Alstonvale vs Pearces Creek
Pearces Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 53 in Alstonvale. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Alstonvale: a median of $1.98 million, against $1.6 million in Pearces Creek, though rent is higher in Pearces Creek. On these figures, Pearces Creek tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget.
Which one suits you?
There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.
Families with school-age kids
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Alstonvale carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 28/100)
- Pearces Creek is already more of a family suburb (84% vs 71%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Pearces Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,600,000 vs $1,980,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Alstonvale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($310/wk vs $380/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Alstonvale
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 28/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 16%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Pearces Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (14.1% vs -2.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Alstonvale and Pearces Creek drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.
Side by side, out of 100
Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.
Demographics
Alstonvale has more residents (431 vs 210); Alstonvale skews older (53 vs 42).
| Alstonvale | Pearces Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 431 +51% vs other | 210 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -2.5% | +14.1% |
| Median age | 53 | 42 |
| Median household income | $105,976/yr | $118,820/yr +12% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $310/wk | $380/wk +23% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Where residents were born
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Alstonvale | Pearces Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,980,000 | $1,600,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $1,730,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 87 days from 4 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Alstonvale | Pearces Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% same for both | |
| Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09. | ||
Development activity
| Alstonvale | Pearces Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 238 across Ballina same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +210% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Alstonvale | Pearces Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 72% of NSW | Higher than 77% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 72% of NSW | Higher than 83% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 68% of NSW | Higher than 66% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 42% of NSW same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 68% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 51% of NSW |
Liveability
| Alstonvale | Pearces Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Pearces Creek carries more crime risk (28 vs 13).
| Alstonvale | Pearces Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 13/100 | Low 28/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Alstonvale | Pearces Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Alstonvale | Pearces Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 2 | 6 |
Mobility
| Alstonvale | Pearces Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 18/100 | 16/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 740.3 km | 741.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 482 min | 480 min |
| Public transport score | 27/100 Bus | 20/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 10.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 4.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual | 2 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2477 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 75 postcode 2477 same for both | |
How people get to work
Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.9%).
Setting
| Alstonvale | Pearces Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 72 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 42 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 12.2 km | 13.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Alstonvale | Pearces Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 163 premises | 0% 77 premises |
Council rates
| Alstonvale | Pearces Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,264/yr same for both | |
| Council | Ballina same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Alstonvale | Pearces Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page | Richmond |
| Member | Kevin Hogan | Justine Elliot |
| Party | The Nationals | Australian Labor Party |
First Home Owner Grant
| Alstonvale | Pearces Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Alstonvale
Other comparisons with Pearces Creek
Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.