Barkers Vale vs Upper Horseshoe Creek

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Upper Horseshoe Creek, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Upper Horseshoe Creek: a median of $845,000, against $580,000 in Barkers Vale, though rent is higher in Barkers Vale. On these figures, Barkers Vale tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget, while Upper Horseshoe Creek suits couples.

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

Upper Horseshoe Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 55/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Barkers Vale has cheaper houses ($580,000 vs $845,000)
  • Upper Horseshoe Creek leaves households under less mortgage stress (27% vs 36%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Upper Horseshoe Creek

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (21% vs 33%)
  • has cheaper rent ($220/wk vs $260/wk)
  • But Barkers Vale has a bigger rental market to choose from (19% vs 8%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Barkers Vale

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (533 min vs 538 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (779 km vs 782.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Barkers Vale

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 19%)
  • But Upper Horseshoe Creek carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 55/100)

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

Investors

Barkers Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (18.8% vs -4.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Barkers Vale and Upper Horseshoe 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.

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe 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.

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Walkability 14 / 0
Barkers Vale — Walkability: 14/100 Upper Horseshoe Creek — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 45 / 83
Barkers Vale — Safety: 45/100 Upper Horseshoe Creek — Safety: 83/100
Low fire risk 53 / 50
Barkers Vale — Low fire risk: 53/100 Upper Horseshoe Creek — Low fire risk: 50/100

Demographics

Barkers Vale has more residents (196 vs 118); Upper Horseshoe Creek has higher household incomes ($55,224 vs $40,768).

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Population 196
+40% vs other
 118
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +18.8% -4.8%
Median age 50 52
Median household income $40,768/yr $55,224/yr
+35% vs other
Median weekly rent $260/wk
+15% vs other
 $220/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
0-4 4.6% / 6.8%
Barkers Vale — 0-4: 4.6% Upper Horseshoe Creek — 0-4: 6.8%
5-14 13.8% / 5.9%
Barkers Vale — 5-14: 13.8% Upper Horseshoe Creek — 5-14: 5.9%
15-19 2.6% / 3.4%
Barkers Vale — 15-19: 2.6% Upper Horseshoe Creek — 15-19: 3.4%
20-24 — / 3.4%
Barkers Vale — 20-24: not among its largest Upper Horseshoe Creek — 20-24: 3.4%
25-34 6.6% / 5.9%
Barkers Vale — 25-34: 6.6% Upper Horseshoe Creek — 25-34: 5.9%
35-44 8.2% / 13.6%
Barkers Vale — 35-44: 8.2% Upper Horseshoe Creek — 35-44: 13.6%
45-54 14.3% / 14.4%
Barkers Vale — 45-54: 14.3% Upper Horseshoe Creek — 45-54: 14.4%
55-64 18.4% / 24.6%
Barkers Vale — 55-64: 18.4% Upper Horseshoe Creek — 55-64: 24.6%
65-74 21.9% / 16.1%
Barkers Vale — 65-74: 21.9% Upper Horseshoe Creek — 65-74: 16.1%
75-84 4.6% / —
Barkers Vale — 75-84: 4.6% Upper Horseshoe Creek — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ — / 2.5%
Barkers Vale — 85+: not among its largest Upper Horseshoe Creek — 85+: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Barkers Vale 38.5% couple families
Barkers Vale — Couple Families: 38.5% Barkers Vale — Lone Person: 36.5% Barkers Vale — One Parent Families: 17.3% Barkers Vale — Group Household: 7.7%
Upper Horseshoe Creek 51.9% couple families
Upper Horseshoe Creek — Couple Families: 51.9% Upper Horseshoe Creek — Lone Person: 37.0% Upper Horseshoe Creek — One Parent Families: 11.1% Upper Horseshoe Creek — Group Household: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Barkers Vale 18.8% renting
Barkers Vale — Owned Outright: 68.8% Barkers Vale — Mortgage: 12.5% Barkers Vale — Renting: 18.8%
Upper Horseshoe Creek 8.3% renting
Upper Horseshoe Creek — Owned Outright: 66.7% Upper Horseshoe Creek — Mortgage: 25.0% Upper Horseshoe Creek — Renting: 8.3%
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.

