Ballengarra vs Rollands Plains
Ballengarra is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 51 in Rollands Plains. 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 Rollands Plains, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Ballengarra tends to suit couples, while Rollands Plains suits people living alone and older residents.
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 79/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (81% vs 68%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Rollands Plains
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper land ($2,000 vs $130,000)
Weighs land prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Rollands Plains
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $400/wk)
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 282 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (402.9 km vs 410.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Ballengarra carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 79/100)
- Rollands Plains has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 10%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Ballengarra
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (3.2% vs -2.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Ballengarra and Rollands Plains 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
Rollands Plains has more residents (151 vs 97); Ballengarra rents higher ($400/wk vs $300/wk).
| Ballengarra | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 97 | 151 +56% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +3.2% | -2.6% |
| Median age | 45 | 51 |
| Median household income | $77,116/yr +13% vs other | $67,184/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $400/wk +25% vs other | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.7%).
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 (4.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Ballengarra | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $550,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $130,000 | $2,000 |
Zoning mix
| Ballengarra | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% 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
| Ballengarra | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 546 across Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +33% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Ballengarra | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 18% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 45% of NSW | Higher than 30% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 31% of NSW | Higher than 46% 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 50% of NSW |
Liveability
| Ballengarra | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Rollands Plains carries more crime risk (79 vs 27); Rollands Plains carries more bushfire risk (88 vs 55).
| Ballengarra | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 55/100 | High 88/100 |
| Crime | Low 27/100 | High 79/100 |
| 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 | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 | 11 |
Mobility
Rollands Plains sits further from the CBD (410.7 km vs 402.9 km).
| Ballengarra | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 402.9 km | 410.7 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 274 min | 282 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 (78.4%).
Setting
| Ballengarra | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 30 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 38 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 19.1 km | 24.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Ballengarra | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 36 premises | 0% 66 premises |
Climate
| Ballengarra | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,325/yr same for both | |
| Council | Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Ballengarra | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Ballengarra | Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Ballengarra
Rollands Plains
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.