Black Springs vs Porters Retreat
Black Springs is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 53 in Porters Retreat. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Black Springs, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Black Springs tends to suit families with children and 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
Black Springs
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (67% vs 29%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Black Springs
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (11% vs 35%)
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $590/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Black Springs
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (226.9 km vs 243 km)
- has a shorter drive in (205 min vs 218 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Black Springs is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- Porters Retreat has more residents already 65 and over (33% vs 27%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Porters Retreat
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (6.7% vs 0.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Black Springs and Porters Retreat 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 Springs has more residents (227 vs 64); Porters Retreat rents higher ($590/wk vs $200/wk).
| Black Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 227 +72% vs other | 64 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.9% | +6.7% |
| Median age | 46 | 53 |
| Median household income | $92,248/yr +5% vs other | $87,724/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $590/wk +195% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).
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 (9.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.7%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Black Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $178,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Black Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% same for both | |
| 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 Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 21 across Oberon same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -33% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Black Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 3% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 59% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 98% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 28% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 27% of NSW | Higher than 6% of NSW |
Liveability
Black Springs is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Black Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Black Springs carries more bushfire risk (35 vs 22).
| Black Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 35/100 | Low 22/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 52/100 | Moderate 43/100 |
| 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 Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Black Springs
- Black Springs Public School Government · Primary
Schools in Porters Retreat
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Black Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 29 | 20 |
Mobility
Porters Retreat sits further from the CBD (243 km vs 226.9 km).
| Black Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 226.9 km | 243 km +7% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 205 min | 218 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 2787 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 44 postcode 2787 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 (86.4%).
Setting
| Black Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,202 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 1,010 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Black Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 18/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 84 premises | 0% 24 premises |
Climate
| Black Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 738 mm | 969 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Black Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $975/yr same for both | |
| Council | Oberon same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Black Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Black Springs | Porters Retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Springs
Other comparisons with Porters Retreat
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.