Bonny Hills vs Lake Cathie

Comparing Bonny Hills and Lake Cathie, NSW: Lake Cathie carries more crime risk (41 vs 26); Lake Cathie has more residents (4,296 vs 3,045); and Bonny Hills scores higher overall (33 vs 27).

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

Lake Cathie

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (4 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (9 vs 3)
  • But Bonny Hills carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 41/100)

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

First-home buyers

Lake Cathie

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper land ($630,000 vs $1,300,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Lake Cathie

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($380/wk vs $445/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Bonny Hills

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 41/100)

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

Investors

Lake Cathie

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (23.0% vs 2.5%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (3.3% vs 2.8%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
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.

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Walkability 5 / 10
Bonny Hills — Walkability: 5/100 Lake Cathie — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 74 / 59
Bonny Hills — Safety: 74/100 Lake Cathie — Safety: 59/100
Low fire risk 28 / 23
Bonny Hills — Low fire risk: 28/100 Lake Cathie — Low fire risk: 23/100

Demographics

Lake Cathie has more residents (4,296 vs 3,045); Bonny Hills rents higher ($445/wk vs $380/wk).

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Population 3,045 4,296
+41% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +2.5% +23.0%
Median age 51 52
Median household income $73,892/yr
+10% vs other
 $66,300/yr
Median weekly rent $445/wk
+15% vs other
 $380/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
0-4 3.5% / 4.1%
Bonny Hills — 0-4: 3.5% Lake Cathie — 0-4: 4.1%
5-14 11.2% / 12.3%
Bonny Hills — 5-14: 11.2% Lake Cathie — 5-14: 12.3%
15-19 6.8% / 5.3%
Bonny Hills — 15-19: 6.8% Lake Cathie — 15-19: 5.3%
20-24 4.0% / 3.6%
Bonny Hills — 20-24: 4.0% Lake Cathie — 20-24: 3.6%
25-34 5.7% / 6.3%
Bonny Hills — 25-34: 5.7% Lake Cathie — 25-34: 6.3%
35-44 9.8% / 9.4%
Bonny Hills — 35-44: 9.8% Lake Cathie — 35-44: 9.4%
45-54 14.5% / 12.5%
Bonny Hills — 45-54: 14.5% Lake Cathie — 45-54: 12.5%
55-64 16.0% / 15.1%
Bonny Hills — 55-64: 16.0% Lake Cathie — 55-64: 15.1%
65-74 16.2% / 19.0%
Bonny Hills — 65-74: 16.2% Lake Cathie — 65-74: 19.0%
75-84 10.2% / 10.6%
Bonny Hills — 75-84: 10.2% Lake Cathie — 75-84: 10.6%
85+ 2.2% / 1.9%
Bonny Hills — 85+: 2.2% Lake Cathie — 85+: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bonny Hills 44.2% couple families
Bonny Hills — Couple Families: 44.2% Bonny Hills — Lone Person: 33.8% Bonny Hills — One Parent Families: 16.2% Bonny Hills — Group Household: 4.7% Bonny Hills — Other Families: 1.1%
Lake Cathie 41.0% couple families
Lake Cathie — Couple Families: 41.0% Lake Cathie — Lone Person: 38.9% Lake Cathie — One Parent Families: 16.9% Lake Cathie — Group Household: 1.8% Lake Cathie — Other Families: 1.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bonny Hills 17.2% renting
Bonny Hills — Owned Outright: 51.6% Bonny Hills — Mortgage: 31.2% Bonny Hills — Renting: 17.2%
Lake Cathie 17.7% renting
Lake Cathie — Owned Outright: 54.0% Lake Cathie — Mortgage: 28.3% Lake Cathie — Renting: 17.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Certificate III & IV 19.7% / 21.3%
Bonny Hills — Certificate III & IV: 19.7% Lake Cathie — Certificate III & IV: 21.3%
Bachelor Degree 11.3% / 9.9%
Bonny Hills — Bachelor Degree: 11.3% Lake Cathie — Bachelor Degree: 9.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.7% / 8.8%
Bonny Hills — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.7% Lake Cathie — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8%
Postgraduate Degree 3.1% / 2.1%
Bonny Hills — Postgraduate Degree: 3.1% Lake Cathie — Postgraduate Degree: 2.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.2% / 1.6%
Bonny Hills — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.2% Lake Cathie — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.3%).

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.

