Kiama, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Kiama is a seaside town on the New South Wales South Coast, in the Illawarra about 120 kilometres south of Sydney and 40 kilometres from Wollongong. The name is said to come from an Aboriginal word, kiarama, recorded as meaning a place where the sea makes a noise — fitting for a town built around the Kiama Blowhole, where swells drive spray up through a basalt vent beside the harbour. A second, smaller blowhole and an 1887 lighthouse sit nearby, linked by a coastal walking track. Kiama was also one of the cradles of Australia's dairy industry, and its hard blue-metal stone once paved the streets of Sydney. Today it is an easy-going holiday town of beaches, headlands and rock pools.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Kiama is more socio-economically advantaged than about 83% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1050, 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.
Kiama at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 7,904
- Median age
- 52
- Median weekly household income
- $1,572
- SEIFA score
- 1050
- Coordinates
- -34.6740, 150.8455
Kiama demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Kiama 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 seniors (65+) at 32%, 22% of homes are rented, and 19% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,145 | 14% |
| Youth (15–24) | 653 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,511 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,039 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,555 | 32% |
Share of the 7,903 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,470 | 45% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 828 | 26% |
| Rented | 726 | 22% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,795 | 55% |
| Townhouses & semis | 780 | 24% |
| Flats & apartments | 621 | 19% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,239 occupied private dwellings in Kiama.
- Median weekly rent
- $478
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,167
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,029
- Median weekly personal income
- $799
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,445 (19%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 439 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 172 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 3,627 (55%)
- Labour-force participation
- 49.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.9%
- Employed full-time
- 1,748
- Employed part-time
- 1,192
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.
Weather and climate in Kiama
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Kiama is January (average daytime high around 25.4°C) and the coolest is July (around 15.5°C). The area receives roughly 1353 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.4°C | 17.6°C | 111 mm |
| Feb | 24.5°C | 17.1°C | 158 mm |
| Mar | 23.2°C | 16.3°C | 219 mm |
| Apr | 20.9°C | 13.5°C | 116 mm |
| May | 18.2°C | 10.7°C | 65 mm |
| Jun | 15.5°C | 8.8°C | 87 mm |
| Jul | 15.5°C | 7.8°C | 96 mm |
| Aug | 16.2°C | 8.1°C | 96 mm |
| Sep | 18.7°C | 9.7°C | 65 mm |
| Oct | 20.9°C | 12°C | 112 mm |
| Nov | 22.2°C | 13.7°C | 106 mm |
| Dec | 24.1°C | 15.7°C | 122 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Kiama
Where is Kiama?
Kiama is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Kiama?
At the 2021 Census, Kiama had a population of about 7,904.
Is Kiama an advantaged area?
Kiama has an ABS SEIFA score of 1050, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 83 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 83% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Kiama?
Kiama has average daytime highs of about 20.4°C and overnight lows of about 12.6°C, with roughly 1,353 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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