Bulahdelah vs Markwell
Markwell is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 54 in Bulahdelah. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Markwell: a median of $929,000, against $565,000 in Bulahdelah, though rent is higher in Bulahdelah. On these figures, Bulahdelah tends to suit older residents 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
Bulahdelah
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
- But Markwell carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 83/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Bulahdelah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($565,000 vs $929,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Markwell
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 31%)
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $295/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Bulahdelah
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (176 min vs 183 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (243.7 km vs 251.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Bulahdelah
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more GPs (2 vs 0)
- has more residents already 65 and over (32% vs 19%)
- But Markwell carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 83/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Markwell
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (24.1% vs 8.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bulahdelah and Markwell 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
Bulahdelah has more residents (1,538 vs 144); Markwell has higher household incomes ($68,224 vs $50,076).
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,538 +91% vs other | 144 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +8.0% | +24.1% |
| Median age | 54 | 46 |
| Median household income | $50,076/yr | $68,224/yr +36% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $295/wk +15% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).
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 (21.5%).
Property market
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $565,000 | $929,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $505,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 148 days from 11 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Markwell has more rural and farming land (100% vs 76%); Bulahdelah has more land zoned for conservation (22% vs 0%).
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 76% | 100% |
| Environmental | 22% | 0% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 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
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 19% of NSW | Higher than 45% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 11% of NSW | Higher than 32% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 50% of NSW | Higher than 37% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 41% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 33% of NSW | Higher than 34% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 19% of NSW |
Liveability
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 8/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Bulahdelah carries more crime risk (83 vs 41).
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 80/100 | High 87/100 |
| Crime | High 83/100 | Moderate 41/100 |
| 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
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 2 | 0 |
Schools in Bulahdelah
- Bulahdelah Central School Government · Combined below peers
- St Joseph's Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers
Schools in Markwell
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 4 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| GPs | 2 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 3 | 0 |
| Waterways | 37 | 20 |
Mobility
Markwell sits further from the CBD (251.7 km vs 243.7 km).
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 6/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 243.7 km | 251.7 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 176 min | 183 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 2423 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 61 postcode 2423 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 (77.4%).
Setting
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 13 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 64 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 21.6 km | 28.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 43/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 1% 715 premises | 0% 20 premises |
Climate
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,327 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bulahdelah | Markwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Bulahdelah
Markwell
More comparisons
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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.