South West Rocks, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
South West Rocks sits on the New South Wales Mid North Coast, about 40 kilometres from Kempsey near the mouth of the Macleay River, on one of the few north-facing bays on the Australian east coast. The name is said to come from ship captains who found it safest to moor near the rocks south-west of Laggers Point. The nearby township of Arakoon was established on Trial Bay in 1866, and by 1889 the town had become a popular bathing resort for the Macleay Valley. It keeps a long commercial-fishing tradition alongside warm-water tourism. Landmarks include the Smoky Cape Lighthouse, on the cape Captain Cook named in 1770, and the heritage-listed Trial Bay Gaol, on a bay named after a brig wrecked there in 1816.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
South West Rocks is more socio-economically advantaged than about 14% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 910, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
South West Rocks at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 5,058
- Median age
- 58
- Median weekly household income
- $980
- SEIFA score
- 910
- Coordinates
- -30.8952, 153.0389
South West Rocks demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile South West Rocks using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is seniors (65+) at 39%, 24% of homes are rented, and 10% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 653 | 13% |
| Youth (15–24) | 354 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 800 | 16% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,289 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,962 | 39% |
Share of the 5,058 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,167 | 53% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 429 | 20% |
| Rented | 530 | 24% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,777 | 81% |
| Townhouses & semis | 117 | 5% |
| Flats & apartments | 278 | 13% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,196 occupied private dwellings in South West Rocks.
- Median weekly rent
- $323
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,230
- Median weekly personal income
- $533
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 488 (10%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 144 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 322 (6%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,405 (33%)
- Labour-force participation
- 40%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.2%
- Employed full-time
- 822
- Employed part-time
- 692
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Common questions about South West Rocks
Where is South West Rocks?
South West Rocks is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of South West Rocks?
At the 2021 Census, South West Rocks had a population of about 5,058.
Is South West Rocks an advantaged area?
South West Rocks has an ABS SEIFA score of 910, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 14 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 14% of Australian suburbs.
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