Jervis Bay, OT
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Jervis Bay is the small Commonwealth territory on the New South Wales south coast, around 200 kilometres south of Sydney and just south of Nowra. The Yuin people are the traditional custodians, and the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council today owns roughly 90 per cent of the land, including Booderee National Park, whose name is said to mean bay of plenty or plenty of fish. The bay was named in 1791 after Admiral John Jervis, and the territory was carved out of NSW in 1915 to give the landlocked Australian Capital Territory access to the sea. The naval college HMAS Creswell is the main settlement, and the territory is known for white-sand beaches, bushland and abundant wildlife.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Jervis Bay is more socio-economically advantaged than about 13% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 905, 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.
Jervis Bay at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 310
- Median age
- 38
- Median weekly household income
- $1,825
- SEIFA score
- 905
- Coordinates
- -35.1593, 150.6823
Jervis Bay demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Jervis Bay 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 mid-life (45–64) at 28%, 71% of homes are rented, and 7% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 60 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 43 | 14% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 67 | 23% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 84 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 43 | 14% |
Share of the 297 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 0 | 0% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 0 | 0% |
| Rented | 58 | 71% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 87 | 97% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 90 occupied private dwellings in Jervis Bay.
- Median weekly rent
- $90
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,849
- Average household size
- 3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,687
- Median weekly personal income
- $585
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 15 (7%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 13 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 186 (60%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 94 (40%)
- Labour-force participation
- 40.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.1%
- Employed full-time
- 59
- Employed part-time
- 19
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.
Common questions about Jervis Bay
Where is Jervis Bay?
Jervis Bay is a suburb of Other Territories, Australia.
What is the population of Jervis Bay?
At the 2021 Census, Jervis Bay had a population of about 310.
Is Jervis Bay an advantaged area?
Jervis Bay has an ABS SEIFA score of 905, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 13 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 13% of Australian suburbs.
Nearby suburbs in Other Territories
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