Anna Bay vs Bobs Farm
Anna Bay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 52 against 57 in Bobs Farm. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Anna Bay: a median of $999,000, against $865,000 in Bobs Farm, and rent is higher there too.
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
Anna Bay
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (7 vs 1)
- carries lower crime risk (52/100 vs 67/100)
- But Bobs Farm has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Bobs Farm
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($865,000 vs $999,400)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Bobs Farm
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (16% vs 33%)
- has cheaper rent ($196/wk vs $390/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Bobs Farm
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (144 min vs 156 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (192.3 km vs 203.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Anna Bay carries lower crime risk (52/100 vs 67/100)
- Bobs Farm has more residents already 65 and over (38% vs 32%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Bobs Farm
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (46.8% vs 9.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Anna Bay and Bobs Farm 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
Anna Bay has more residents (4,221 vs 662); Anna Bay rents higher ($390/wk vs $196/wk).
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,221 +84% vs other | 662 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +9.8% | +46.8% |
| Median age | 52 | 57 |
| Median household income | $61,828/yr | $62,972/yr +2% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $390/wk +50% vs other | $196/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.3%).
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 (6.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $999,400 | $865,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $1,321,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 35 days from 49 sales | 39 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
Bobs Farm has more land zoned for conservation (64% vs 45%); Anna Bay has more rural and farming land (45% vs 33%).
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 45% | 64% |
| Rural and farming | 45% | 33% |
| Residential | 6% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% same for both | |
| Parks and recreation | 1% 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
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 495 across Port Stephens same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -72% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 5.6% $750/wk on $700K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 15% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 24% of NSW | Higher than 25% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 26% of NSW | Higher than 79% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 54% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 71% of NSW | Higher than 82% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 98% of NSW | — |
Liveability
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D same for both | |
| Score | 27/100 | 24/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Bobs Farm carries more crime risk (67 vs 52).
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 66/100 | Moderate 58/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 52/100 | Moderate 67/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Low 16/100 | Moderate 48/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Anna Bay
- Anna Bay Public School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Bobs Farm
- Bobs Farm Public School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 7 | 1 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 | 2 |
Mobility
Anna Bay sits further from the CBD (203.1 km vs 192.3 km).
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 14/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 203.1 km +5% vs other | 192.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 156 min | 144 min |
| Public transport score | 79/100 Bus | 76/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 102.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 50.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2316 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 2316 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 (71.0%).
Setting
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 0 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 16 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.9 km 3.3 km to a named beach | 1.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 62/100 | 75/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 32% 2,206 premises | 66% 474 premises |
Climate
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,181 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.5°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,359/yr same for both | |
| Council | Port Stephens same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Paterson same for both | |
| Member | Meryl Swanson same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Anna Bay | Bobs Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Anna Bay
Other comparisons with Bobs Farm
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.