Backmede vs Boorabee Park
Boorabee Park is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 46 in Backmede. 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 Backmede: a median of $1.3 million, against $831,000 in Boorabee Park, though rent is higher in Boorabee Park. On these figures, Backmede tends to suit older residents, while Boorabee Park suits couples 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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Boorabee Park
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($831,000 vs $1,300,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Backmede
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($276/wk vs $335/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Backmede
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (725.2 km vs 742.6 km)
- has a shorter drive in (492 min vs 503 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Backmede
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (27% vs 16%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Boorabee Park
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (40.4% vs 2.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Backmede and Boorabee Park 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
Boorabee Park rents higher ($335/wk vs $276/wk); Backmede skews older (46 vs 43).
| Backmede | Boorabee Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 153 +5% vs other | 146 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.0% | +40.4% |
| Median age | 46 | 43 |
| Median household income | $95,836/yr | $104,884/yr +9% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $276/wk | $335/wk +21% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.6%).
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 (5.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Backmede | Boorabee Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,300,000 | $831,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $600,000 | — |
Zoning mix
| Backmede | Boorabee Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 99% |
| Environmental | 0% | 1% |
| 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
| Backmede | Boorabee Park | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 24 across Richmond Valley | 25 across Kyogle |
| Approvals change year on year | -78% | +0% |
Ranking within NSW
| Backmede | Boorabee Park | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 67% of NSW | Higher than 37% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 63% of NSW | Higher than 71% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 25% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 41% of NSW | Higher than 79% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 16% of NSW | Higher than 58% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 32% of NSW |
Liveability
Backmede is more walkable (8 vs 0).
| Backmede | Boorabee Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Boorabee Park carries more bushfire risk (44 vs 0).
| Backmede | Boorabee Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 44/100 |
| Crime | Low 31/100 | Low 33/100 |
| 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
| Backmede | Boorabee Park | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Backmede | Boorabee Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 1 | 4 |
Mobility
Boorabee Park sits further from the CBD (742.6 km vs 725.2 km).
| Backmede | Boorabee Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 8/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 725.2 km | 742.6 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 492 min | 503 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2470 | 0.6% postcode 2480 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 67 postcode 2470 | 69 postcode 2480 |
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 (81.1%).
Setting
| Backmede | Boorabee Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 50 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 87 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Backmede | Boorabee Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 22/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 55 premises | 0% 73 premises |
Council rates
| Backmede | Boorabee Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,282/yr | $1,264/yr |
| Council | Richmond Valley | Kyogle |
Federal electorate
| Backmede | Boorabee Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Backmede | Boorabee Park | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Backmede
Other comparisons with Boorabee Park
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.