Black Range vs Buckajo
Black Range is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 49 in Buckajo. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Black Range, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Buckajo: a median of $1.17 million, against $985,000 in Black Range, though rent is higher in Black Range. On these figures, Black Range 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
Black Range
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (71% vs 57%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Black Range
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 27%)
- has cheaper houses ($985,000 vs $1,172,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Buckajo
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($270/wk vs $380/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Buckajo
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (340 min vs 356 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (495.5 km vs 514.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Black Range and Buckajo 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
Black Range rents higher ($380/wk vs $270/wk); Buckajo has more residents (322 vs 230).
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 230 | 322 +40% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +13.9% | +9.2% |
| Median age | 42 | 49 |
| Median household income | $84,500/yr +10% vs other | $76,024/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $380/wk +29% vs other | $270/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).
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 (2.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $985,000 | $1,172,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Buckajo has more rural and farming land (100% vs 7%); Black Range has more land zoned for conservation (82% vs 0%).
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 7% | 100% |
| Environmental | 82% | 0% |
| Residential | 11% | 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
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 109 across Bega Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -32% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 50% of NSW | Higher than 61% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 53% of NSW | Higher than 44% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 20% of NSW | Higher than 49% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 53% of NSW | Higher than 32% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 69% of NSW | Higher than 70% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 55% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
Liveability
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 62/100 | Moderate 68/100 |
| Crime | Low 19/100 | Low 16/100 |
| 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
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 2 | 6 |
Mobility
Black Range sits further from the CBD (514.2 km vs 495.5 km).
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 514.2 km +4% vs other | 495.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 356 min | 340 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2550 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 61 postcode 2550 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 (85.3%).
Setting
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 270 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 189 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 11.6 km | 19.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 82 premises | 0% 145 premises |
Climate
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 768 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,767/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bega Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Eden-monaro same for both | |
| Member | Kristy Mcbain same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Black Range | Buckajo | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Black Range
Other comparisons with Buckajo
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.