Anna Bay vs Salamander Bay
Anna Bay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 52 against 57 in Salamander Bay. In both, the large majority of households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Salamander Bay, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Salamander Bay tends to suit people living alone.
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 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more separate houses rather than flats (84% vs 59%)
- carries lower crime risk (52/100 vs 68/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (53% vs 44%)
- But Salamander Bay has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 1)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Salamander Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper land ($440,000 vs $1,321,000)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Salamander Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (34/100 vs 14/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Salamander Bay
ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more GPs (6 vs 1)
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (41% vs 16%)
- is more walkable (34/100 vs 14/100)
- But Anna Bay carries lower crime risk (52/100 vs 68/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Anna Bay
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- is growing faster (9.8% vs 3.7%)
- returns a higher gross yield on houses (5.6% vs 4.4%)
Weighs house yield and population growth.
Where they sit
Anna Bay and Salamander Bay 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
Salamander Bay skews older (57 vs 52).
| Anna Bay | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,221 | 4,991 +18% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +9.8% | +3.7% |
| Median age | 52 | 57 |
| Median household income | $61,828/yr +7% vs other | $57,564/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $390/wk +3% vs other | $380/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.4%).
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 (5.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Anna Bay | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $999,400 | $1,050,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $650,000 |
| Median land price | $1,321,000 | $440,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 35 days from 49 sales | 30 days from 80 sales |
House price by bedroom count
Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.
11 vs 14 sales
33 vs 61 sales
33 vs 74 sales
6 vs 8 sales
Zoning mix
Anna Bay has more rural and farming land (45% vs 0%).
| Anna Bay | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 45% | 49% |
| Rural and farming | 45% | 0% |
| Residential | 6% | 25% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% | 20% |
| Commercial | 0% | 3% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% same for both | |
| Industrial | 0% | 2% |
| 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 | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 495 across Port Stephens same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -72% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Anna Bay | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 5.6% $750/wk on $700K | 4.4% $780/wk on $922K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Anna Bay | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 60% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 24% of NSW | Higher than 17% of NSW |
| Schools | — | Higher than 39% of NSW |
| Walkability | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 76% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 26% of NSW | Higher than 17% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 67% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 71% of NSW same for both | |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 98% of NSW | Higher than 89% of NSW |
Liveability
Salamander Bay is more walkable (34 vs 14).
| Anna Bay | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | C |
| Score | 27/100 | 31/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Salamander Bay carries more crime risk (68 vs 52); Anna Bay carries more bushfire risk (66 vs 55).
| Anna Bay | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 66/100 | Moderate 55/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 52/100 | Moderate 68/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Low 16/100 | Low 32/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Anna Bay | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 6 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 1 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 2 |
Schools in Anna Bay
- Anna Bay Public School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Salamander Bay
- St Philip's Christian College - Port Stephens Independent · Combined above peers
- Tomaree High School Government · Secondary at peers
- St Philip's Christian College Gilibaa Independent · Primary below peers
- Tomaree Public School Government · Primary below peers
- Edmondson Park College Independent · Primary
- St Philip's Christian College Dynamic Learning - Port Stephens Independent · Combined · Special school
Amenities in the suburb
| Anna Bay | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 3 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 7 same for both | |
| Childcare | 2 | 5 |
| GPs | 1 | 6 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 2 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 5 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 | 1 |
Mobility
| Anna Bay | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 14/100 | 34/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 203.1 km | 203.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 156 min | 157 min |
| Public transport score | 79/100 Bus | 78/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 102.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 116.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 0 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2316 | 0.7% postcode 2317 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 2316 | 39 postcode 2317 |
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 (69.7%).
Setting
| Anna Bay | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 0 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 7 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.9 km 3.3 km to a named beach | 538 m 3.4 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Anna Bay | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 62/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 32% 2,206 premises | 31% 3,282 premises |
Climate
| Anna Bay | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,359/yr same for both | |
| Council | Port Stephens same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Anna Bay | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Paterson same for both | |
| Member | Meryl Swanson same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Anna Bay | Salamander Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Salamander Bay
More comparisons
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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.