Bellbrook vs Hickeys Creek

Bellbrook is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 58 in Hickeys Creek. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bellbrook, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Hickeys Creek: a median of $750,000, against $483,000 in Bellbrook, though rent is higher in Bellbrook. On these figures, Bellbrook tends to suit people living alone, families with children, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Hickeys Creek suits 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Bellbrook has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • Hickeys Creek carries lower crime risk (45/100 vs 87/100)

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

First-home buyers

Bellbrook

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($483,000 vs $750,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Hickeys Creek

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 23%)
  • has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $200/wk)
  • But Bellbrook has a bigger rental market to choose from (24% vs 9%)

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

Commuting to the city

Hickeys Creek

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (315 min vs 366 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (458.7 km vs 484.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Hickeys Creek

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (45/100 vs 87/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (32% vs 23%)

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

Investors

Bellbrook

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (24.2% vs 0.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Bellbrook and Hickeys 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.

Bellbrook Hickeys 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.

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Walkability 0 / 10
Bellbrook — Walkability: 0/100 Hickeys Creek — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 13 / 55
Bellbrook — Safety: 13/100 Hickeys Creek — Safety: 55/100
Low fire risk 21 / 8
Bellbrook — Low fire risk: 21/100 Hickeys Creek — Low fire risk: 8/100

Demographics

Bellbrook has more residents (339 vs 128); Bellbrook rents higher ($200/wk vs $150/wk).

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Population 339
+62% vs other
 128
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +24.2% +0.8%
Median age 49 58
Median household income $44,616/yr $58,500/yr
+31% vs other
Median weekly rent $200/wk
+25% vs other
 $150/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
0-4 4.7% / 5.5%
Bellbrook — 0-4: 4.7% Hickeys Creek — 0-4: 5.5%
5-14 15.0% / 2.3%
Bellbrook — 5-14: 15.0% Hickeys Creek — 5-14: 2.3%
15-19 5.6% / 2.3%
Bellbrook — 15-19: 5.6% Hickeys Creek — 15-19: 2.3%
20-24 4.1% / 2.3%
Bellbrook — 20-24: 4.1% Hickeys Creek — 20-24: 2.3%
25-34 9.1% / 6.2%
Bellbrook — 25-34: 9.1% Hickeys Creek — 25-34: 6.2%
35-44 5.3% / 10.2%
Bellbrook — 35-44: 5.3% Hickeys Creek — 35-44: 10.2%
45-54 15.3% / 13.3%
Bellbrook — 45-54: 15.3% Hickeys Creek — 45-54: 13.3%
55-64 18.9% / 21.9%
Bellbrook — 55-64: 18.9% Hickeys Creek — 55-64: 21.9%
65-74 13.9% / 21.9%
Bellbrook — 65-74: 13.9% Hickeys Creek — 65-74: 21.9%
75-84 6.2% / 10.2%
Bellbrook — 75-84: 6.2% Hickeys Creek — 75-84: 10.2%
85+ 2.7% / —
Bellbrook — 85+: 2.7% Hickeys Creek — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bellbrook 49.4% lone person
Bellbrook — Lone Person: 49.4% Bellbrook — Couple Families: 22.2% Bellbrook — One Parent Families: 23.5% Bellbrook — Group Household: 4.9%
Hickeys Creek 39.5% lone person
Hickeys Creek — Lone Person: 39.5% Hickeys Creek — Couple Families: 32.6% Hickeys Creek — One Parent Families: 20.9% Hickeys Creek — Group Household: 7.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bellbrook 24.5% renting
Bellbrook — Owned Outright: 62.7% Bellbrook — Mortgage: 12.7% Bellbrook — Renting: 24.5%
Hickeys Creek 9.4% renting
Hickeys Creek — Owned Outright: 64.2% Hickeys Creek — Mortgage: 26.4% Hickeys Creek — Renting: 9.4%
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.

