Watsons Bay, Woollahra: house prices, rent and what to check before you buy
The DCJ Rent and Sales Report doesn't publish a reliable median sale price for postcode 2030: too few sales. The median weekly rent was $1200 (DCJ, June quarter 2026). Watsons Bay had 883 residents at the 2021 Census, and its postcode is 2030.
What stands out: The LEP heritage map covers 69% of the suburb's land (NSW Planning Portal LEP heritage map); its postcode's median rent is higher than 97% of 256 Greater Sydney postcodes with a rent figure (NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report).
Page updated · market data to Mar 2026
- Zoning: mostly Infrastructure (SP2), 26% of the land
- School catchments: parts of Watsons Bay are in the catchments for Vaucluse PS (primary); Rose Bay SC (secondary)
- Getting there: nearest train or Metro station about 6.0 km from the suburb centre
- Non-strata median
- No reliable median
- postcode 2030
- No reliable median: too few sales in the postcode.
- NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report
- Strata median
- No reliable median
- postcode 2030
- No reliable median: too few sales in the postcode.
- NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report
- Median rent
- $1200/wk
- June quarter 2026
- postcode 2030
- Higher than 97% of 256 Greater Sydney postcodes with a rent figure · lease count not published
- NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report
- Planning risk
- Flood Not mappedBushfire No dataHeritage 69% Very high
- share of suburb land area
- 1 suburb-specific overlay to check
- NSW Planning Portal · NSW Rural Fire Service Bush Fire Prone Land
- Getting around
- 6.0 km to nearest station
- 44 min to Sydney CBD by public transport (modelled)
- 2 government school catchments cover part of the suburb
- Transport for NSW GTFS data · NSW Department of Education catchments
Check an address in Watsons BayCompare with another suburb
Greater Sydney profile: sale prices and rents are published by postcode.
Watsons Bay is a small community with a median age of 40, among the most socio-economically advantaged areas in the state on the ABS's SEIFA index. Housing is mixed, with a meaningful share of apartments and units (around 30%) alongside houses. The area is still light on cafés, shops and other everyday amenity. It's close to the city. House sales here are too infrequent for a reliable median — see the unit and land figures below.
Ready to look at a specific property here? See the due diligence hub for what to verify before you sign.
Scope: New South Wales, Australia. Suburb data here comes from NSW government sources (DCJ rents and sales, Rural Fire Service, planning and school records); Greater Sydney comparison group.
In this profile
- Planning and riskZones, overlays, flood and bushfire, and what is planned nearby, with an address check.
- Prices and rentsMedian prices and rents, how they have moved, and sales volume.
- SchoolsThe government school zones that cover the suburb.
- Living hereTransport, commute times, who lives here and the suburbs nearby.
- Before you buyThe checks every purchase needs, common questions and guides.
Risk and planning in Watsons Bay
Roughly 69% of Watsons Bay is on the council's LEP heritage map, so heritage items and conservation areas are common and some properties need development consent for changes.
Suburb-wide shares of the land, not a check of any one address.
Not covered by this dataset (most Sydney councils map flood risk separately). Not the same as no flood risk; check with council.
The share of the suburb on the council's Local Environmental Plan heritage map: 1 heritage conservation area (Watsons Bay Heritage Conservation Area) and 43 listed heritage items. There, demolishing, moving or altering the outside of a heritage item, or of a building, work or tree in a conservation area, structural changes inside a listed building, building on that land or subdividing it generally need development consent, and similar rules cover Aboriginal places and objects. (NSW Parliamentary Counsel's Office, verified 26 Oct 2026) Minor work or maintenance can go ahead without it if the council agrees in writing first. (NSW Parliamentary Counsel's Office, verified 26 Oct 2026)
Share of the suburb. Source: NSW Planning Portal LEP heritage map · Verify this address
Over summer 2015–16 the ground surface across Watsons Bay averaged 2.2 °C above a non-urban vegetated reference, cooler than 87% of the Greater Sydney suburbs mapped. (NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, verified 26 Oct 2026) Tree canopy was 26.4%, more tree cover than 64% of these suburbs. (NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, verified 26 Oct 2026)
It measures the surface, not the air temperature, and is a guide to exposure, not a forecast. Streets within a suburb vary.