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
England 5.6% / 3.4%
Barkers Vale — England: 5.6% Upper Horseshoe Creek — England: 3.4%
South Africa 2.0% / 2.5%
Barkers Vale — South Africa: 2.0% Upper Horseshoe Creek — South Africa: 2.5%
Canada 2.6% / —
Barkers Vale — Canada: 2.6% Upper Horseshoe Creek — Canada: not among its largest
New Zealand 1.5% / —
Barkers Vale — New Zealand: 1.5% Upper Horseshoe Creek — New Zealand: not among its largest
Germany 1.5% / —
Barkers Vale — Germany: 1.5% Upper Horseshoe Creek — Germany: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.6%).

Qualifications

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

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Certificate III & IV 13.8% / 15.3%
Barkers Vale — Certificate III & IV: 13.8% Upper Horseshoe Creek — Certificate III & IV: 15.3%
Bachelor Degree 15.8% / 12.7%
Barkers Vale — Bachelor Degree: 15.8% Upper Horseshoe Creek — Bachelor Degree: 12.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 5.1%
Barkers Vale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Upper Horseshoe Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 6.8%
Barkers Vale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Upper Horseshoe Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 6.8%
Postgraduate Degree 5.6% / —
Barkers Vale — Postgraduate Degree: 5.6% Upper Horseshoe Creek — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Barkers Vale 98.6% houses
Barkers Vale — Houses: 98.6% Barkers Vale — Flats / Apartments: 1.4%
Upper Horseshoe Creek 95.1% houses
Upper Horseshoe Creek — Houses: 95.1% Upper Horseshoe Creek — Flats / Apartments: 4.9%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Median house price $580,000 $845,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Upper Horseshoe Creek has more land zoned for conservation (58% vs 1%); Barkers Vale has more rural and farming land (99% vs 42%).

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Rural and farming 99% 42%
Environmental 1% 58%
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

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
New dwellings approved 25
across Kyogle
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
House price Higher than 19% of NSW Higher than 38% of NSW
Income Higher than 5% of NSW Higher than 15% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 64% of NSW Higher than 22% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 37% of NSW Higher than 32% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 11% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 29% of NSW Higher than 34% of NSW

Liveability

Barkers Vale is more walkable (14 vs 0).

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Barkers Vale carries more crime risk (55 vs 17).

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Bushfire Moderate
47/100
 Moderate
50/100
Crime Moderate
55/100
 Low
17/100
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

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe 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

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Waterways 12 4

Mobility

Upper Horseshoe Creek sits further from the CBD (782.9 km vs 779 km).

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Walkability score 14/100 0/100
Distance to Sydney 779 km 782.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 533 min 538 min
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 2474
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 71
postcode 2474
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.

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Car (driver) 56.9% / 91.4%
Barkers Vale — Car (driver): 56.9% Upper Horseshoe Creek — Car (driver): 91.4%
Worked from Home 23.5% / 8.6%
Barkers Vale — Worked from Home: 23.5% Upper Horseshoe Creek — Worked from Home: 8.6%
Walked Only 19.6% / —
Barkers Vale — Walked Only: 19.6% Upper Horseshoe Creek — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (91.4%).

Setting

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Elevation 194 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 276 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 42.4 km 43.3 km

NBN connectivity

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Connectivity score 19/100 24/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
69 premises
 0%
38 premises

Climate

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Annual rainfall 1,569 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.1°C
same for both

Council rates

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Average residential rate $1,264/yr
same for both
Council Kyogle
same for both

Federal electorate

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Division Page
same for both
Member Kevin Hogan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Barkers Vale Upper Horseshoe Creek
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Barkers Vale

Affordable Retirees Rural

Upper Horseshoe Creek

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Barkers Vale

Barkers Vale vs Mount Burrell Barkers Vale vs Lillian Rock Barkers Vale vs Cawongla Barkers Vale vs Wadeville Barkers Vale vs Homeleigh

Other comparisons with Upper Horseshoe Creek

Upper Horseshoe Creek vs Green Pigeon Upper Horseshoe Creek vs Homeleigh Upper Horseshoe Creek vs Horseshoe Creek
Full data on Barkers Vale Full data on Upper Horseshoe Creek
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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