Bellingen vs Thora

Bellingen is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 49 in Thora. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Thora: a median of $960,000, against $858,000 in Bellingen, though rent is higher in Bellingen. On these figures, Bellingen tends to suit people living alone.

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

Bellingen

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (13 vs 1)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (5 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (3 vs 0)
  • But Thora carries lower crime risk (62/100 vs 78/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Bellingen has cheaper houses ($857,675 vs $960,000)
  • Thora has cheaper land ($3,520 vs $485,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Thora

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 31%)
  • has cheaper rent ($260/wk vs $390/wk)
  • But Bellingen has a bigger rental market to choose from (27% vs 16%)

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

Commuting to the city

Bellingen

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (76/100 vs 14/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (341 min vs 352 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (516.5 km vs 530.5 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Bellingen

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (76/100 vs 14/100)
  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • But Thora carries lower crime risk (62/100 vs 78/100)

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

Investors

Bellingen

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (3.8% vs -6.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Bellingen Thora
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.

Bellingen Thora
Walkability 76 / 14
Bellingen — Walkability: 76/100 Thora — Walkability: 14/100
Safety 22 / 38
Bellingen — Safety: 22/100 Thora — Safety: 38/100
Low fire risk 71 / 61
Bellingen — Low fire risk: 71/100 Thora — Low fire risk: 61/100

Demographics

Bellingen has more residents (3,923 vs 311); Bellingen rents higher ($390/wk vs $260/wk).

Bellingen Thora
Population 3,923
+92% vs other
 311
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.8% -6.3%
Median age 44 49
Median household income $65,936/yr $66,092/yr
Median weekly rent $390/wk
+33% vs other
 $260/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bellingen Thora
0-4 4.7% / 3.2%
Bellingen — 0-4: 4.7% Thora — 0-4: 3.2%
5-14 16.4% / 15.1%
Bellingen — 5-14: 16.4% Thora — 5-14: 15.1%
15-19 7.0% / 5.5%
Bellingen — 15-19: 7.0% Thora — 15-19: 5.5%
20-24 2.9% / 3.5%
Bellingen — 20-24: 2.9% Thora — 20-24: 3.5%
25-34 7.5% / 8.7%
Bellingen — 25-34: 7.5% Thora — 25-34: 8.7%
35-44 11.4% / 9.0%
Bellingen — 35-44: 11.4% Thora — 35-44: 9.0%
45-54 14.4% / 8.4%
Bellingen — 45-54: 14.4% Thora — 45-54: 8.4%
55-64 13.8% / 21.2%
Bellingen — 55-64: 13.8% Thora — 55-64: 21.2%
65-74 12.4% / 17.4%
Bellingen — 65-74: 12.4% Thora — 65-74: 17.4%
75-84 6.9% / 4.2%
Bellingen — 75-84: 6.9% Thora — 75-84: 4.2%
85+ 2.5% / 1.3%
Bellingen — 85+: 2.5% Thora — 85+: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bellingen 32.6% couple families
Bellingen — Couple Families: 32.6% Bellingen — Lone Person: 38.1% Bellingen — One Parent Families: 22.2% Bellingen — Group Household: 5.8% Bellingen — Other Families: 1.2%
Thora 40.0% couple families
Thora — Couple Families: 40.0% Thora — Lone Person: 30.0% Thora — One Parent Families: 22.5% Thora — Group Household: 7.5% Thora — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bellingen 26.6% renting
Bellingen — Owned Outright: 40.0% Bellingen — Mortgage: 33.4% Bellingen — Renting: 26.6%
Thora 15.9% renting
Thora — Owned Outright: 64.5% Thora — Mortgage: 19.6% Thora — Renting: 15.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Bellingen Thora
Bachelor Degree 14.3% / 16.1%
Bellingen — Bachelor Degree: 14.3% Thora — Bachelor Degree: 16.1%
Certificate III & IV 13.5% / 13.5%
Bellingen — Certificate III & IV: 13.5% Thora — Certificate III & IV: 13.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.8% / 8.7%
Bellingen — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8% Thora — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7%
Postgraduate Degree 4.4% / 1.6%
Bellingen — Postgraduate Degree: 4.4% Thora — Postgraduate Degree: 1.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.1% / 2.6%
Bellingen — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1% Thora — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.1%).

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.

