Northern Illawarra Property Market Update (November 2026)

Last updated: 1 November 2026. The story this month is that the northern beach suburbs look stronger on paper than they are on the ground. As the 12-month window rolled forward, Austinmer's median house price growth jumped from 1.2% to 6.5%, Thirroul's from 3.8% to 6.0%, and Coledale swung from an 18.2% fall to a 2.3% rise. Selling times did not move: Austinmer houses still take a median 45 days to sell and Coledale 62, against 24 in Woonona. When the growth figure changes but days on market do not, the negotiating room is still there. Treat the stronger headline as a shift in which sales fall inside the window, not as a market turning.

This week in the Northern Illawarra: Corrimal Has a $1.2 Million Ceiling. Vendors Are Pricing Through It.

Week ending 1 November 2026

The take: Corrimal is running two markets under one postcode. Price a three-bedroom house at $1.2 million or under and it goes fast. 2 Jones Place sold at $1.2 million in 8 days. 71 Cross Street sold at $1.15 million in 11 days. 3 Wilford Street sold at $1.15 million, over its $1.1 million guide. Buyers will even pay well over guide for the house they actually want: 214 Rothery Street, a four-bedder, sold for $2 million against a $1.75 to $1.8 million guide in 12 days.

Now look at what is sitting. Thirteen houses are live in Corrimal and eight have been listed for 70 days or more. 12 Lyndon Street, guided $1.35 to $1.4 million, is on day 108. 2 Karen Place, guided $1.4 to $1.475 million, is on day 156. 254 Rothery Street at $1.29 million is on day 73. Same suburb, same buyers. The only difference is the number on the sign. The 12-month median for a three-bedder is $1,185,000, so a $1.29 million ask is a 9% premium that buyers are not paying.

The RBA is the other half of this. The cash rate is 4.60% and the board meets on Melbourne Cup Day, Tuesday 3 November, with market pricing putting a fifth hike above 60%. A hike trims borrowing capacity right when these vendors need a buyer most. Those are the owners I would be ringing.

The numbers:

• Sydney clearance rate: 45% preliminary, week to 24 October (70% a year ago)

• Corrimal houses live: 13, eight of them listed 70 days or more

• Corrimal three-bed houses: $1,185,000 median, up 16.2%, 23 days to sell

The one action: Take 12 Lyndon Street and put in a written offer around $1.24 million, roughly 8% under the bottom of its guide, with building and pest done and finance cleared before Tuesday's RBA decision. Day 108 means the vendor has had three months of the market saying the price is wrong. A clean offer at a number the suburb is actually paying gets read. If it is gone, run the same play on Karen Place or Princes Highway.

The numbers: houses, 12 months to September 2026

• Woonona: median $1,455,000, up 7.9%. 138 sales, 24 days on market. Median rent $880 a week, up 3.5%.

• Bulli: median $1,800,000, up 9.9%. 71 sales, 25 days on market. Median rent $990 a week, up 16.5%.

• Thirroul: median $1,825,000, up 6.0%. 85 sales, 28 days on market. Median rent $1,200 a week, up 14.3%.

• Austinmer: median $1,925,000, up 6.5%. 36 sales, 45 days on market. Median rent $1,130 a week, up 25.6%.

• Coledale: median $2,200,000, up 2.3%. 21 sales (small sample), 62 days on market. Median rent $1,200 a week, up 12.7%.

What is driving it

Woonona is still the volume end of the corridor, with 138 house sales, and four-bedroom houses there rose 10% to a median of $1,650,000 from 51 sales. Listings tightened from 35 houses in August to 29 in September, and Woonona is the only one of the five suburbs with an auction clearance rate above 50%. Headline growth eased from 9.1% to 7.9%, but homes are still selling in a median 24 days. Bulli held steady at $1,800,000 and 25 days, with 21 houses listed, up slightly from 19.

Further north, the picture is more mixed than the growth figures suggest. Thirroul still has the deepest pool of houses at 40 listings, down from 44, and its three-bedroom houses were flat, down 1.3% to $1,580,000 from 37 sales. The suburb-wide rise is coming from the mix of what sold rather than broad price gains. In Austinmer and Coledale the typical gap between asking and sale price was around 5% and 4%, compared with roughly nil in Woonona and Thirroul. Coledale's swing in a single month on 21 sales shows how far a small sample can move, so time on market is the steadier signal.

Rents and yields

Rents keep outrunning prices. House rents rose 25.6% in Austinmer, 16.5% in Bulli, 14.3% in Thirroul and 12.7% in Coledale, while Woonona was steadier at 3.5%. Thirroul's median rent is now $1,200 a week, level with Coledale. Vacancy runs from 0.5% in Woonona to 1.5% in Austinmer, so renting while you search is expensive and competitive. Gross yields sit between about 2.9% in Coledale and 3.5% in Thirroul, Austinmer and Woonona, which keeps this a capital growth market rather than an income one.

What this means if you are buying

• Woonona and Bulli: stock is tight at 29 and 21 houses, and homes are selling in under four weeks. Have finance approved and building and pest ready before you inspect. If a house is out of reach, Woonona units offer a lower entry point at a median of about $830,000 from 43 sales, up 5.1%.

• Thirroul: use the extra stock to compare properly. Test asking prices against recent sales of the same bedroom count, not the suburb median, because three-bedroom houses were flat. Units sit at a median of $1,095,000, up 3.3% from 21 sales (small sample), slower than last month's reading.

• Austinmer and Coledale: do not let the higher growth figure change your approach. Look for listings past 45 days, where vendors are more likely to accept terms or a price below the original guide, and check comparable sales carefully because sample sizes are small.

From the ground this month

[JOEL: add 2 to 3 sentences on what you saw at inspections, auctions or off-market this month before publishing]

Frequently asked questions

What is the median house price in Thirroul?

The median house price in Thirroul was $1,825,000 over the 12 months to September 2026, up 6.0% from 85 sales. Houses took a median of 28 days to sell.

Are Bulli house prices going up?

Yes. Bulli's median house price rose 9.9% to $1,800,000 over the 12 months to September 2026, from 71 sales, with three-bedroom houses up 8.6% to $1,385,000.

How long do houses take to sell in Austinmer?

Austinmer houses took a median of 45 days to sell over the 12 months to September 2026, nearly double Woonona's 24 days. The typical gap between asking and sale price was around 5%, which points to room to negotiate.

Is Woonona cheaper than Thirroul?

Yes. Woonona's median house price of $1,455,000 is $370,000 below Thirroul's $1,825,000, and Woonona grew faster over the year at 7.9% compared with 6.0%.

What is the rental vacancy rate in the Northern Illawarra?

House vacancy ranges from 0.5% in Woonona to 1.5% in Austinmer, with Bulli at 0.7%, Coledale at 1.0% and Thirroul at 1.1%. All five are well under the 2% to 3% usually seen as a balanced rental market.

For the full picture on each suburb, see our guides to Thirroul, Bulli, Austinmer, Woonona and Coledale.

Buying in the Northern Illawarra and want to know whether a specific property is priced right? Book a free 15-minute call with Joel at The Shoreline Agency, and we will run the numbers on it for you.

Source: Stash Property, derived from publicly available listing data for the 12 months from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. Listing and rental stock counts are for September 2026. Coledale (21 house sales) and Thirroul units (21 sales) are small samples, and medians in smaller suburbs can move sharply on a handful of results. This article is general information only and does not take into account your personal circumstances. The Shoreline Agency acts exclusively for buyers.

Suburbs mentioned in this article: Helensburgh