Bungwahl vs Tarbuck Bay
Tarbuck Bay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 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. In Tarbuck Bay, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Bungwahl: a median of $1.45 million, against $835,000 in Tarbuck Bay, though rent is higher in Tarbuck Bay. On these figures, Tarbuck Bay 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
Tarbuck Bay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (51% vs 40%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Bungwahl leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 27%)
- Tarbuck Bay has cheaper houses ($835,000 vs $1,450,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Bungwahl
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (27% vs 42%)
- has cheaper rent ($320/wk vs $430/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 198 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (266 km vs 273 km)
- But Tarbuck Bay is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Bungwahl has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 22%)
- Tarbuck Bay is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
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
Bungwahl and Tarbuck Bay 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
Tarbuck Bay rents higher ($430/wk vs $320/wk); Bungwahl has more residents (249 vs 194).
| Bungwahl | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 249 +22% vs other | 194 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.4% | +3.2% |
| Median age | 54 | 48 |
| Median household income | $62,348/yr +15% vs other | $53,092/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $320/wk | $430/wk +34% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Bungwahl | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,450,000 | $835,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Bungwahl has more land zoned for conservation (45% vs 3%); Tarbuck Bay has more rural and farming land (97% vs 55%).
| Bungwahl | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 55% | 97% |
| Environmental | 45% | 3% |
| 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 | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bungwahl | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 47% of NSW | Higher than 44% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 25% of NSW | Higher than 13% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 10% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 33% of NSW | Higher than 26% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 33% of NSW | Higher than 45% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 5% of NSW | Higher than 74% of NSW |
Liveability
Tarbuck Bay is more walkable (14 vs 0).
| Bungwahl | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
| Bungwahl | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 84/100 | High 89/100 |
| Crime | Low 36/100 | Moderate 44/100 |
| 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
| Bungwahl | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Tarbuck Bay
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Bungwahl | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 10 | 3 |
Mobility
Tarbuck Bay sits further from the CBD (273 km vs 266 km).
| Bungwahl | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 14/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 266 km | 273 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 191 min | 198 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 2423 | 0.4% postcode 2428 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 61 postcode 2423 | 41 postcode 2428 |
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 | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 19 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 26 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 9.0 km | 4.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Bungwahl | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 66/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 51 premises | 40% 119 premises |
Council rates
| Bungwahl | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bungwahl | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bungwahl | Tarbuck Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Tarbuck Bay
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.