Averaged over the suburb’s mesh blocks. Source: NSW Urban Heat Island and Urban Vegetation Cover 2016 (Data.NSW)
Worth checking in Watsons Bay
Heritage listing likely
About 69% of Watsons Bay is on the council's LEP heritage map, as a heritage item or in a heritage conservation area. Check whether this property is listed or in a conservation area. If it is, demolishing, moving or altering the outside of a heritage item, or of a building, work or tree in a conservation area, structural changes inside a listed building, building on that land or subdividing it generally need development consent. (NSW Parliamentary Counsel's Office, verified 26 Oct 2026)
Zoning mix and building controls
Land use across the suburb (planning zones)
- Zoning
- Public / Parks
- mostly Infrastructure (SP2) · 26% of the suburb
- Suburb
Layers on this map, as a table
| Layer | Share of suburb | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Suburb boundary | The whole suburb | ABS SAL 2021 |
Overlay colours reflect how much of the suburb an overlay covers — green under ~8%, amber ~8–20%, red above 20%. Source: NSW Planning Portal & NSW Rural Fire Service. How to verify planning controls for an address
Cost and market in Watsons Bay
How Watsons Bay compares
Where Watsons Bay ranks against other Greater Sydney suburbs Delora covers, on the measures buyers ask about — a higher bar isn’t always “better”, it’s just where this suburb sits.
Show recorded crime and amenity-density comparisons
Schools
Parts of Watsons Bay fall within 1 primary and 1 secondary government school catchments. No government schools sit within the suburb boundary itself, though the catchments above extend into it from neighbouring areas.
Government schools have address-based catchment zones; Catholic and independent schools set their own enrolment processes.
Getting around from Watsons Bay
0 train, 0 Metro, 0 light rail and 6 bus stop points sit inside the suburb (Transport for NSW GTFS data). A station counts once per platform, so these are stop points, not stations.
- Distance to the CBD
- ~7.4 km
- from the suburb centre
- Getting around
- 0 train · 0 Metro · 0 light rail · 6 bus
- stop points in the suburb, not stations (a station is often several) · nearest train or Metro station ~6.0 km
- Nearest Centrelink
- ~6.5 km
- outside the suburb
| Job hub | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Sydney CBD | 44 min |
| Redfern | 49 min |
| Alexandria | 59 min |
| Chatswood | 59 min |
| Mascot | 59 min |
| North Sydney | 59 min |
Show all 18 job hubs
| Job hub | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Pyrmont | 59 min |
| St Leonards | 59 min |
| Surry Hills | 59 min |
| Macquarie Park | 69 min |
| Parramatta | 74 min |
| Westmead | 79 min |
| Norwest | 86 min |
| Blacktown | 97 min |
| Campbelltown | 116 min |
| Penrith | 119 min |
| Eastern Creek and Huntingwood | 129 min |
| Gosford | 146 min |
Everyday amenity (OpenStreetMap)
- Cafés & amenity density
- 4 cafés
- Low café & amenity density — likely more car-dependent
- Restaurants
- 5
- places to eat nearby
- Supermarkets
- 0
- grocery stores nearby
- Pharmacies
- 1
- chemists nearby
- Parks
- 6
- green space nearby
- Childcare
- 0
- centres nearby
- GP & medical centres
- 0
- nearby
Who lives in Watsons Bay
— 883 residents · median age 40 · 66% own their home · SEIFA 10/10
- Population
- 883
- usual residents (Census 2021)
- Owner-occupied
- 66%
- 66% own, 13% private rent, 2% social, 19% other or not stated
- Median age
- 40 yrs
- of residents
- Personal income
- $1,225/wk
- median, per week
- Household income
- $2,924/wk
- median, per week
- Avg household size
- 2.4 people
- people per home
- Monthly mortgage
- $3,384/mo
- median repayment
- Taxpayer income
- no data
- median taxable income, per year (ATO)
- Population growth
- no data
- Recorded crime
- 96 per 1,000 residents
- a year, for Watsons Bay itself · higher than most Greater Sydney suburbs
Offence category mix (Watsons Bay's own mix, last 12 months):
- Other Offences21%
- Disorderly Conduct16%
- Theft15%
- Drug Offences11%
- Assault9%
- Malicious Damage To Property9%
- Against Justice Procedures8%
- Intimidation Stalking And Harassment2%
- Liquor Offences2%
- Sexual Offences2%
- Pornography Offences1%
- Prohibited And Regulated Weapons Offences1%
- Median household incomeup 13%
- Median personal incomeup 18%
- Median weekly rentup 4%
- Median ageolder by 1 year
How advantaged the area is
Deciles 1–10 vs all Sydney areas — 10 = most advantaged — from the ABS SEIFA index. A demographic measure, not a house-price one. These three don’t always move together — a suburb with lots of renters or students, for example, can score high on education but lower on income and housing costs.
