Austinmer (Post Code: 2515)

Austinmer is a small beachside suburb located in the Local Government area of Wollongong.  Quiet and peaceful with a small ‘community’ feel, it is 3.4 sq km in area and only 2 kilometres to the conveniences, shops and schools of Thirroul.  Its popularity as a health and holiday resort dates back to the early 1900’s when visitors from Sydney flocked to the many guesthouses in the area.  The current median sale price of houses, units and vacant land is $678,295 as compared to $487,055 for the Local Government Area of Wollongong.

Within close proximity to two popular beaches back-dropped by 40 year old Norfolk Island pines, Austinmer is one of the Illawarra’s  most up-market localities.  It has two very popular beaches, Austinmer Beach and the affectionately known “Little Austi”.  A small strip of shops and an art gallery are found on Lawrence Hargrave Drive, as well as a police station, churches and a veterinary clinic.  There are several cafes and dining spots.  Not to be missed is the Austi Beach café, well known and loved by locals and visitors alike for its exceptional coffee and home-made gelato.  The All Residential Real Estate Marketing Manager reckons that it is the ‘best’.  Austinmer Surf Club (founded in 1909) patrols the larger of the two beaches from September to April.  The Headland Hotel just north of the beach was featured in the 2005 TV series, Headland.

Cornelius O’Brien, the original land grant owner, named the locality ‘Sidmouth’ after his birthplace in Devon.  It was then renamed Bulli North and  finally, officially named Austinmere, supposedly after one of the directors of the board of the Illawarra Mining company, Henry Austin.

The suburb of Austinmer is located in the Local Government area of Wollongong and covers an area of approximately 3.4 Sq Km.  The surrounding suburbs include Thirroul, Maddens Plains and Coledale.  In 2006, the population of Austinmer was 2,251 people, with the main age group being people between 40 and 49 years of age.  The largest segment of the population are employed full time, in general those in employment work as Professionals with most people travelling to work by driving a car.  There are approximately 803 dwellings, with the majority of these (82%) being houses.  38.5% of properties in the area are fully owned, with 36.7% of the properties being purchased and 77% being owner occupied. Married people account for 77% of the population and households in Austinmer are mainly couples with no children.