Bowraville vs South Arm

Bowraville is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 49 in South Arm. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in South Arm: a median of $1.66 million, against $535,000 in Bowraville, though rent is higher in Bowraville. On these figures, Bowraville 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

Bowraville

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Bowraville

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($535,000 vs $1,659,700)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

South Arm

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($178/wk vs $260/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 28%)

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

Commuting to the city

Bowraville

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (327 min vs 348 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (487.8 km vs 498.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Bowraville is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
  • South Arm has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 21%)

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

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

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

Bowraville South Arm
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.

Bowraville South Arm
Walkability 10 / 0
Bowraville — Walkability: 10/100 South Arm — Walkability: 0/100
Low fire risk 51 / 23
Bowraville — Low fire risk: 51/100 South Arm — Low fire risk: 23/100

Demographics

Bowraville has more residents (1,157 vs 311); Bowraville rents higher ($260/wk vs $178/wk).

Bowraville South Arm
Population 1,157
+73% vs other
 311
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.1% -0.6%
Median age 46 49
Median household income $49,244/yr
+5% vs other
 $46,800/yr
Median weekly rent $260/wk
+32% vs other
 $178/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bowraville South Arm
0-4 5.8% / 6.8%
Bowraville — 0-4: 5.8% South Arm — 0-4: 6.8%
5-14 13.1% / 8.0%
Bowraville — 5-14: 13.1% South Arm — 5-14: 8.0%
15-19 7.2% / 4.5%
Bowraville — 15-19: 7.2% South Arm — 15-19: 4.5%
20-24 5.7% / 3.9%
Bowraville — 20-24: 5.7% South Arm — 20-24: 3.9%
25-34 8.3% / 14.8%
Bowraville — 25-34: 8.3% South Arm — 25-34: 14.8%
35-44 8.9% / 4.5%
Bowraville — 35-44: 8.9% South Arm — 35-44: 4.5%
45-54 12.1% / 10.0%
Bowraville — 45-54: 12.1% South Arm — 45-54: 10.0%
55-64 17.3% / 17.0%
Bowraville — 55-64: 17.3% South Arm — 55-64: 17.0%
65-74 12.5% / 20.3%
Bowraville — 65-74: 12.5% South Arm — 65-74: 20.3%
75-84 6.5% / 6.1%
Bowraville — 75-84: 6.5% South Arm — 75-84: 6.1%
85+ 2.0% / 1.6%
Bowraville — 85+: 2.0% South Arm — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bowraville 41.4% lone person
Bowraville — Lone Person: 41.4% Bowraville — Couple Families: 23.6% Bowraville — One Parent Families: 27.7% Bowraville — Group Household: 6.1% Bowraville — Other Families: 1.2%
South Arm 35.9% lone person
South Arm — Lone Person: 35.9% South Arm — Couple Families: 30.8% South Arm — One Parent Families: 21.8% South Arm — Group Household: 6.4% South Arm — Other Families: 5.1%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bowraville 24.4% renting
Bowraville — Owned Outright: 43.5% Bowraville — Mortgage: 32.1% Bowraville — Renting: 24.4%
South Arm 30.7% renting
South Arm — Owned Outright: 50.5% South Arm — Mortgage: 18.8% South Arm — Renting: 30.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Bowraville South Arm
Certificate III & IV 17.5% / 9.3%
Bowraville — Certificate III & IV: 17.5% South Arm — Certificate III & IV: 9.3%
Bachelor Degree 4.8% / 7.7%
Bowraville — Bachelor Degree: 4.8% South Arm — Bachelor Degree: 7.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.7% / 4.8%
Bowraville — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.7% South Arm — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.8%
Postgraduate Degree 1.1% / 1.0%
Bowraville — Postgraduate Degree: 1.1% South Arm — Postgraduate Degree: 1.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.2% / —
Bowraville — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2% South Arm — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).

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.

