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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Hawks Nest is a regional centre in New South Wales, Australia, with a population of approximately 1,413, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 167 km from the Sydney CBD, Hawks Nest is a regional area in New South Wales. The median household income is $56,992 per year.
Lower income levels in Hawks Nest typically translate to more affordable entry points for investors. As a regional location, growth prospects depend on local economic conditions and infrastructure investment.
Official Australia Post postcode for Hawks Nest. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.
Australia Post Postcode Finder →Usual resident population at the most recent census.
Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.
Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.
Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.
Estimated 1 school within or near this suburb.
Find schools near Hawks Nest on My School →Estimated 1 park and green spaces near this suburb.
Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.
Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.
Hawks Nest is a smaller community of 1,413 — about 27% of the New South Wales suburb median (5,325) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Hawks Nest's median household income of $56,992/year is 42% below the New South Wales suburb median ($97,552) — this is an affordability play where returns lean on yield and patient capital growth rather than demographic premium. Rent of $330/week (83% coverage of the $1,733/month median mortgage) leaves a gap of roughly $303/month that a typical investor bridges with negative gearing, depreciation and capital growth. Hawks Nest is 167 km from Sydney, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand. Only 34% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 76% state median), so this is a unit-heavy market where body-corporate decisions and strata supply meaningfully shape investor returns.
How Hawks Nest stacks up against the median of all New South Wales suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Hawks Nest sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Hawks Nest | NSW median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,413 | 5,325 | -73% |
| Median household income | $56,992/yr | $97,552/yr | -42% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $330 | $430 | -23% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,733 | $2,167 | -20% |
| Distance to CBD | 167 km | 45 km | +271% |
| Separate houses | 34% | 76% | -42pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Hawks Nest — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Limited buy-and-hold upside: a small population of 1,413 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider New South Wales market over full cycles.
Moderate rental coverage: rent of $330/week covers 83% of a $1,733/month mortgage, leaving a $303/month gap that an investor bridges with equity, depreciation and tax benefits.
Only 34% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 76% NSW median) — this is a unit and townhouse market, where cosmetic flips struggle against body-corporate restrictions, thinner after-reno uplift and competing new supply.
Run the numbers on a Hawks Nest property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for Hawks Nest are modest for 2026 — incomes 42% below the NSW median of $97,552 and a population of 1,413 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~83% of the typical mortgage ($1,430/month rent vs $1,733/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 24/100 places Hawks Nest in the lower tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is cautious heading into the second half of 2026.
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Hawks Nest scores 24/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a weak rating. That score is driven by a population of 1,413, median household income of $56,992/year and median weekly rent of $330. Whether it fits your portfolio depends on whether you are targeting cash flow, capital growth, or a value-add renovation — all three are scored with suburb-specific numbers elsewhere on this page.
The main demand drivers in Hawks Nest are a median household income of $56,992/year, a dwelling mix that is 34% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 1 parks within the catchment. Together these shape both owner-occupier and tenant demand and are the factors we weight most heavily in the suburb's investment score.
Hawks Nest has a usual resident population of approximately 1,413, compared with a New South Wales suburb median of 5,325 — placing it in the lower half of the state's suburbs by size. Population is the clearest proxy for market depth: more residents mean more transactions and typically a shorter average days-on-market on resale.
Hawks Nest sits 167 km straight-line from the Sydney CBD. This is a regional market where CBD distance is only indicative — local industry diversity and commute alternatives matter more.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $330 in Hawks Nest, equating to approximately $17,160/year in gross rental income (state median $430/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.
The median monthly mortgage repayment in Hawks Nest is $1,733, or approximately $20,796/year (vs $2,167/month state median). Stress-test your own borrowing at rates 1–2 percentage points above today's to make sure you can still service the loan through an RBA tightening cycle.
A median weekly rent of $330 works out to $1,430/month, covering 83% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,733/month. That leaves a $303/month shortfall (around $3,636/year before tax benefits), so a typical owner-occupier-priced property here is negatively geared. Actual cash flow depends on your deposit, loan terms, ownership costs and marginal tax rate — run the full numbers in our rental yield calculator.
The main risks are a thin buyer pool (1,413 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,733 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($56,992 vs $97,552 state median), a unit-heavy dwelling mix (34% houses) where body-corporate costs and apartment supply affect resale, the broader New South Wales market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.
Every number on this page comes from the ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Australia Post postcode reference data, and OpenStreetMap amenity tiles. The investment score, strategy verdicts, and comparison table are computed deterministically from those inputs — no opinion, no estimation. See our full methodology and the data sources and licences for the formulas we use.