Joshua Kersten - What's happening in the West Wollongong and Mangerton property markets?

As a lifelong Wollongong local, I am always pleased to share my knowledge of the area and dive into the data to bring you up-to-date information on specific suburbs so that you can make the best decision about buying or renting in our region.

This short article highlights two of Wollongong’s inner west suburbs: West Wollongong and Mangerton, the suburb I grew up in and still live in today.

West Wollongong

Population¹

Like many suburbs in the Illawarra area, West Wollongong has experienced significant growth in the past five years. The latest census data show an 8.27% increase in the population, which currently stands at around 5,250 people, with a total of 1,296 families calling this popular suburb home.

West Wollongong has a good mix of residential homes on great sized blocks and is home to families, retirees, singles and couples, with a very diverse population in terms of age. Almost a third of the working population are employed as professionals, and many locals work at the Wollongong Hospital, Wollongong Private Hospital, or at Wollongong University.

Amenities

At just a ten-minute drive from the CBD, both of Wollongong’s main shopping precincts (Figtree Grove Shopping Centre and Wollongong Central) and our beautiful beaches, West Wollongong is a great place to live and bring up a family.

Well-serviced by public transport, West Wollongong has several lush parklands, such as Roy Johansen Park or the small but lovely Dempster Park, and sports fields like the Harry Graham Park and Tennis Courts or Sheppards Oval.

The suburb boasts a number of excellent primary schools, including Lindsay Park Public, Wollongong West Public and St Therese Catholic Parish Primary, and is home to the prestigious Illawarra Grammar School (TIGS), which caters for children from prep right through to year 12, and Edmund Rice College, Illawarra’s only boys’ high school.

West Wollongong is also the location of the Mount Keira Road turnoff from the Princes Highway, giving drivers direct access to freeway to Sydney.
The suburb also has some great cafés, including Kiss and Drop - my favourite, and is serviced by a small commercial strip along the Princes Highway.

Property

West Wollongong is a largely residential area, and around two-thirds of the dwellings in the suburb are freestanding houses with mature, well-proportioned gardens. The remaining homes are split between apartments and semi-detached or terraced properties.

Around two-thirds of the local population own their own home, half of them outright. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $2123, and the median weekly rent is around $650 for houses and $390 for apartments.

In 2022, property prices in our area fared far better than those in other parts of the country. This resilience is reflected in the median prices for both houses and units in West Wollongong, which continued to grow throughout the year.

The latest CoreLogic data shows that house prices rose 8.98% in the 12 months to October 2022. The median is currently sitting at around $1.35 million. Unit prices have done even better, with a 19.47% increase in the same period and a current median price of $705,000².

Mangerton

Population³

Mangerton, at just one square kilometre, is about half the size of neighbouring West Wollongong. It is home to just under 2900 residents, including 746 families, and the median age is 39.

Mangerton was once referred to as “hospital hill” by locals because it is so close to Wollongong’s main hospital, and many of the city’s doctors and their families lived there.

Today, just over a third of Mangerton’s working population are professionals, and many of them still work in the nearby hospital or in secondary and higher education.

Amenities

Mangerton is a leafy, family-friendly suburb with lovely parks and bushlands, including Mangerton Hill Reserve, which provides a safe haven for many birds and is a great place for a bush walk.

Like its neighbour, Mangerton is within easy striking distance of the CBD, shopping centres and the beach. It also has several bus routes running through it and a train station in nearby Coniston, and a couple of great cafés, my favourites are the Mangerton Corner Store and Brown Sugar.

Central and South Mangerton form part of the catchment area for the sough-after Mount St Thomas Public school, while the northernmost part of the suburb is serviced by Wollongong West Public.

Properties

Mangerton property values have continued to climb, bucking the nationwide downward trend. The median house price in this sought-after suburb grew from $1,170,000 in January 2022 to $1,345,000 in October of the same year, representing a 14.95% increase.

Apartments values have also remained strong, with a 25.77% median price change from January to October 2022. The current median price for a unit is sitting at $610,000⁴.

Similar to West Wollongong, most properties in Mangerton are owner-occupied detached houses. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $2,210 and the median weekly rent in the suburb is around $630 for houses and $380 for apartments.