Byron Bay vs Skinners Shoot

In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Byron Bay, about half of households are people living alone. In Skinners Shoot, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Skinners Shoot: a median of $6.78 million, against $2.23 million in Byron Bay, though rent is higher in Byron Bay. On these figures, Byron Bay tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Skinners Shoot suits couples.

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

  • Byron Bay has more parks and reserves (15 vs 0)
  • Skinners Shoot is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 35%)

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

First-home buyers

Byron Bay

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($2,225,000 vs $6,775,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (32% vs 37%)
  • But Skinners Shoot has cheaper land ($150,000 vs $3,125,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Skinners Shoot

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (24% vs 38%)
  • has cheaper rent ($460/wk vs $600/wk)
  • But Byron Bay has a bigger rental market to choose from (42% vs 30%)

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

Commuting to the city

Byron Bay

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (41/100 vs 10/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (491 min vs 496 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (759.6 km vs 761.7 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Byron Bay

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (8 vs 0)
  • is more walkable (41/100 vs 10/100)
  • But Skinners Shoot carries lower crime risk (68/100 vs 95/100)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Byron Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (14.7% vs 1.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Byron Bay and Skinners Shoot drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
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.

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Walkability 41 / 10
Byron Bay — Walkability: 41/100 Skinners Shoot — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 5 / 32
Byron Bay — Safety: 5/100 Skinners Shoot — Safety: 32/100
Low fire risk 43 / 100
Byron Bay — Low fire risk: 43/100 Skinners Shoot — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Byron Bay has more residents (6,330 vs 130); Byron Bay rents higher ($600/wk vs $460/wk).

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Population 6,330
+98% vs other
 130
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +14.7% +1.6%
Median age 39 40
Median household income $81,172/yr $97,448/yr
+20% vs other
Median weekly rent $600/wk
+23% vs other
 $460/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
0-4 3.6% / 4.6%
Byron Bay — 0-4: 3.6% Skinners Shoot — 0-4: 4.6%
5-14 7.6% / 8.5%
Byron Bay — 5-14: 7.6% Skinners Shoot — 5-14: 8.5%
15-19 3.6% / 2.3%
Byron Bay — 15-19: 3.6% Skinners Shoot — 15-19: 2.3%
20-24 5.8% / 2.3%
Byron Bay — 20-24: 5.8% Skinners Shoot — 20-24: 2.3%
25-34 21.7% / 21.5%
Byron Bay — 25-34: 21.7% Skinners Shoot — 25-34: 21.5%
35-44 15.2% / 19.2%
Byron Bay — 35-44: 15.2% Skinners Shoot — 35-44: 19.2%
45-54 11.6% / 14.6%
Byron Bay — 45-54: 11.6% Skinners Shoot — 45-54: 14.6%
55-64 12.8% / 10.8%
Byron Bay — 55-64: 12.8% Skinners Shoot — 55-64: 10.8%
65-74 12.0% / 8.5%
Byron Bay — 65-74: 12.0% Skinners Shoot — 65-74: 8.5%
75-84 4.7% / 6.2%
Byron Bay — 75-84: 4.7% Skinners Shoot — 75-84: 6.2%
85+ 1.5% / —
Byron Bay — 85+: 1.5% Skinners Shoot — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Byron Bay 23.5% couple families
Byron Bay — Couple Families: 23.5% Byron Bay — Lone Person: 46.6% Byron Bay — Group Household: 17.6% Byron Bay — One Parent Families: 11.6% Byron Bay — Other Families: 0.7%
Skinners Shoot 68.2% couple families
Skinners Shoot — Couple Families: 68.2% Skinners Shoot — Lone Person: 31.8% Skinners Shoot — Group Household: 0.0% Skinners Shoot — One Parent Families: 0.0% Skinners Shoot — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Byron Bay 42.1% renting
Byron Bay — Owned Outright: 36.8% Byron Bay — Mortgage: 21.1% Byron Bay — Renting: 42.1%
Skinners Shoot 30.0% renting
Skinners Shoot — Owned Outright: 47.5% Skinners Shoot — Mortgage: 22.5% Skinners Shoot — Renting: 30.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Bachelor Degree 21.2% / 29.2%
Byron Bay — Bachelor Degree: 21.2% Skinners Shoot — Bachelor Degree: 29.2%
Certificate III & IV 11.1% / 10.0%
Byron Bay — Certificate III & IV: 11.1% Skinners Shoot — Certificate III & IV: 10.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.2% / 8.5%
Byron Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.2% Skinners Shoot — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.5%
Postgraduate Degree 5.7% / 8.5%
Byron Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 5.7% Skinners Shoot — Postgraduate Degree: 8.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.0% / 3.1%
Byron Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0% Skinners Shoot — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.2%).

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.

