Bandon Grove vs Main Creek

Bandon Grove is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 57 in Main Creek. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bandon Grove, most households are couple families. On these figures, Bandon Grove tends to suit couples, while Main Creek suits people living alone.

Bandon Grove has a notably higher median household income at $84,448 compared to Main Creek's $72,748, and sits in a higher socio-economic decile (8 versus 5). Main Creek skews slightly older with a median age of 57 years against Bandon Grove's 51 years, and has a lower bushfire risk rating of 60 compared to 54. Rental costs are virtually identical between the two suburbs at around $270–272 per week. Both are rural NSW locations well removed from the CBD, so Bandon Grove may suit buyers prioritising higher incomes and socio-economic indicators, while Main Creek appeals to those seeking an older, more established community with marginally lower bushfire exposure.

Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.

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

Main Creek

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 80/100)
  • But Bandon Grove is already more of a family suburb (65% vs 57%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Bandon Grove

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper land ($6,000 vs $1,020,000)

Weighs 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

Main Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (227.5 km vs 231.7 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Main Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 80/100)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Bandon Grove

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (13.4% vs 8.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Bandon Grove and Main Creek drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Walkability 10 / 5
Bandon Grove — Walkability: 10/100 Main Creek — Walkability: 5/100
Safety 20 / 75
Bandon Grove — Safety: 20/100 Main Creek — Safety: 75/100
Low fire risk 46 / 40
Bandon Grove — Low fire risk: 46/100 Main Creek — Low fire risk: 40/100

Demographics

Bandon Grove has more residents (135 vs 95); Bandon Grove has higher household incomes ($84,448 vs $72,748).

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Population 135
+30% vs other
 95
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +13.4% +8.0%
Median age 51 57
Median household income $84,448/yr
+14% vs other
 $72,748/yr
Median weekly rent $272/wk $270/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bandon Grove Main Creek
0-4 3.7% / —
Bandon Grove — 0-4: 3.7% Main Creek — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 14.1% / 5.3%
Bandon Grove — 5-14: 14.1% Main Creek — 5-14: 5.3%
15-19 2.2% / 7.4%
Bandon Grove — 15-19: 2.2% Main Creek — 15-19: 7.4%
20-24 4.4% / 4.2%
Bandon Grove — 20-24: 4.4% Main Creek — 20-24: 4.2%
25-34 5.9% / 4.2%
Bandon Grove — 25-34: 5.9% Main Creek — 25-34: 4.2%
35-44 9.6% / 8.4%
Bandon Grove — 35-44: 9.6% Main Creek — 35-44: 8.4%
45-54 14.8% / 12.6%
Bandon Grove — 45-54: 14.8% Main Creek — 45-54: 12.6%
55-64 16.3% / 31.6%
Bandon Grove — 55-64: 16.3% Main Creek — 55-64: 31.6%
65-74 17.8% / 15.8%
Bandon Grove — 65-74: 17.8% Main Creek — 65-74: 15.8%
75-84 8.9% / 9.5%
Bandon Grove — 75-84: 8.9% Main Creek — 75-84: 9.5%
85+ 3.0% / —
Bandon Grove — 85+: 3.0% Main Creek — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (31.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bandon Grove 65.2% couple families
Bandon Grove — Couple Families: 65.2% Bandon Grove — Lone Person: 34.8% Bandon Grove — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Main Creek 38.1% couple families
Main Creek — Couple Families: 38.1% Main Creek — Lone Person: 42.9% Main Creek — One Parent Families: 19.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bandon Grove 20.0% renting
Bandon Grove — Owned Outright: 51.1% Bandon Grove — Mortgage: 28.9% Bandon Grove — Renting: 20.0%
Main Creek 22.2% renting
Main Creek — Owned Outright: 58.3% Main Creek — Mortgage: 19.4% Main Creek — Renting: 22.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Bandon Grove Main Creek
England 4.4% / 4.2%
Bandon Grove — England: 4.4% Main Creek — England: 4.2%
New Zealand — / 6.3%
Bandon Grove — New Zealand: not among its largest Main Creek — New Zealand: 6.3%
France — / 4.2%
Bandon Grove — France: not among its largest Main Creek — France: 4.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.3%).

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Certificate III & IV 19.3% / 8.4%
Bandon Grove — Certificate III & IV: 19.3% Main Creek — Certificate III & IV: 8.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.9% / 10.5%
Bandon Grove — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.9% Main Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.5%
Bachelor Degree 6.7% / 9.5%
Bandon Grove — Bachelor Degree: 6.7% Main Creek — Bachelor Degree: 9.5%
Postgraduate Degree 2.2% / 5.3%
Bandon Grove — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2% Main Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.0% / —
Bandon Grove — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0% Main Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bandon Grove 97.6% houses
Bandon Grove — Houses: 97.6% Bandon Grove — Flats / Apartments: 2.4%
Main Creek 100.0% houses
Main Creek — Houses: 100.0% Main Creek — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Median house price — $460,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $6,000 $1,020,000

Zoning mix

Bandon Grove has more rural and farming land (86% vs 68%); Main Creek has more land zoned for conservation (31% vs 12%).

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Rural and farming 86% 68%
Environmental 12% 31%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 0%
Parks and recreation 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

Bandon Grove Main Creek
New dwellings approved 55
across Dungog
same for both
Approvals change year on year -23%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Bandon Grove Main Creek
House price — Higher than 14% of NSW
Income Higher than 51% of NSW Higher than 39% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 56% of NSW Higher than 48% of NSW
Affordability — Higher than 88% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 61% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 33% of NSW Higher than 37% of NSW

Liveability

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Bandon Grove carries more crime risk (80 vs 25).

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Bushfire Moderate
54/100
 Moderate
60/100
Crime High
80/100
 Low
25/100
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

Bandon Grove Main Creek
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

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Parks & reserves 0 3
Waterways 22 12

Mobility

Bandon Grove sits further from the CBD (231.7 km vs 227.5 km).

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Walkability score 10/100 5/100
Distance to Sydney 231.7 km
+2% vs other
 227.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 180 min
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2420
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 52
postcode 2420
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.

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Car (driver) 64.9% / 70.4%
Bandon Grove — Car (driver): 64.9% Main Creek — Car (driver): 70.4%
Worked from Home 35.1% / 29.6%
Bandon Grove — Worked from Home: 35.1% Main Creek — Worked from Home: 29.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.4%).

Setting

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Elevation 108 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 221 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 49.5 km 41.8 km

NBN connectivity

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Connectivity score 24/100 26/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
68 premises
 0%
58 premises

Climate

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Annual rainfall 1,327 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Average residential rate $1,646/yr
same for both
Council Dungog
same for both

Federal electorate

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Division Lyne
same for both
Member Alison Penfold
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bandon Grove Main Creek
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bandon Grove

Affordable Retirees River Rural

Main Creek

Affordable Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bandon Grove

Bandon Grove vs Bendolba Bandon Grove vs Fosterton

Other comparisons with Main Creek

Main Creek vs Monkerai Main Creek vs Fosterton
Full data on Bandon Grove Full data on Main Creek
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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.

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