Ettalong Beach sits on the Brisbane Water shoreline of the NSW Central Coast, where the foreshore, village shops, weekend markets and the Palm Beach ferry all sit within easy reach. Buyers weighing up two of its residential streets often land on Kourung Street, a compact foreshore pocket, and Schnapper Road, a larger and more varied street. Here is how they compare on prices, home styles, lifestyle, schools and getting around.
Property Prices and Value Trends
Both streets trade off the same suburb base. The median Ettalong Beach house price sits at $1,250,000, with repeat-sales growth of 44.5% over five years and 111.6% over ten. The median three-bedroom house rents for $700 a week.
At street level the five-year picture is almost level. Kourung Street has a five-year house median of $1,310,000 across nine sales, which ranks it 9th of the 24 qualifying Ettalong Beach streets, while Schnapper Road sits at $1,300,000 across eleven sales, ranked 10th of 24.
The longer view differs. Kourung’s ten-year house median is $1,140,000 across 15 sales with a ten-year unit median of $850,000 across nine sales, while Schnapper’s is $1,270,000 across 13 sales with a lower unit median of $695,000 across 44 sales. Kourung’s higher unit median reflects its more compact premium stock, while Schnapper’s lower figure is a product of its broader mix of villas and townhouses.
Recent results show the range. On Kourung, 53 Kourung Street sold for $1,140,000 in 2024, 15 Kourung Street for $1,450,000 in April 2025 and 41 Kourung Street for $1,517,000 in 2021. A duplex at 25 Kourung Street changed hands for $995,000, and new townhouses at 36 Kourung Street are marketed from $1,100,000. Schnapper spans 2/12 Schnapper Road at $815,000, 27 Schnapper Road at $1,260,000 in 2025, 1/62 Schnapper Road at $1,140,000 in March 2025, 3/6 Schnapper Road at $1,715,000 and 54 Schnapper Road at $2,425,000.
Streetscape and Home Styles
Kourung Street reads as the smaller, more intimate of the two. It holds around 80 properties, mixing established family homes with a newer wave of coastal townhouses on lots that range roughly from 512m² to 725m². It feels like a tightly held foreshore pocket.
Schnapper Road is the bigger, more varied neighbour. It has 157 properties, made up of 68 townhouses, 71 houses and 18 other dwellings, with around 75% owner-occupier tenure. Lots run from a compact 397m² up to 1,100m², and the mix spans two-bedroom villas through to five-bedroom family homes. It sits in the locally known Fish Streets pocket.
Kourung is a compact beachside pocket, while Schnapper offers broader dwelling choice and a strongly established owner-occupier community.
Beach and Lifestyle
Kourung’s anchor is the foreshore, which sits at the end of the street, about 450 metres from the beach. The street meets The Esplanade shared coastal path, which links Ettalong Beach to Ocean Beach and Umina Beach for walking, cycling and skating. The Central Coast Council dog-friendly foreshore zone runs south from Kourung Street.
Schnapper Road trades the foreshore for the village side of the same location. Listings describe a short 500-metre stroll, about five minutes on foot, to the beach, local shops, cafes and the markets, with the waterfront, village and ferry all within walking distance.
Both share the one beachside village setting: Kourung is anchored by the foreshore path, while Schnapper sits a little closer to the village and market corner.
Everyday Amenities
Both streets share the Ocean View Road village strip, the suburb’s main shopping hub, plus the weekend Ettalong Markets, the largest undercover market on the Central Coast. The market complex sits at the corner of Ocean View Road and Schnapper Road, effectively next door, and includes the Galleria and the family-operated Cinema Paradiso.
Lords of Pour, The BOX on the Water and Coast 175 anchor the cafe and dining scene, with coffee at Lords of Pour, beachfront dining at The BOX and a Galleria-end option at Coast 175. The IGA supermarket on Ocean View Road is a main village employer, and the Ettalong Diggers RSL Club houses the visitor information centre. The suburb counts 36 restaurants, bars and coffee shops and holds a Walk Score of 67, the third most walkable on the Central Coast. Kourung sits about 800 metres from the Ettalong town centre and 1,200 metres from Umina’s.
Schools and Catchments
Both streets share the same catchments. Ettalong Public School has an ICSEA of 975 and 490 students and sits about an eight-minute walk from each street. Brisbane Water Secondary College Umina Campus has an ICSEA of 966 and 787 students, about a seven-minute drive from Kourung and nine minutes from Schnapper.
Nearby options add nuance. Umina Beach Public School (ICSEA 1,010, 606 students) is a fourteen-minute walk from Kourung, and Woy Woy South Public School (ICSEA 996, 648 students) is a nineteen-minute walk away. Pretty Beach Public School (ICSEA 1,102, 154 students) is an eighteen-minute walk from Schnapper, and Empire Bay Public School (ICSEA 1,039, 426 students) a six-minute drive. Private schools in the Woy Woy area run about eight to ten minutes’ drive from both.
