NSW Waverley Local Court List Today

If you have a matter listed at Waverley Local Court, this page brings together the verified practical detail you need before you attend, alongside current statistics that put the court's workload in context. Waverley Local Court is the principal Local Court serving Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, sitting on Bronte Road beside Waverley Police Station and roughly 7 kilometres from the Sydney CBD. It hears the day-to-day criminal, traffic, civil and Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) work generated across one of the most densely populated coastal catchments in New South Wales, taking in Bondi, Bondi Junction, Bronte, Randwick and the wider Waverley and Woollahra council areas.

Before anything else, note the current venue arrangement. From Monday 12 January 2026 until late 2026, Waverley Local Court is not conducting sittings at Bronte Road. All listed matters have been moved to John Maddison Tower in the Sydney CBD, heard in Courtrooms 7A and 7B, while renovation works proceed at the adjoining Waverley Police Station. Registry services still operate from the Bronte Road building on weekdays between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm. If your matter falls within this window, confirm your courtroom and level before travelling, because appearing at the wrong building can mean your matter is called in your absence.

Waverley Local Court contact details and registry hours

The information below reflects the court's published registry details. Telephone lines are answered through the statewide Local Court number, and email is the fastest way to reach the Waverley registry directly for adjournment requests, subpoena queries and general filing questions.

• Street address: 151 Bronte Road, Waverley NSW 2024
• Postal address: PO Box 134, Waverley NSW 2024
• Telephone: 1300 679 272 (statewide Local Court line)
• Email: local-court-waverley@justice.nsw.gov.au
• Registry hours: 9:00 am to 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday
• Telephone hours: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday
• Public transport: about a 10-minute walk from Bondi Junction train station and bus interchange

Audio Visual Link (AVL) facilities are available at the Waverley location, which allows evidence and some appearances to proceed by video where the court directs. If you require an interpreter, the registry asks for as much notice as possible, ideally at least two weeks before your listing, so that an accredited interpreter in the correct language and dialect can be arranged at no cost to you.

What matters does Waverley Local Court hear?

As a Local Court, Waverley exercises summary jurisdiction, meaning a magistrate rather than a judge and jury decides the matter. The Local Court is the entry point for almost every criminal charge in the state and finalises the overwhelming majority of them. Across New South Wales, the Local Court handled 94% of all finalised criminal court appearances in the year to June 2025, so the pattern of work at Waverley mirrors the busiest tier of the justice system.

Criminal matters

The criminal list covers summary offences and indictable offences that can be dealt with summarily. Typical charges heard at Waverley include common assault, larceny and shoplifting, malicious damage, drug possession, and drug supply at quantities that can be finalised summarily. More serious strictly indictable charges, such as sexual assault, aggravated robbery and offences causing grievous bodily harm, begin at the Local Court through committal proceedings before being sent to the District Court or Supreme Court.

Traffic and driving matters

Traffic offences form a substantial share of the Eastern Suburbs list. These include prescribed concentration of alcohol (PCA) or drink driving charges, drug driving, driving while suspended or disqualified, negligent driving, and licence appeals against Transport for NSW suspensions. Traffic and vehicle offences are consistently the single largest offence category statewide, accounting for 45,371 of the top proven principal offences recorded across NSW criminal courts in the 12 months to June 2025, which explains why driving matters occupy so much of a suburban Local Court's calendar.

Apprehended Violence Orders and domestic violence

Waverley hears applications for both Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders and Apprehended Personal Violence Orders, along with charges for contravening an existing order. Domestic violence work is a growing part of Local Court activity across the state. Domestic violence related finalisations rose 12.1% in 2024/25 and now make up 27.1% of all Local Court finalisations, up from 26.0% the previous year. If your matter involves an AVO, bring any existing orders and related paperwork with you.

Civil disputes

The court also deals with smaller civil claims, including debt recovery, property damage and minor contractual disputes that fall within the Local Court's civil monetary limits. Many general civil filings and higher-value civil registry functions for Sydney are handled through the Sydney civil registry, so it is worth confirming where a civil document must be lodged before you attend.

Waverley Local Court in context: New South Wales court statistics

Understanding the scale of the system helps set realistic expectations for how a matter progresses. The figures below are drawn from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) and paint a clear picture of volume, delay and outcomes across the Local Court tier that Waverley belongs to.

