Ballengarra vs Gum Scrub
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Ballengarra, the large majority of households are couple families. In Gum Scrub, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Ballengarra tends to suit couples, while Gum Scrub suits 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
Ballengarra
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 73/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (81% vs 69%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Ballengarra
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (274 min vs 294 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (402.9 km vs 411.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Ballengarra
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 73/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Ballengarra and Gum Scrub 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
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 97 | 121 +25% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +3.2% | -0.8% |
| Median age | 45 | 44 |
| Median household income | $77,116/yr | $82,316/yr +7% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $400/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.7%).
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 (4.1%).
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 (26.4%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $550,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $130,000 | — |
Zoning mix
Ballengarra has more rural and farming land (100% vs 84%); Gum Scrub has more land zoned for conservation (16% vs 0%).
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 84% |
| Environmental | 0% | 16% |
| 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
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 546 across Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +33% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 18% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 45% of NSW | Higher than 50% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 31% of NSW | Higher than 29% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 84% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 35% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 47% of NSW | Higher than 58% of NSW |
Liveability
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Gum Scrub carries more crime risk (73 vs 27).
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 55/100 | Moderate 60/100 |
| Crime | Low 27/100 | High 73/100 |
| 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
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 1 | 2 |
Mobility
Gum Scrub sits further from the CBD (411.5 km vs 402.9 km).
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 402.9 km | 411.5 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 274 min | 294 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2441 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 72 postcode 2441 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 (81.5%).
Setting
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 30 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 45 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 19.1 km | 22 km |
NBN connectivity
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 36 premises | 0% 52 premises |
Climate
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 2,842 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.7°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.1 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 11.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.92 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,325/yr same for both | |
| Council | Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne | Cowper |
| Member | Alison Penfold | Pat Conaghan |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Ballengarra | Gum Scrub | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Ballengarra
Gum Scrub
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Ballengarra
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.