Bowraville South Arm
England 3.3% / 1.6%
Bowraville — England: 3.3% South Arm — England: 1.6%
Germany 0.5% / 1.3%
Bowraville — Germany: 0.5% South Arm — Germany: 1.3%
Nepal 1.5% / —
Bowraville — Nepal: 1.5% South Arm — Nepal: not among its largest
Philippines 0.9% / —
Bowraville — Philippines: 0.9% South Arm — Philippines: not among its largest
Thailand 0.6% / —
Bowraville — Thailand: 0.6% South Arm — Thailand: not among its largest
Scotland 0.5% / —
Bowraville — Scotland: 0.5% South Arm — Scotland: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bowraville 93.7% houses
Bowraville — Houses: 93.7% Bowraville — Townhouses: 4.3% Bowraville — Flats / Apartments: 2.0%
South Arm 99.1% houses
South Arm — Houses: 99.1% South Arm — Townhouses: 0.0% South Arm — Flats / Apartments: 0.9%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Bowraville South Arm
Median house price $535,000 $1,659,700
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $335,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 36 days
from 4 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Bowraville South Arm
Rural and farming 95% 91%
Environmental 2% 9%
Parks and recreation 2% 0%
Residential 1% 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

Bowraville South Arm
New dwellings approved 109
across Nambucca Valley
same for both
Approvals change year on year -64%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Bowraville South Arm
House price Higher than 17% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
Income Higher than 10% of NSW Higher than 9% of NSW
Schools Higher than 76% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 42% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 58% of NSW Higher than 4% of NSW
EV adoption —
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 73% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW

Liveability

Bowraville is more walkable (10 vs 0).

Bowraville South Arm
Grade D —
Score 25/100 —
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

South Arm carries more bushfire risk (77 vs 49).

Bowraville South Arm
Bushfire Moderate
49/100
 High
77/100
Crime High
86/100
 —
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

Bowraville South Arm
Inside the suburb 3 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Bowraville

  • Tallowood Steiner School Independent · Primary above peers
  • Bowraville Central School Government · Combined at peers
  • St Mary's Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in South Arm

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

Amenities in the suburb

Bowraville South Arm
Supermarkets 1 0
Childcare 1 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Waterways 7 9

Mobility

South Arm sits further from the CBD (498.6 km vs 487.8 km).

Bowraville South Arm
Walkability score 10/100 0/100
Distance to Sydney 487.8 km 498.6 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 327 min 348 min
Public transport score 37/100
Bus
 20/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 13.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 3.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 2 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 2449
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 66
postcode 2449
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.

Bowraville South Arm
Car (driver) 74.5% / 66.2%
Bowraville — Car (driver): 74.5% South Arm — Car (driver): 66.2%
Worked from Home 11.9% / 26.2%
Bowraville — Worked from Home: 11.9% South Arm — Worked from Home: 26.2%
Car (passenger) 5.3% / 7.7%
Bowraville — Car (passenger): 5.3% South Arm — Car (passenger): 7.7%
Walked Only 7.3% / —
Bowraville — Walked Only: 7.3% South Arm — Walked Only: not among its largest
Bus 1.0% / —
Bowraville — Bus: 1.0% South Arm — Bus: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.5%).

Setting

Bowraville South Arm
Elevation 14 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 133 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 12.6 km 24.0 km

NBN connectivity

Bowraville South Arm
Connectivity score 64/100 34/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 41%
627 premises
 13%
151 premises

Council rates

Bowraville South Arm
Average residential rate $1,175/yr
same for both
Council Nambucca Valley
same for both

Federal electorate

Bowraville South Arm
Division Cowper
same for both
Member Pat Conaghan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bowraville South Arm
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bowraville

Acreage Affordable River

South Arm

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bowraville

Bowraville vs Newee Creek Bowraville vs Congarinni North Bowraville vs Missabotti Bowraville vs Argents Hill Bowraville vs Buckra Bendinni Bowraville vs Tewinga

Other comparisons with South Arm

South Arm vs Congarinni North South Arm vs Talarm South Arm vs Yarranbella South Arm vs Taylors Arm South Arm vs Upper Taylors Arm South Arm vs Buckra Bendinni
Full data on Bowraville Full data on South Arm
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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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