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
England 2.7% / 3.9%
Bellbrook — England: 2.7% Hickeys Creek — England: 3.9%
Canada — / 2.3%
Bellbrook — Canada: not among its largest Hickeys Creek — Canada: 2.3%
Fiji 1.8% / —
Bellbrook — Fiji: 1.8% Hickeys Creek — Fiji: not among its largest
Netherlands 0.9% / —
Bellbrook — Netherlands: 0.9% Hickeys Creek — Netherlands: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.9%).

Qualifications

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

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Certificate III & IV 10.6% / 27.3%
Bellbrook — Certificate III & IV: 10.6% Hickeys Creek — Certificate III & IV: 27.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.5% / 6.2%
Bellbrook — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.5% Hickeys Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.2%
Bachelor Degree 7.1% / 5.5%
Bellbrook — Bachelor Degree: 7.1% Hickeys Creek — Bachelor Degree: 5.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.9% / 3.9%
Bellbrook — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9% Hickeys Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.9%
Postgraduate Degree 1.2% / —
Bellbrook — Postgraduate Degree: 1.2% Hickeys Creek — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bellbrook 94.2% houses
Bellbrook — Houses: 94.2% Bellbrook — Flats / Apartments: 2.5% Bellbrook — Townhouses: 3.3%
Hickeys Creek 94.9% houses
Hickeys Creek — Houses: 94.9% Hickeys Creek — Flats / Apartments: 5.1% Hickeys Creek — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Median house price $483,000 $750,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $312,500 —

Zoning mix

Bellbrook has more land zoned for conservation (35% vs 5%); Hickeys Creek has more rural and farming land (95% vs 65%).

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Rural and farming 65% 95%
Environmental 35% 5%
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

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
New dwellings approved 144
across Kempsey
same for both
Approvals change year on year +380%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
House price Higher than 14% of NSW Higher than 33% of NSW
Income Higher than 7% of NSW Higher than 19% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 14% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 58% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 7% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 8% of NSW Higher than 28% of NSW

Liveability

Hickeys Creek is more walkable (10 vs 0).

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Bellbrook carries more crime risk (87 vs 45); Hickeys Creek carries more bushfire risk (92 vs 79).

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Bushfire High
79/100
 High
92/100
Crime High
87/100
 Moderate
45/100
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

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Bellbrook

  • Bellbrook Public School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Hickeys Creek

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Parks & reserves 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Waterways 105 9

Mobility

Bellbrook sits further from the CBD (484.9 km vs 458.7 km).

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Walkability score 0/100 10/100
Distance to Sydney 484.9 km
+5% vs other
 458.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 366 min 315 min
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 2440
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 53
postcode 2440
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.

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Car (driver) 50.5% / 77.4%
Bellbrook — Car (driver): 50.5% Hickeys Creek — Car (driver): 77.4%
Worked from Home 36.9% / 12.9%
Bellbrook — Worked from Home: 36.9% Hickeys Creek — Worked from Home: 12.9%
Car (passenger) 3.9% / 9.7%
Bellbrook — Car (passenger): 3.9% Hickeys Creek — Car (passenger): 9.7%
Walked Only 8.7% / —
Bellbrook — Walked Only: 8.7% Hickeys Creek — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.4%).

Setting

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Elevation 245 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 95 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 48.2 km 38.7 km

NBN connectivity

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Connectivity score 15/100 19/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
100 premises
 0%
51 premises

Council rates

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Average residential rate $1,447/yr
same for both
Council Kempsey
same for both

Federal electorate

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Division Cowper
same for both
Member Pat Conaghan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bellbrook Hickeys Creek
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bellbrook

Rural

Hickeys Creek

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bellbrook

Bellbrook vs Millbank

Other comparisons with Hickeys Creek

Hickeys Creek vs Willawarrin Hickeys Creek vs Mungay Creek Hickeys Creek vs Millbank
Full data on Bellbrook Full data on Hickeys 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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