Shelly Beach
Shelly Beach is a small suburb on the Central Coast, approximately 1.2 square kilometres and home to fewer than 600 properties, the majority of which are free-standing homes. Whilst it is quiet, the nearby suburbs of The Entrance, Bateau Bay and Long Jetty provide plenty of amenities, including dining and entertainment options. The larger centres of Gosford, Erina and Tuggerah are just a short drive away. The beach is a well-known surfing spot, and the northern side of Shelly Beach is busier because it's dog friendly, often packed with people and dogs exercising. You can view more dog-friendly Central Coast beaches here.
At a glance
- Population: 1313
- Area size: 1.16 km²
- Median weekly household income: $1,836
- Median monthly mortgage repayments: $2,594
Source: dijones.com.au
Living on the Central Coast
What it's like to live in Shelly Beach
Shelly Beach is a small, tightly held pocket of the Central Coast, home to just over 1,300 people across 1.16 square kilometres, about 60 kilometres from the Sydney CBD. The population has stayed remarkably stable over the past two decades, sitting at 1,299 in 2001 and 1,313 in 2021, with only minor fluctuation in between.
Shelly Beach Population & Household Growth Over Time
| 2001 | 2006 | 2011 | 2016 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,299 | 1,344 | 1,266 | 1,318 | 1,313 |
| Median weekly household income | No data | $925 | $974 | $1,504 | $1,646 |
| Medial Monthly Mortgage Repayments | No Data | $1,543 | $2,000 | $2,167 | $2,200 |
| Percentage of Owner Occupier | 75% | 71% | 75% | 82% | 82% |
| Percentage of Renter | 25% | 29% | 25% | 18% | 18% |
| Total Dwellings | 628 | 635 | 566 | 551 | 574 |
| Average People per Household | No Data | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
Owner-occupiers currently make up 82% of households, with renters at 18%, a share that has climbed steadily since 2006 and now sits well above where it was two decades ago. It's a strongly house-first suburb: 84.7% of dwellings are separate houses, with 12.2% townhouses and a small remainder of other dwelling types, there's very little apartment stock here.
The leading occupations locally are Professionals (21%), Technicians and Trades Workers (16%) and Clerical and Administrative Workers (14%). The top employing industries are Takeaway Food Services, Hospitals (excluding psychiatric) and Secondary Education.
Housing options for owner-occupiers
Shelly Beach offers only houses and townhouses, there's no apartment stock and no acreage, so if you're after a Central Coast acreage or apartment-style living, this isn't the suburb for it. The standout pocket is Grandview Street, where many of the houses back onto the golf course and sell for above $2M, a step up from the suburb's broader median. It's a tightly held, low-turnover market where buyers are competing for a genuinely limited supply of free-standing homes.
Current Property Snapshot - October 2026
| Metric | Houses | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Median Price | $1,575,000 | $1,087,500 |
| Median Rent (per week) | $800 | $680 |
| Typical time to sell | ~47 days | No Data |
| Gross rental yield | 2.64% | 3.25% |
How Prices Have Moved Over Time (Houses)
| Period | Change |
|---|---|
| 3 Months | -8.51% (-$146,500) |
| 12 Months | 4.13% ($62,500) |
| 3 Years | 0.00% ($0) |
| 5 Years | 15.38% ($210,000) |
| 5-year average annual growth | 2.90% |
| 10-year average annual growth | 7.35% |
| 20-year average annual growth | 6.77% |
| 30-year average annual growth | 7.97% |
Renting in Shelly Beach
Median rent for a house in Shelly Beach is $800 a week, down 10.61% over the past quarter but up 6.67% over the year and 45.45% over five years. Units sit at $680 a week, up 10.93% over the quarter, down slightly (-1.45%) over the year and up 61.90% over five years.
Shelly Beach Schools and childcare
Public schools: depending on where in Shelly Beach you're located, you'll be zoned for either Bateau Bay Public School or The Entrance Public School for primary school. For high school, Shelly Beach is zoned for Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College, Tumbi Umbi Campus (Years 7 to 10), which then combines with the Berkeley Vale Campus into Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College, The Entrance Campus, for Years 11 and 12.
Private schools: there are a number of private schools near Shelly Beach, including Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School in Shelly Beach itself (K-6), St John Fisher at Tumbi Umbi (K-6) and St Peter's Catholic College at Tuggerah (7-12).
Before and after school care: Coastwide OOSH at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School, and Busy Bee's OSHC on Shelly Beach Road.
Health and everyday amenities
There's no hospital within Shelly Beach itself, SuburbsFinder has no listing for one in this dataset. Wyong Hospital is the main public hospital servicing the area. Day-to-day needs are otherwise met a short drive away in Long Jetty and Bateau Bay, which offer supermarkets, cafes, dining and medical services.
A well-established, higher-income neighbourhood
Shelly Beach's SEIFA scores (the ABS's measure of relative socio-economic advantage) have trended consistently upward, from 5 out of 10 in 2001 to around 9 by 2021, well above the mid-point of 5 and climbing. That tracks with the suburb's income data: median weekly household income of $1,836 is well above the Central Coast average, and owner-occupiers now make up 82% of households, up from 75% in 2001. There's no public or community housing in Shelly Beach at all, so this isn't a due diligence flag the way it is in some neighbouring suburbs.
Getting around
Shelly Beach is a 16 minute drive to both Tuggerah train station and Ourimbah train station, or a 20 minute drive to the M1 motorway, which connects to both Sydney and Newcastle.
Our local favourite
A Sharp Property Buyers favourite and a well-known spot in Shelly Beach is Shelly Beach Golf Club. Perched on the cliffs overlooking the ocean, it's a premium 18-hole golf course, but it's more than just a haven for golf enthusiasts, it's also the perfect locale for indulging in a leisurely afternoon drink.
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