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
England 3.9% / 4.4%
Bonny Hills — England: 3.9% Lake Cathie — England: 4.4%
New Zealand 0.7% / 1.4%
Bonny Hills — New Zealand: 0.7% Lake Cathie — New Zealand: 1.4%
Scotland 0.5% / 0.6%
Bonny Hills — Scotland: 0.5% Lake Cathie — Scotland: 0.6%
Netherlands 0.5% / 0.3%
Bonny Hills — Netherlands: 0.5% Lake Cathie — Netherlands: 0.3%
Germany 0.3% / 0.4%
Bonny Hills — Germany: 0.3% Lake Cathie — Germany: 0.4%
South Africa 0.5% / —
Bonny Hills — South Africa: 0.5% Lake Cathie — South Africa: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bonny Hills 97.6% houses
Bonny Hills — Houses: 97.6% Bonny Hills — Townhouses: 1.2% Bonny Hills — Flats / Apartments: 1.2%
Lake Cathie 91.0% houses
Lake Cathie — Houses: 91.0% Lake Cathie — Townhouses: 5.4% Lake Cathie — Flats / Apartments: 3.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Median house price $995,000 $965,000
Median unit price $852,500 —
Median land price $1,300,000 $630,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 50 days
from 16 sales
 47 days
from 55 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
3 bed $910K / $888K
Bonny Hills — 3 bed: $910K (17 sales) Lake Cathie — 3 bed: $888K (36 sales)

17 vs 36 sales

4 bed $1.29M / $1.05M
Bonny Hills — 4 bed: $1.29M (17 sales) Lake Cathie — 4 bed: $1.05M (44 sales)

17 vs 44 sales

Zoning mix

Bonny Hills has more rural and farming land (59% vs 15%); Lake Cathie has more land zoned for conservation (53% vs 28%).

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Rural and farming 59% 15%
Environmental 28% 53%
Residential 11% 29%
Parks and recreation 1% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 0%
Planning zones cover 100% of Bonny Hills and 99% of Lake Cathie. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve.
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

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
New dwellings approved 546
across Port Macquarie-Hastings
same for both
Approvals change year on year +33%
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.

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Houses 2.8%
$725/wk on $1.35M
 3.3%
$700/wk on $1.1M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
House price Higher than 48% of NSW Higher than 44% of NSW
Income Higher than 41% of NSW Higher than 28% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 48% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 45% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 48% of NSW Higher than 47% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 74% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 14% of NSW Higher than 34% of NSW

Liveability

Bonny Hills scores higher overall (33 vs 27).

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Grade C D
Score 33/100 27/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Lake Cathie carries more crime risk (41 vs 26).

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Bushfire High
72/100
 High
77/100
Crime Low
26/100
 Moderate
41/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
44/100
 Moderate
56/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Bonny Hills

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

Schools in Lake Cathie

  • Lake Cathie Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 4 3
Parks & reserves 3 9
Childcare 0 4
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 1 2
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 1
same for both
Beaches 1
same for both
Waterways 7 5

Mobility

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Walkability score 5/100 10/100
Distance to Sydney 378.5 km 379.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 261 min
same for both
Public transport score 37/100
Bus
 39/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 11.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 11.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2445
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 71
postcode 2445
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.

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Car (driver) 78.6% / 77.8%
Bonny Hills — Car (driver): 78.6% Lake Cathie — Car (driver): 77.8%
Worked from Home 13.9% / 15.0%
Bonny Hills — Worked from Home: 13.9% Lake Cathie — Worked from Home: 15.0%
Car (passenger) 4.4% / 4.5%
Bonny Hills — Car (passenger): 4.4% Lake Cathie — Car (passenger): 4.5%
Walked Only 2.2% / 1.6%
Bonny Hills — Walked Only: 2.2% Lake Cathie — Walked Only: 1.6%
Bus 0.9% / 0.8%
Bonny Hills — Bus: 0.9% Lake Cathie — Bus: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.6%).

Setting

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Elevation 25 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 9 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.9 km
2.0 km to a named beach
 2.1 km
3.5 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Connectivity score 66/100 77/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 38%
1,394 premises
 57%
2,542 premises

Air quality (annual mean)

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
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

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Average residential rate $1,325/yr
same for both
Council Port Macquarie-Hastings
same for both

Federal electorate

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Division Lyne
same for both
Member Alison Penfold
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bonny Hills Lake Cathie
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bonny Hills

Acreage Coastal Retirees

Lake Cathie

Acreage Coastal Retirees
Full data on Bonny Hills Full data on Lake Cathie
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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