Bucca Wauka vs Firefly
Firefly is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 57 in Bucca Wauka. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Firefly, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Bucca Wauka: a median of $4.3 million, against $1 million in Firefly, though rent is higher in Firefly. On these figures, Firefly tends to suit 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
Firefly
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (29/100 vs 56/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (69% vs 42%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Firefly
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($1,005,000 vs $4,300,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (27% vs 43%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Bucca Wauka
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($305/wk vs $380/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Bucca Wauka
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 6/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (294.8 km vs 298.8 km)
- But Firefly has a shorter drive in (212 min vs 217 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Bucca Wauka is more walkable (14/100 vs 6/100)
- Firefly carries lower crime risk (29/100 vs 56/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Bucca Wauka
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-2.4% vs -9.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bucca Wauka and Firefly 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
Firefly has more residents (247 vs 80); Firefly rents higher ($380/wk vs $305/wk).
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 80 | 247 +209% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -2.4% | -9.2% |
| Median age | 57 | 51 |
| Median household income | $58,500/yr | $71,500/yr +22% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $305/wk | $380/wk +25% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.2%).
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 (27.5%).
Property market
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $4,300,000 | $1,005,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% 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
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 98% of NSW | Higher than 52% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 20% of NSW | Higher than 36% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 50% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 1% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 25% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 30% of NSW | Higher than 54% of NSW |
Liveability
Bucca Wauka is more walkable (14 vs 6).
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Firefly carries more bushfire risk (44 vs 0); Bucca Wauka carries more crime risk (56 vs 29).
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 44/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 56/100 | Low 29/100 |
| 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
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 21 | 18 |
Mobility
Firefly sits further from the CBD (298.8 km vs 294.8 km).
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 14/100 | 6/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 294.8 km | 298.8 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 217 min | 212 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2429 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 62 postcode 2429 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 (67.6%).
Setting
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 104 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 70 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 33.8 km | 26.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 20/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 46 premises | 0% 133 premises |
Climate
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,331 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bucca Wauka | Firefly | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Bucca Wauka
Other comparisons with Firefly
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.