Getting Around
Transport is shared rather than street-specific. Palm Beach Ferries runs from Ettalong Wharf on Ferry Road, with the crossing to Palm Beach taking about 25 minutes all day, every day. Busways services connect the suburb to Woy Woy station, Umina Beach retail centre, Kincumber and Erina Fair, and Woy Woy has trains to Sydney and Newcastle.
Ettalong Beach sits about 86 km north of Sydney, roughly a 90-minute drive. The difference is where you start: Schnapper listings lean on the ferry and village stroll, while Kourung opens onto the Esplanade coastal path.
Conclusion
Kourung Street suits buyers drawn to a smaller, foreshore-adjacent pocket with direct Esplanade access and newer townhouses. Schnapper Road suits buyers wanting broader home choice, a strong owner-occupier community and doorstep access to the markets and village. Both share the same amenity set, school catchments, ferry and rail links, and a healthy $1,250,000 suburb median with strong medium and long-term growth. The decision comes down to which streetscape and lifestyle anchor fits each buyer, and either way you land in a sought-after Central Coast waterfront suburb.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Kourung Street Ettalong Beach like to live on?
Kourung Street has about 80 properties with the Ettalong Beach foreshore at the end of the street. It mixes established family homes with newer coastal townhouses, sits about 450 metres from the beach and opens onto The Esplanade coastal path. The Ettalong town centre is about 800 metres away.
How far is Kourung Street from Ettalong Beach and the foreshore?
The foreshore is at the end of the street, and the beach is about 450 metres away. The street meets The Esplanade and fronts the dog-friendly foreshore zone, which runs south from Kourung Street to Augusta Street.
What are Kourung Street property prices in Ettalong Beach?
The five-year house median is $1,310,000 across nine sales, ranked 9th of the 24 qualifying Ettalong Beach streets, with a ten-year house median of $1,140,000 across 15 sales and a ten-year unit median of $850,000 across nine sales. Recent sales include 53 Kourung Street at $1,140,000 in 2024, 15 Kourung Street at $1,450,000 in April 2025 and 41 Kourung Street at $1,517,000 in 2021, and 36 Kourung Street townhouses from $1,100,000.
What types of properties are on Kourung Street Ettalong Beach?
A mix of established family homes on lots around 512m² to 725m², a duplex at 25 Kourung Street and a newer wave of coastal townhouses such as the three-bedroom homes at 36 Kourung Street.
How close is Kourung Street to Ettalong Beach shops and cafes?
About 800 metres to the Ettalong town centre and 1,200 metres to Umina’s, with walkable access to Ocean View Road cafes, eateries, the IGA and the weekend markets.
What schools are near Kourung Street Ettalong Beach?
In catchment for Ettalong Public School (ICSEA 975, 490 students), about an eight-minute walk, and Brisbane Water Secondary College Umina Campus (ICSEA 966, 787 students), about a seven-minute drive. Umina Beach Public School (ICSEA 1,010, 606 students) is a fourteen-minute walk away, and Woy Woy South Public School (ICSEA 996, 648 students) is a nineteen-minute walk.
What is Schnapper Road Ettalong Beach like to live on?
A larger, varied residential street of 157 properties, with 68 townhouses, 71 houses and 18 other dwellings and around 75% owner-occupier tenure. It sits in the locally known Fish Streets pocket, with the beach, village, cafes, markets and ferry all within about a five-minute walk.
How far is Schnapper Road from the beach and Ettalong Markets?
Listings describe a short 500-metre stroll, about five minutes on foot, to the beach, local shops, cafes and the Ettalong Beach Markets, with the waterfront also within walking distance. The markets sit at the corner of Ocean View Road and Schnapper Road, effectively next door.
What are Schnapper Road property prices in Ettalong Beach?
The five-year house median is $1,300,000 across eleven sales, ranked 10th of the 24 qualifying Ettalong Beach streets, with a ten-year house median of $1,270,000 across 13 sales and a ten-year unit median of $695,000 across 44 sales. Recent results run from 2/12 Schnapper Road at $815,000 and 27 Schnapper Road at $1,260,000 in 2025, and 1/62 Schnapper Road at $1,140,000 in March 2025, up to 3/6 Schnapper Road at $1,715,000 and 54 Schnapper Road at $2,425,000.
What types of properties are on Schnapper Road Ettalong Beach?
The widest mix of the pair: two-bedroom villas and townhouses, larger houses and five-bedroom family homes on lots from a compact 397m² up to 1,100m².
Is Schnapper Road Ettalong Beach good for families and downsizers?
Yes. The broad dwelling mix and strong owner-occupier share suit family buyers wanting larger homes as well as downsizers after low-maintenance villas and townhouses near the beach, village and ferry.
What schools are near Schnapper Road Ettalong Beach?
In catchment for Ettalong Public School (ICSEA 975, 490 students), about an eight-minute walk, and Brisbane Water Secondary College Umina Campus (ICSEA 966, 787 students), about a nine-minute drive. Pretty Beach Public School (ICSEA 1,102, 154 students) is an eighteen-minute walk away, and Empire Bay Public School (ICSEA 1,039, 426 students) a six-minute drive.