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
England 6.1% / 3.8%
Byron Bay — England: 6.1% Skinners Shoot — England: 3.8%
France 1.4% / 4.6%
Byron Bay — France: 1.4% Skinners Shoot — France: 4.6%
Italy 1.4% / 4.6%
Byron Bay — Italy: 1.4% Skinners Shoot — Italy: 4.6%
Brazil 1.8% / 3.8%
Byron Bay — Brazil: 1.8% Skinners Shoot — Brazil: 3.8%
New Zealand 2.5% / —
Byron Bay — New Zealand: 2.5% Skinners Shoot — New Zealand: not among its largest
Netherlands — / 2.3%
Byron Bay — Netherlands: not among its largest Skinners Shoot — Netherlands: 2.3%
Germany 1.5% / —
Byron Bay — Germany: 1.5% Skinners Shoot — Germany: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Byron Bay 55.6% houses
Byron Bay — Houses: 55.6% Byron Bay — Townhouses: 24.7% Byron Bay — Flats / Apartments: 19.7%
Skinners Shoot 100.0% houses
Skinners Shoot — Houses: 100.0% Skinners Shoot — Townhouses: 0.0% Skinners Shoot — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Median house price $2,225,000 $6,775,000
Median unit price $1,390,000 —
Median land price $3,125,000 $150,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 41 days
from 84 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Skinners Shoot has more rural and farming land (64% vs 12%); Byron Bay has more land zoned for conservation (48% vs 32%).

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Rural and farming 12% 64%
Environmental 48% 32%
Residential 17% 0%
Other and special use 9% 4%
Infrastructure and transport 6% 0%
Parks and recreation 5% 0%
Industrial 3% 0%
Commercial 2% 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

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
New dwellings approved 129
across Byron
same for both
Approvals change year on year -65%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Houses 3.1%
$1,425/wk on $2.38M
 —
Units 3.5%
$850/wk on $1.26M
 —

Ranking within NSW

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
House price Higher than 90% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
Income Higher than 48% of NSW Higher than 64% of NSW
Schools Higher than 19% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 5% of NSW Higher than 1% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 93% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 46% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 26% of NSW —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 10% of NSW —

Liveability

Byron Bay is more walkable (41 vs 10).

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Grade D —
Score 27/100 —
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Byron Bay carries more bushfire risk (57 vs 0); Byron Bay carries more crime risk (95 vs 68).

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Bushfire Moderate
57/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
95/100
 Moderate
68/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
61/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Inside the suburb 4 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 3 0

Schools in Byron Bay

  • St Finbarr's Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Byron Bay High School Government · Secondary below peers
  • Byron Bay Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Byron Community Primary School Independent · Primary below peers

Schools in Skinners Shoot

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

Amenities in the suburb

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Supermarkets 7 0
Cafes & restaurants 74 0
Parks & reserves 15 0
Childcare 6 0
GPs 8 0
Pharmacies 4 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 6 0
Fuel stations 3 0
EV chargers 2 0
Beaches 2 0
Waterways 12 2

Mobility

Skinners Shoot sits further from the CBD (761.7 km vs 759.6 km).

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Walkability score 41/100 10/100
Distance to Sydney 759.6 km 761.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 491 min 496 min
Electric vehicle share 1.9%
postcode 2481
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 61
postcode 2481
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.

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Car (driver) 50.0% / 50.0%
Byron Bay — Car (driver): 50.0% Skinners Shoot — Car (driver): 50.0%
Worked from Home 31.1% / 34.1%
Byron Bay — Worked from Home: 31.1% Skinners Shoot — Worked from Home: 34.1%
Walked Only 9.4% / 9.1%
Byron Bay — Walked Only: 9.4% Skinners Shoot — Walked Only: 9.1%
Bicycle 6.1% / 6.8%
Byron Bay — Bicycle: 6.1% Skinners Shoot — Bicycle: 6.8%
Car (passenger) 3.1% / —
Byron Bay — Car (passenger): 3.1% Skinners Shoot — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (50.0%).

Setting

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Elevation 6 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 9 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.2 km
1.5 km to a named beach
 2.8 km
3.1 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Connectivity score 62/100 29/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 31%
5,639 premises
 0%
66 premises

Climate

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Annual rainfall 1,569 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.1°C
same for both

Council rates

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Average residential rate $1,577/yr
same for both
Council Byron
same for both

Federal electorate

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Division Richmond
same for both
Member Justine Elliot
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Byron Bay Skinners Shoot
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Byron Bay

Beach Coastal Premium River Townhouses

Skinners Shoot

Coastal Luxury Professionals Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Byron Bay

Byron Bay vs Suffolk Park Byron Bay vs Ewingsdale Byron Bay vs Coopers Shoot Byron Bay vs Tyagarah

Other comparisons with Skinners Shoot

Skinners Shoot vs Ewingsdale Skinners Shoot vs McLeods Shoot
Full data on Byron Bay Full data on Skinners Shoot
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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