- Overall advantage
- 10/10
- Among Greater Sydney's most advantaged areas
- Economic resources
- 8/10
- income, housing costs & wealth
- Education & occupation
- 10/10
- qualifications & skilled jobs
The homes here
Mix of dwelling types across the suburb (Census 2021)
Who owns and rents here (Census 2021)
Not sure whether a house, townhouse or apartment suits you? Decide what to buy →
Recorded crime is a suburb-wide rate — every offence NSW Police logged over the latest year (theft, property damage, drug and traffic offences and the like, not only violent crime) divided by the suburb’s residents. A broad area signal, not a figure for this exact street.
All figures are suburb-level indicators, not property-specific — always confirm the exact address on the contract for sale. Sources: ABS Census 2021, NSW DCJ Rent and Sales Report, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, NSW Rural Fire Service (Bush Fire Prone Land), NSW Planning Portal.
Suburbs near Watsons Bay
The 6 closest suburbs with a Delora page, by distance between suburb centres.
Before you buy in Watsons Bay
Overlay and pipeline checks specific to Watsons Bay are in the Planning and risk tab. Two checks apply to every purchase.
Easements & restrictions
Check the contract for sale and title search for easements (e.g. drainage/sewer along a boundary — you usually can’t build over them) and restrictive covenants (single-dwelling, materials, height) that limit your plans.
Owners corporation (if applicable)
Apartments and many townhouses in Watsons Bay are in an owners corporation. If so, the statement must include its certificate — review annual fees, any special levies, the maintenance fund and insurance.
Questions about Watsons Bay
What postcode is Watsons Bay?
Watsons Bay is in postcode 2030, in the Woollahra council area, New South Wales.
What is the population of Watsons Bay?
Watsons Bay had 883 usual residents at the 2021 Census (ABS), with a median age of 40.
Is Watsons Bay affected by flood or bushfire overlays?
Watsons Bay's council doesn't map flood risk through the EPI Flood Planning overlay (most Sydney councils use a DCP or separate flood study instead, which Delora doesn't yet carry) — this is not the same as no flood risk. Bush Fire Prone Land is not mapped for Watsons Bay in this dataset (NSW Rural Fire Service). These are suburb-wide shares: whether one applies to a particular property depends on the address, so check it on the NSW Planning Portal's spatial viewer and in the contract for sale.
What should I check before buying in Watsons Bay?
For Watsons Bay, pay particular attention to any flood or bushfire risk (bush fire prone land not mapped for this suburb, flood risk not mapped by this dataset), the zoning of the block and neighbouring blocks, and — for strata properties — the strata report, by-laws and any special levies. Always have a licensed conveyancer or solicitor review the contract for sale before you sign.
How is Watsons Bay zoned?
Most of Watsons Bay (26% of the land) is zoned SP2 Infrastructure, then C1 National Parks and Nature Reserves (26%) and R2 Low Density Residential (20%) under the council's Local Environmental Plan (NSW Planning Portal). The zone sets what can be built; check the zone for an exact address on the Planning Portal's spatial viewer or a section 10.7 planning certificate.
Show all 2 more questions
Which school catchments cover Watsons Bay?
Parts of Watsons Bay are in the government school catchments for primary: Vaucluse PS; secondary: Rose Bay SC (NSW Department of Education). A suburb can span several catchments: the exact address decides which applies, so confirm it on NSW School Finder.
Is Watsons Bay heritage listed?
About 69% of Watsons Bay is on the council's Local Environmental Plan heritage map, including 1 heritage conservation area (Watsons Bay Heritage Conservation Area) and 43 listed heritage items. For a heritage item or land in a heritage conservation area, demolition, exterior and structural interior changes, new buildings and subdivision generally need development consent, unless the council agrees in writing that minor work or maintenance doesn't (Standard Instrument LEP clause 5.10). Check an exact address on its section 10.7 planning certificate.
Guides for buying in Watsons Bay
The flood and bushfire figures in Planning and risk are suburb-wide — they tell you how common an overlay is here, not whether it applies to one specific address. Confirm via the NSW Planning Portal and an in-person inspection before you rely on them.
Thinking of buying in Watsons Bay?
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