, suggests demand will stay tilted toward established family housing rather than new high-density supply.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+80
Net Internal / yr
-16
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Tumbi Umbi compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tumbi Umbi a good suburb to live in?
Tumbi Umbi suits families and owner-occupiers seeking detached housing, with 81.2% separate houses and a median house price of $970,000, below Sydney's premium markets. It scores mid-range at IRSAD decile 5 and IRSD decile 6. The main trade-offs are an aging profile, with a median age of 45, and heavy car dependence at 91.4% of commuters.
What is the median house price in Tumbi Umbi?
The median house price is $970,000. Prices rose 14.8% from $945,000 in 2024 to $1,085,000 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $410 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $2,146, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 29.9%, just below the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Tumbi Umbi?
No schools are recorded inside the 13.11 km2 Tumbi Umbi boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The resident base leans toward trades and service work, with university qualifications at 23.7%, which is 6.4 points below the national figure.
Is Tumbi Umbi safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Tumbi Umbi in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores IRSD decile 6 on relative disadvantage, slightly above the national midpoint, and 7.3% of its residents (373 people) need daily assistance, a pattern consistent with an established, aging area rather than a high-disadvantage one.
Is Tumbi Umbi good for property investment?
Rent of $410 a week against the $970,000 median gives a gross yield near 2.2%, modest, and renters are just 17.0% of households. Rent grew 41.7% over the period and the vacancy rate is balanced at 3.7%, but with population growth at only 0.37% a year, returns depend more on capital growth than yield.
How is Tumbi Umbi's population changing?
Population growth is 0.37% annually, about 62 people a year, with a 5.0% rise over 10 years. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 4.4 points and the young share down 2.0 points over the decade. Overseas migration of 80 residents a year is the main driver, offset by a net internal outflow of 16.
How much development is happening in Tumbi Umbi?
There were 28 development applications lodged in the past 12 months. Most are alterations, additions or complying development on existing buildings rather than new dwellings, consistent with an established, slow-growth area where annual population growth runs at just 0.37%.
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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