Northern Illawarra Property Market Update (September 2026)

The Northern Illawarra is no longer one market. Over the 12 months to August 2026, the family suburbs at the corridor's southern end kept moving, while the beach villages north of Thirroul softened. If you are buying here in the next six months, which end you are shopping in changes how you should negotiate.

The numbers: houses, 12 months to August 2026

• Woonona: median $1,457,500, up 9.1%. 140 sales, 24 days on market. Median rent: $880 a week.

• Bulli: median $1,800,000, up 9.9%. 70 sales, 25 days on market. Median rent $995 a week, up 17.1%.

• Thirroul: median $1,825,000, up 3.8%. 87 sales, 27 days on market. Median rent $1,150 a week, up 9.5%.

• Austinmer: median $1,885,000, up 1.2%. 35 sales, 45 days on market. Median rent $1,100 a week, up 22.2%.

• Coledale: median $2,045,000, down 18.2%. 24 sales, 60 days on market. Median rent $1,150 a week, up 18.6%.

What is driving the split

Woonona and Bulli are driving the volume. Woonona alone recorded 140 house sales, more than Thirroul, Austinmer and Coledale combined, and three-bedroom houses there rose 13.1% to a median of $1,275,000. This is the price point where Sydney relocators and local families upsizing meet, and the competition shows in days on market: under four weeks in both suburbs.

North of Thirroul it is a different story. Austinmer houses took 45 days to se, ll and Coledale took 60, more than double the Woonona figure. Coledale's 18.2% fall needs care: 24 sales is a small sample, and a few prestige results either side can swing the median. The more reliable signal is time on market. Vendors at the beach end are waiting longer for buyers, and that gives you room to negotiate.

Rents are telling a different story.

While beach-end prices stalled, rents did not. Austinmer house rents rose 22.2%, Coledale 18.6% and Bulli 17.1%, and vacancy sits at or below 1.4% across all five suburbs. Demand to live here is strong; demand to pay current asking prices at the northern end is not. If you plan to rent first before committing, budget for that. For investors, gross yields remain around 3% to 3.7%, so this is still a capital growth market rather than an income play.

What this means if you are buying

• Woonona and Bulli: have finance approved and your due diligence ready before you inspect. Good homes are selling in under a month, and hesitation costs you the property.

• Austinmer and Coledale: look for listings past 45 days. Those vendors are more likely to accept terms or price below the original guide.

• Thirroul: the middle ground. Houses are steady, while units rose 11% to a median of $1,110,000, a sign buyers priced out of houses are moving down a rung rather than leaving the suburb.

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 September 2025. Medians in suburbs with fewer sales 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 exclusively.