Bobs Creek vs Herons Creek
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Bobs Creek: a median of $1.71 million, against $852,000 in Herons Creek, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Herons Creek 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
Bobs Creek
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 73/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 63%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Herons Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($852,500 vs $1,710,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Herons Creek
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($360/wk vs $550/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (28% vs 36%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Bobs Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (364.7 km vs 366.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Bobs Creek
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 73/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (27% vs 20%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Bobs Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (36.8% vs -0.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bobs Creek and Herons 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.
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
Herons Creek has more residents (246 vs 119); Bobs Creek rents higher ($550/wk vs $360/wk).
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 119 | 246 +107% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +36.8% | -0.4% |
| Median age | 46 same for both | |
| Median household income | $79,612/yr +17% vs other | $65,832/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $550/wk +35% vs other | $360/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (21.8%).
Property market
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,710,000 | $852,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Bobs Creek has more land zoned for conservation (21% vs 0%); Herons Creek has more rural and farming land (96% vs 79%).
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 79% | 96% |
| Environmental | 21% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 2% |
| 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
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 546 across Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +33% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 80% of NSW | Higher than 39% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 47% of NSW | Higher than 28% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 44% of NSW | Higher than 4% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 14% of NSW | Higher than 44% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 38% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 31% of NSW | Higher than 25% of NSW |
Liveability
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Herons Creek carries more crime risk (73 vs 35); Herons Creek carries more bushfire risk (54 vs 40).
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 40/100 | Moderate 54/100 |
| Crime | Low 35/100 | High 73/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Bobs Creek
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Herons Creek
- Herons Creek Public School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 2 | 25 |
Mobility
Herons Creek sits further from the CBD (366.9 km vs 364.7 km).
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 364.7 km | 366.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 248 min | 249 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2439 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 86 postcode 2439 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 (77.8%).
Setting
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 13 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 23 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 8.1 km | 11.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 21/100 | 17/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 34 premises | 0% 51 premises |
Climate
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,331 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.1 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 11.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.92 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,325/yr same for both | |
| Council | Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bobs Creek | Herons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Bobs Creek
Other comparisons with Herons Creek
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.