Bellingen Thora
England 5.3% / 2.9%
Bellingen — England: 5.3% Thora — England: 2.9%
New Zealand 1.8% / 1.0%
Bellingen — New Zealand: 1.8% Thora — New Zealand: 1.0%
Germany 0.9% / 1.6%
Bellingen — Germany: 0.9% Thora — Germany: 1.6%
Netherlands 0.7% / 1.0%
Bellingen — Netherlands: 0.7% Thora — Netherlands: 1.0%
South Africa 0.8% / —
Bellingen — South Africa: 0.8% Thora — South Africa: not among its largest
Scotland 0.7% / —
Bellingen — Scotland: 0.7% Thora — Scotland: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bellingen 93.2% houses
Bellingen — Houses: 93.2% Bellingen — Townhouses: 5.4% Bellingen — Flats / Apartments: 1.4%
Thora 100.0% houses
Thora — Houses: 100.0% Thora — Townhouses: 0.0% Thora — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Bellingen Thora
Median house price $857,675 $960,000
Median unit price $855,000 —
Median land price $485,000 $3,520
Typical days to sell (houses) 58 days
from 37 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Thora has more land zoned for conservation (43% vs 13%); Bellingen has more rural and farming land (71% vs 57%).

Bellingen Thora
Rural and farming 71% 57%
Environmental 13% 43%
Residential 13% 0%
Parks and recreation 2% 0%
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

Bellingen Thora
New dwellings approved 40
across Bellingen
same for both
Approvals change year on year +12%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Bellingen Thora
Houses 3.0%
$678/wk on $1.18M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Bellingen Thora
House price Higher than 38% of NSW Higher than 48% of NSW
Income Higher than 28% of NSW
same for both
Schools Higher than 4% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 90% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 45% of NSW Higher than 36% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 79% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of NSW Higher than 26% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 22% of NSW —

Liveability

Bellingen is more walkable (76 vs 14).

Bellingen Thora
Grade C —
Score 34/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Thora carries more bushfire risk (39 vs 29); Bellingen carries more crime risk (78 vs 62).

Bellingen Thora
Bushfire Low
29/100
 Low
39/100
Crime High
78/100
 Moderate
62/100
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

Bellingen Thora
Inside the suburb 5 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Bellingen

  • Bellingen High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • St Mary's Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Bellingen Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Chrysalis School for Rudolf Steiner Education - Bellingen Campus Independent · Primary
  • Chrysalis School for Rudolf Steiner Education Stage 5 Campus Independent · Secondary

Schools in Thora

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

Amenities in the suburb

Bellingen Thora
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 15 0
Parks & reserves 13 1
Childcare 3 0
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 1
Fuel stations 2 1
Waterways 39 23

Mobility

Thora sits further from the CBD (530.5 km vs 516.5 km).

Bellingen Thora
Walkability score 76/100 14/100
Distance to Sydney 516.5 km 530.5 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 341 min 352 min
Public transport score 62/100
Bus
 26/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 31.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 6.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 3 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 2454
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 70
postcode 2454
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.

Bellingen Thora
Car (driver) 62.6% / 59.5%
Bellingen — Car (driver): 62.6% Thora — Car (driver): 59.5%
Worked from Home 23.9% / 24.0%
Bellingen — Worked from Home: 23.9% Thora — Worked from Home: 24.0%
Walked Only 7.9% / 9.9%
Bellingen — Walked Only: 7.9% Thora — Walked Only: 9.9%
Car (passenger) 4.5% / 6.6%
Bellingen — Car (passenger): 4.5% Thora — Car (passenger): 6.6%
Bicycle 1.1% / —
Bellingen — Bicycle: 1.1% Thora — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (62.6%).

Setting

Bellingen Thora
Elevation 53 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 92 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 14.4 km 25.4 km

NBN connectivity

Bellingen Thora
Connectivity score 74/100 17/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 39%
1,944 premises
 0%
109 premises

Climate

Bellingen Thora
Annual rainfall 1,827 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Bellingen Thora
Average residential rate $1,592/yr
same for both
Council Bellingen
same for both

Federal electorate

Bellingen Thora
Division Cowper
same for both
Member Pat Conaghan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bellingen Thora
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bellingen

Acreage Parks Professionals Village Feel

Thora

River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bellingen

Bellingen vs Raleigh Bellingen vs Fernmount Bellingen vs Gleniffer Bellingen vs Brierfield Bellingen vs Kalang Bellingen vs Hydes Creek

Other comparisons with Thora

Thora vs Gleniffer Thora vs Kalang Thora vs Darkwood Thora vs Dorrigo Mountain
Full data on Bellingen Full data on Thora
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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