Woy Woy, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Woy Woy is a coastal town on the Central Coast of New South Wales, set on the southern reaches of Brisbane Water near where it opens to the Pacific Ocean about eighty kilometres north of Sydney. A long-popular holiday spot, it sits at the northern end of the densely settled Woy Woy Peninsula within the Central Coast Council, with its commercial core clustered around the railway station. The reduplicated name is thought to be a corruption of a local Darkinjung word, reputedly meaning 'big lagoon' or 'much water' — a nod to the deep tidal channel beside the town centre. It was first known as Webb's Flat, after James Webb, who settled the Brisbane Water district in 1823. The comedian Spike Milligan, whose parents retired here, became the town's fondly remembered 'boy from Woy Woy'.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Woy Woy is more socio-economically advantaged than about 19% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 925, 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.
Woy Woy at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 11,072
- Median age
- 48
- Median weekly household income
- $1,151
- SEIFA score
- 925
- Coordinates
- -33.5080, 151.2772
Woy Woy demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Woy Woy 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 28%, 38% of homes are rented, and 20% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,669 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,021 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,453 | 22% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,809 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,111 | 28% |
Share of the 11,063 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,613 | 34% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,125 | 24% |
| Rented | 1,821 | 38% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,945 | 62% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,379 | 29% |
| Flats & apartments | 350 | 7% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 4,748 occupied private dwellings in Woy Woy.
- Median weekly rent
- $380
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,900
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,584
- Median weekly personal income
- $605
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,101 (20%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,010 (10%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 611 (6%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 3,790 (42%)
- Labour-force participation
- 46.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.4%
- Employed full-time
- 2,177
- Employed part-time
- 1,421
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.
Weather and climate in Woy Woy
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Woy Woy is January (average daytime high around 26.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 16.9°C). The area receives roughly 942 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.9°C | 19.5°C | 93 mm |
| Feb | 26°C | 19.3°C | 100 mm |
| Mar | 24.7°C | 18.3°C | 159 mm |
| Apr | 22.4°C | 15.3°C | 84 mm |
| May | 19.6°C | 12°C | 40 mm |
| Jun | 16.8°C | 9.9°C | 56 mm |
| Jul | 16.9°C | 8.9°C | 58 mm |
| Aug | 17.9°C | 9.3°C | 59 mm |
| Sep | 20.5°C | 11.4°C | 54 mm |
| Oct | 22.8°C | 14°C | 86 mm |
| Nov | 23.8°C | 15.7°C | 69 mm |
| Dec | 26°C | 17.8°C | 84 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Woy Woy
Where is Woy Woy?
Woy Woy is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Woy Woy?
At the 2021 Census, Woy Woy had a population of about 11,072.
Is Woy Woy an advantaged area?
Woy Woy has an ABS SEIFA score of 925, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 19 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 19% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Woy Woy?
Woy Woy has average daytime highs of about 22°C and overnight lows of about 14.3°C, with roughly 942 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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