Bungwahl vs Seal Rocks
Seal Rocks is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 54 in Bungwahl. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bungwahl, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Seal Rocks: a median of $2 million, against $1.45 million in Bungwahl, though rent is higher in Bungwahl. On these figures, Bungwahl tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Seal Rocks suits families with children.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Bungwahl carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 96/100)
- Seal Rocks is already more of a family suburb (56% vs 40%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Bungwahl
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 55%)
- has cheaper houses ($1,450,000 vs $2,000,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Seal Rocks
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 27%)
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $320/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Bungwahl
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (191 min vs 201 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (266 km vs 274.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Bungwahl carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 96/100)
- Seal Rocks has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 28%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Seal Rocks
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (27.3% vs 6.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bungwahl and Seal Rocks 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
Bungwahl has more residents (249 vs 56); Bungwahl rents higher ($320/wk vs $250/wk).
| Bungwahl | Seal Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 249 +78% vs other | 56 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.4% | +27.3% |
| Median age | 54 | 46 |
| Median household income | $62,348/yr | $73,632/yr +18% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $320/wk +22% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.2%).
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 (26.8%).
Property market
| Bungwahl | Seal Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,450,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $1,060,000 |
Zoning mix
Bungwahl has more rural and farming land (55% vs 0%); Seal Rocks has more land zoned for conservation (99% vs 45%).
| Bungwahl | Seal Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 45% | 99% |
| Rural and farming | 55% | 0% |
| Planning zones cover 100% of Bungwahl and 99% of Seal Rocks. 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
| Bungwahl | Seal Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bungwahl | Seal Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 47% of NSW | Higher than 85% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 25% of NSW | Higher than 41% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 10% of NSW | Higher than 21% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 33% of NSW | Higher than 7% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 33% of NSW | Higher than 34% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 5% of NSW | Higher than 11% of NSW |
Liveability
| Bungwahl | Seal Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Seal Rocks carries more crime risk (96 vs 36).
| Bungwahl | Seal Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 84/100 | High 92/100 |
| Crime | Low 36/100 | High 96/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Moderate 59/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Bungwahl | Seal Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Bungwahl
- Bungwahl Public School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Seal Rocks
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Bungwahl | Seal Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Beaches | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 10 | 0 |
Mobility
Seal Rocks sits further from the CBD (274.6 km vs 266 km).
| Bungwahl | Seal Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 266 km | 274.6 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 191 min | 201 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 (79.2%).
Setting
| Bungwahl | Seal Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 19 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 109 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 9.0 km | 1.0 km 3.1 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Bungwahl | Seal Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 51 premises | 0% 26 premises |
Council rates
| Bungwahl | Seal Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bungwahl | Seal Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bungwahl | Seal Rocks | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Bungwahl
Other comparisons with Seal Rocks
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.