Bellbrook vs Millbank
Bellbrook is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 59 in Millbank. 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. In Millbank, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Millbank: a median of $600,000, against $483,000 in Bellbrook, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Bellbrook tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Bellbrook
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (46% vs 37%)
- But Millbank carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 87/100)
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
- Bellbrook has cheaper houses ($483,000 vs $600,000)
- Millbank leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 27%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Bellbrook
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (24% vs 8%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (23% vs 32%)
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $250/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Millbank
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (344 min vs 366 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (474.9 km vs 484.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Millbank
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 87/100)
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 -8.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bellbrook and Millbank 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
Bellbrook has more residents (339 vs 113); Millbank rents higher ($250/wk vs $200/wk).
| Bellbrook | Millbank | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 339 +67% vs other | 113 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +24.2% | -8.9% |
| Median age | 49 | 59 |
| Median household income | $44,616/yr +10% vs other | $40,248/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $250/wk +25% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.1%).
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 (3.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Bellbrook | Millbank | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $483,000 | $600,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $312,500 | — |
Zoning mix
| Bellbrook | Millbank | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 65% | 57% |
| Environmental | 35% | 43% |
| 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 | Millbank | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 144 across Kempsey same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +380% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bellbrook | Millbank | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 14% of NSW | Higher than 20% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 7% of NSW | Higher than 4% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 14% of NSW | Higher than 24% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 58% of NSW | Higher than 35% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 7% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 8% of NSW | Higher than 13% of NSW |
Liveability
| Bellbrook | Millbank | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 48).
| Bellbrook | Millbank | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 79/100 | High 85/100 |
| Crime | High 87/100 | Moderate 48/100 |
| 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 | Millbank | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Millbank
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Bellbrook | Millbank | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 105 | 9 |
Mobility
Bellbrook sits further from the CBD (484.9 km vs 474.9 km).
| Bellbrook | Millbank | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 484.9 km +2% vs other | 474.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 366 min | 344 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.7%).
Setting
| Bellbrook | Millbank | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 245 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 140 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 48.2 km | 37.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Bellbrook | Millbank | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 100 premises | 0% 52 premises |
Council rates
| Bellbrook | Millbank | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,447/yr same for both | |
| Council | Kempsey same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bellbrook | Millbank | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper same for both | |
| Member | Pat Conaghan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bellbrook | Millbank | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Bellbrook
Millbank
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Bellbrook
Other comparisons with Millbank
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.