Why families love moving to the Illawarra's fastest-growing suburb

The area covering Albion Park, Calderwood and Tullimbar was the fourth fastest-growing region outside of greater Sydney in NSW in 2022-2023, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Horsley and Kembla Grange is close behind, coming in 6th, while when looking at the total number of people who moved in, Albion Park and Calderwood added the second most out of any region in NSW, besides Greater Sydney.

Both areas recorded population growth of over four per cent, higher than the average for capital cities in Australia - three percent - and well above the rate for regional Australia, 1.4 per cent.

One family that recently moved into Calderwood are the Ncubes.

Originally from Zimbabwe, the family previously lived in Sutherland and social worker mum Janet said the family was drawn to the region due to the large plot sizes, access to the beach and nature and relative affordability, when compared to similar areas in Sydney.

"Property prices in Sutherland are really expensive," Mrs Ncube said.

"For a long time we tried to save but it just never felt like something we could do."

Instead, the family looked south, to find somewhere that had the beaches and greenery they loved living between the National Park and Cronulla beach.

"We were trying to find somewhere that's quite similar to what we had in Sutherland," Mrs Ncube said.

The family also looked at other suburbs further out in Sydney such as Oran Park near Campbelltown, but preferred the larger blocks available in Calderwood and the quieter pace.

The experience of the Ncubes is typical of those moving to the rapidly expanding suburbs around Albion Park, with growth overwhelmingly driven by migration from elsewhere in Australia.

But, only a suburb away, population was falling, with fewer people living in Albion Park Rail and Kiama Downs - Minnamurra in 2023, than in 2022.

CEO of RDA Illawarra Selena Stevens said the Illawarra's attraction was driven by its enviable lifestyle.

"It's no surprise that those areas are some of the fastest growing, who wouldn't want to live in this area? Those areas are perfect for young families and people looking for a tree change."

However, the divergence between suburbs was down to affordability.

"People are going to where they're able to afford homes."

According to the statistics, other areas of the Illawarra were not so popular for internal migrants. Overseas migration was the driving force behind population growth in the central suburbs of Wollongong, which had some of the highest numbers of people leaving the suburb.

Kiama had the greatest fall in natural population growth with an ageing population and fewer homes affordable for young families, yet it grew overall due to international migrants finding a home in the seaside suburb.

Having lived in Calderwood for over a year, the Ncubes have settled into life in the Illawarra. Dad Leonard works as a nurse and the family's two daughters attend Calderwood Christian School. Mrs Ncube said the family felt welcomed by the community spirit in the young neighbourhood.

"We love Calderwood, it's very beautiful, it's close to the beaches and we can ride our bikes and walk around."

The only drawback was the traffic on the M1 and through Albion Park, which often doubled Mrs Ncube's commute to the University of Wollongong.

"When I have to drive in the morning, the drive is never pleasant."

That's something that Mrs Stevens is well aware of, with RDA Illawarra calling for an overhaul of the region's transport network to deliver a 30 minute city. As the region's population grows, infrastructure needed to keep up, Mrs Stevens said.

"In a general sense, the right conversations are being had, but it's important that we see those projects delivered," she said.

"The infrastructure is out there - shopping centres, childcare centres - all those things need to be moved in order to meet the growing needs of the community."