Dee Why
NSWDee Why is a growing suburb in NSW with 23,354 residents.
- SAL code
- 11229
- SA2
- 122031695
- Population
- 23,354
- LGA
- Northern Beaches
Dee Why, NSW had 23,354 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 7.1% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 25-34 years, and the median age sits at 36. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $2,457 a month. Around 50.2% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being rented at 47.3%. Most dwellings are flats or apartments, making up 82.2% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 12 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
Dee Why, NSW at a glance
Dee Why is a beachside, apartment-heavy suburb on Sydney's Northern Beaches, ~18 km north-east of the CBD and the administrative seat of Northern Beaches Council. The town centre is dense and shop-lined; behind it sit older walk-ups and free-standing houses on the hill. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle, and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
Dee Why is split in feel: the beachfront Strand and town-centre apartments give the suburb a casual, multicultural cafe-and-restaurant strip (Greek, Lebanese, Indian, Australian, plus Australia's largest Tibetan community), while the streets behind hold older free-standing houses on bigger lots. There's no train — Dee Why's lifeline is the B-Line at Pittwater Road, a turn-up-and-go bus running 4:30am to 12:30am between Mona Vale and Wynyard, with a commuter car park at the stop. Dee Why Beach, Curl Curl and Long Reef are walk-or-short-drive close. Local schools include Dee Why Public, St Kevin's Catholic and Cromer Campus (NBSC). Manly is ~10 min by car; the CBD is ~45-60 min by B-Line in peak. In short: a beachside lifestyle suburb where you'll trade backyard space for proximity to sand, cafes and a frequent CBD bus.
For investors
Dee Why is a tale of two markets. Houses median $2.785M against $1,300/week rent gives a ~2.46% gross yield with -7.17% 12-month growth and 58 days on market — only 63 sold in the year to Jan 2026 (Your Investment Property + htag.com.au May 2026). Units are the engine: median $1.08M, $780/week rent → 3.93% yield, +14.27% 12-month growth, 21 days on market, 566 unit sales — a deep, fast market.
Strengths
- Unit segment running hot: +14.27% 12-month growth and 21 days on market (Your Investment Property May 2026).
- Exceptionally deep apartment turnover (~566 unit sales in the year to Jan 2026) — easy to enter and exit.
- Beachside + B-Line combo underpins persistent tenant demand; Sydney metro vacancy ~1.5% (Jan 2026).
- Town-centre uplift via Section 7.12 Contributions Plan 2024 channels developer levies into local infrastructure.
Trade-offs
- House segment going the other way: -7.17% 12-month growth, 58 days on market, only 63 sales in 12 months — thin and softening.
- Yields modest in absolute terms (~2.5% houses, ~3.9% units) — entry capital is large for the cashflow.
- Apartment supply pipeline is real: 4 Delmar Parade alone is delivering 280 residences across two 6-7 storey buildings, on top of broader town-centre intensification.
- No train — commuters depend on the B-Line and Pittwater Road; bus reliability and traffic are the structural risk.
What's coming
Northern Beaches Council's 2025/26 capital works program is $105M, stepping up to a proposed $125M in 2026/27, funding roads, footpaths, stormwater and town-centre renewal. The Section 7.12 Contributions Plan 2024 specifically targets Dee Why Town Centre infrastructure. Lifeguard hours at Dee Why Beach are being extended, and 4 Delmar Parade (280 dwellings) is under construction.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a beachside suburb with cafe-strip energy and a frequent CBD bus, if you can live without a backyard or a train. For investors: the unit market is the play — houses are softening and thin.
Population
?23,354
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+7.1%
3yr: +6.9% · 10yr: +15.6%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,106/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
36
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?6/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?5.7%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
2
1 primary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?9
6 long day, 3 OSHC
Parks & green space
?12
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?55
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?32
Northern Beaches · Feb 2026
Median Weekly Rent
Based on NSW rental bond lodgements, aggregated at postcode level. All SALs sharing this postcode show the same median.
Median House Sale Price
Source: state Valuer-General (suburb-level quarterly medians).
→ Calculate stamp duty on this suburb's median price→ Estimate mortgage repayments→ Calculate rental yield (price + median rent)
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from NSW police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Dee Why - North (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Dee Why suburb alone is ~23,354 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 11,772 to 19,332 over 24 years, averaging 2.1% per year.
Schools
2 in suburbSector
2 public
Type
1 primary
Total enrolment
540
Avg per school
270
Government school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
Dee Why PS52.1%
- Curl Curl NPS 24.2%
- Narraweena PS 14.1%
- Brookvale PS 8.7%
- Cromer PS 0.7%
Secondary
NBSC Cromer
Source: NSW Department of Education — School Intake Zones. Boundaries can be amended without notice; confirm with the school before relying on enrolment.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Public housing 0.9%Almost entirely apartments (82.2%), mixed tenure (50.2% own or mortgage), built for families (58% are 2 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
NSW 33%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
Source: NSW RFS BFPL via SEED
As of May 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Flood risk
This suburb falls outside every flood polygon mapped by the relevant authority. Always confirm at the property address — local conditions and unmapped overlays can still apply.
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions. Source when available: NSW Rural Fire Service (BFPL) and NSW DPHI EPI Flood.
Planning zones
8 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| R2 | ZoneResidential | 46.1% | 1.42 km² |
| R3 | ZoneResidential | 28.3% | 0.87 km² |
| RE1 | ZoneRecreation | 14.7% | 0.45 km² |
| MU1 | ZoneBusiness | 6.7% | 0.21 km² |
| SP2 | ZoneSpecial use | 2.1% | 0.06 km² |
| E1 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.8% | 0.02 km² |
| E4 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.7% | 0.02 km² |
| E3 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.3% | 0.01 km² |
Source: NSW DPHI EPI Land Zoning (ZONE_NSW/2026-04-29/1eccf1a530fa1be5) · As of Apr 2026. Zone boundaries are amended periodically; verify the exact property with the relevant council before relying on permitted use.