• NSW criminal courts finalised 151,113 court appearances in the 12 months to June 2025, an increase of 7.4% on the previous year.
• Local Court finalisations alone rose 7.7% to 141,616 matters, up more than 10,000 cases year on year.
• 86% of finalised defendants had at least one proven charge, while 8% of matters were withdrawn by the prosecution.
• The median time to finalise a defended hearing in the Local Court was 263 days, which was 16 days faster than the year before but still 65 days longer than in 2018/19.
• The proportion of proven defendants receiving a custodial penalty rose from 9.1% to 10.0%, with custodial penalties up 16.8% in raw numbers.
• The share of defendants refused bail at finalisation increased to 9.3%, continuing a two-year upward trend.

Two lessons follow from these numbers. First, most matters resolve without a full defended hearing, often through a guilty plea entered early, which is why the median finalisation time for the whole Local Court is far shorter than the defended-hearing figure. Second, delay for contested matters is real and has grown since before the pandemic, so early legal advice and early preparation materially affect how long your matter stays in the system.

Preparing for your appearance at Waverley Local Court

A Local Court day involves a great deal of waiting and a small amount of speaking. Matters are usually listed together for a call-over in the morning, then dealt with in an order the magistrate and registry decide, so arriving early and being ready is the single most useful thing you can do.

What to bring

• Your Court Attendance Notice or any letter setting out the date, time and courtroom.
• Any bail documents, AVO paperwork or prior orders relevant to the matter.
• If you are entering a plea or being sentenced: character references, a treating doctor's letter if relevant, and certificates for any completed programs such as the Traffic Offender Intervention Program or an alcohol and other drugs course.
• The name and contact details of your lawyer, if you have one.
• A notepad, a pen, and a debit card or cash for any filing fees or refreshments.

What to expect on the day

When your matter is called, the prosecutor and your representative (or the duty solicitor) tell the magistrate where the matter is up to. The magistrate may adjourn the matter to another date, set it down for hearing, or deal with it there and then if you are pleading guilty. If you cannot afford a private lawyer, Legal Aid NSW duty solicitors are available at court for many criminal matters, and a Community Legal Centre may be able to help before your date. Dress conservatively, turn your phone off inside the courtroom, and be polite to registry staff and other court users.

How Waverley connects to the wider court system

Waverley sits within a network of Sydney courts, and matters frequently move between them. Serious charges that begin here are committed upward, and unsuccessful outcomes can be appealed. If your matter is one of those currently relocated to the CBD, or you are researching related lists, you can also review the daily Sydney Downing Centre Local Court list to understand how the busiest metropolitan criminal lists are organised. Because the Downing Centre complex and John Maddison Tower operate side by side in the city, the format of those lists closely resembles what Waverley matters will follow during the relocation period.

If your matter is finalised at Waverley and you wish to challenge the result, appeals from the Local Court are generally heard in the District Court. It can help to see how those lists run by checking the Sydney District Court list, which handles both trials on indictment and appeals against Local Court decisions. For those living in the southern part of the metropolitan area, the neighbouring Sutherland Local Court shares many of the same procedures and registry practices, and its published details are a useful comparison point. You can also browse every jurisdiction and location through the main Sydney Local Court resource to confirm which venue holds your particular matter.

Frequently asked questions about Waverley Local Court

Where is Waverley Local Court sitting in 2026?

From 12 January 2026 until late 2026, sittings have moved to John Maddison Tower in the Sydney CBD (Courtrooms 7A and 7B) while works are carried out at Waverley Police Station. Registry services still run from 151 Bronte Road on weekdays during registry hours. Always confirm your venue before travelling.

Can I represent myself at Waverley Local Court?

Yes. You are entitled to appear on your own behalf. Given that outcomes affect your record, your licence and sometimes your liberty, obtaining legal advice first is strongly recommended, and a Legal Aid duty solicitor may be able to assist at court on the day for eligible criminal matters.

Is there parking at Waverley Local Court?

Street parking around Bronte Road is limited. Paid parking is available at Bondi Junction, including near Westfield. The court is about a 10-minute walk from Bondi Junction station, and several bus routes stop along Bronte Road and Oxford Street.

How do I find out if my matter is listed?

Court listings are published each sitting day. Because Waverley matters are currently heard in the city, check the relevant daily list carefully to confirm the correct courtroom and level, and contact the registry by email if the details are unclear.

What happens if I miss my court date?

Failing to appear can result in the matter being dealt with in your absence, a warrant being issued, or a conviction being recorded. If you cannot attend, contact the registry as early as possible and seek legal advice about applying to have the matter relisted.

Does Waverley Local Court hear family law matters?

Waverley is a state Local Court and does not exercise federal family law jurisdiction. It does hear domestic and personal violence order applications, which are separate from parenting and property matters dealt with in the federal family law system.