Australian Crime Rate

Postcode · New South Wales · 2025-26

Crime in postcode 2281

Postcode 2281 covers Blacksmiths, Cams Wharf, Catherine Hill Bay, Caves Beach, Little Pelican, Murrays Beach, Nords Wharf, Pelican, Pinny Beach and Swansea in New South Wales. Police publish crime figures by council area, not by postcode, so this page shows the council area the postcode falls in: Lake Macquarie.

Suburbs in 2281

Recorded crime in the council area

43/100

Lake Macquarie

Moderate226 of 362 nationally · 78 of 129 in NSW · 224,540 residents

Violent 1,201 per 100k

▲ +15% vs five years earlier

Property 2,840 per 100k

▼ -8% vs five years earlier

Break-ins 295 per 100k

▼ -15% vs five years earlier

Recorded offences per 100,000 residents, 2025-26. Covers Blacksmiths, Cams Wharf, Catherine Hill Bay, Caves Beach, Little Pelican, Murrays Beach, Nords Wharf, Pelican, Pinny Beach, Swansea in postcode 2281.

Open Lake Macquarie on the map

The Crime Score (0 to 100) ranks each council's three-year offence rates against every Australian council, weighted towards serious offences; 50 is the national middle. It describes recorded crime, not personal risk. See the council rankings.

Questions about postcode 2281

What is the crime rate in postcode 2281?

Recorded crime is published for the Lake Macquarie council area, which covers postcode 2281. In 2025-26 it recorded 1,201 violent offences, 2,840 property offences and 295 break-ins per 100,000 residents.

How does postcode 2281 compare with the rest of Australia?

The Lake Macquarie council area's violent crime rate is close to the national rate and close to the New South Wales rate (1,201 against 1,280 nationally, 2025-26). Its Crime Score of 43 ranks 226 of 362 councils nationally, where 1 is the highest recorded crime.

Which suburbs are in postcode 2281?

Blacksmiths, Cams Wharf, Catherine Hill Bay, Caves Beach, Little Pelican, Murrays Beach, Nords Wharf, Pelican, Pinny Beach and Swansea.

Where do these figures come from?

Offence counts come from New South Wales's official police or crime statistics agency, standardised to national offence categories; rates use ABS estimated resident population. Figures describe recorded offences, not personal risk, and recording practices differ between states.

Nearby postcodes

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