Canoelands vs Spencer

Canoelands is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 52 in Spencer. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Canoelands, most households are couple families. In Spencer, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Canoelands: a median of $1.96 million, against $650,000 in Spencer, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Canoelands tends to suit families with children and couples, while Spencer suits people living alone 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

Canoelands

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (89% vs 33%)
  • carries lower crime risk (59/100 vs 73/100)

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

First-home buyers

Spencer

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($200,000 vs $3,960,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($650,000 vs $1,960,000)
  • But Canoelands leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 35%)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Canoelands

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (24% vs 5%)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 32%)
  • But Spencer has cheaper rent ($295/wk vs $440/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Canoelands

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (64.3 km vs 106.6 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (70 min vs 100 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Canoelands carries lower crime risk (59/100 vs 73/100)
  • Spencer has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 18%)

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

Investors

Canoelands

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (1.1% vs -5.9%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Canoelands Spencer
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.

Canoelands Spencer
Walkability 0 / 0
Canoelands — Walkability: 0/100 Spencer — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 41 / 27
Canoelands — Safety: 41/100 Spencer — Safety: 27/100
Low fire risk 24 / 9
Canoelands — Low fire risk: 24/100 Spencer — Low fire risk: 9/100

Demographics

Canoelands has higher household incomes ($112,632 vs $47,476); Spencer has more residents (288 vs 177).

Canoelands Spencer
Population 177 288
+63% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.1% -5.9%
Median age 45 52
Median household income $112,632/yr
+58% vs other
 $47,476/yr
Median weekly rent $440/wk
+33% vs other
 $295/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Canoelands Spencer
0-4 4.0% / 1.7%
Canoelands — 0-4: 4.0% Spencer — 0-4: 1.7%
5-14 16.4% / 9.7%
Canoelands — 5-14: 16.4% Spencer — 5-14: 9.7%
15-19 9.0% / 3.1%
Canoelands — 15-19: 9.0% Spencer — 15-19: 3.1%
20-24 4.0% / 3.8%
Canoelands — 20-24: 4.0% Spencer — 20-24: 3.8%
25-34 6.8% / 10.4%
Canoelands — 25-34: 6.8% Spencer — 25-34: 10.4%
35-44 10.7% / 8.7%
Canoelands — 35-44: 10.7% Spencer — 35-44: 8.7%
45-54 19.8% / 22.9%
Canoelands — 45-54: 19.8% Spencer — 45-54: 22.9%
55-64 16.9% / 19.4%
Canoelands — 55-64: 16.9% Spencer — 55-64: 19.4%
65-74 7.9% / 15.3%
Canoelands — 65-74: 7.9% Spencer — 65-74: 15.3%
75-84 7.3% / 4.9%
Canoelands — 75-84: 7.3% Spencer — 75-84: 4.9%
85+ 2.3% / 2.8%
Canoelands — 85+: 2.3% Spencer — 85+: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Canoelands 66.7% couple families
Canoelands — Couple Families: 66.7% Canoelands — Lone Person: 11.1% Canoelands — One Parent Families: 22.2% Canoelands — Group Household: 0.0%
Spencer 25.3% couple families
Spencer — Couple Families: 25.3% Spencer — Lone Person: 60.0% Spencer — One Parent Families: 7.4% Spencer — Group Household: 7.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Canoelands 24.4% renting
Canoelands — Owned Outright: 37.8% Canoelands — Mortgage: 37.8% Canoelands — Renting: 24.4%
Spencer 4.8% renting
Spencer — Owned Outright: 49.6% Spencer — Mortgage: 45.6% Spencer — Renting: 4.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Canoelands Spencer
England 5.1% / 4.2%
Canoelands — England: 5.1% Spencer — England: 4.2%
New Zealand 2.3% / 4.9%
Canoelands — New Zealand: 2.3% Spencer — New Zealand: 4.9%
Lebanon 2.8% / —
Canoelands — Lebanon: 2.8% Spencer — Lebanon: not among its largest
South Africa 1.7% / —
Canoelands — South Africa: 1.7% Spencer — South Africa: not among its largest
China — / 1.7%
Canoelands — China: not among its largest Spencer — China: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.1%).

Qualifications

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

Canoelands Spencer
Certificate III & IV 20.3% / 17.7%
Canoelands — Certificate III & IV: 20.3% Spencer — Certificate III & IV: 17.7%
Bachelor Degree 13.6% / 5.2%
Canoelands — Bachelor Degree: 13.6% Spencer — Bachelor Degree: 5.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.3% / 6.6%
Canoelands — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3% Spencer — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6%
Postgraduate Degree 4.0% / 1.4%
Canoelands — Postgraduate Degree: 4.0% Spencer — Postgraduate Degree: 1.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 1.0%
Canoelands — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Spencer — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Canoelands 100.0% houses
Canoelands — Houses: 100.0% Canoelands — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Spencer 93.9% houses
Spencer — Houses: 93.9% Spencer — Flats / Apartments: 6.1%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Canoelands Spencer
Median house price $1,960,000 $650,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $3,960,000 $200,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 171 days
from 10 sales

Zoning mix

Canoelands Spencer
Environmental 90% 98%
Rural and farming 9% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 1%
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

Canoelands Spencer
New dwellings approved 260
across Hornsby
 1,441
across Central Coast (NSW)
Approvals change year on year -79% +67%

Ranking within NSW

Canoelands Spencer
House price Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 23% of NSW
Income Higher than 78% of NSW Higher than 9% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 29% of NSW Higher than 35% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 24% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 30% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW

Liveability

Canoelands Spencer
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Spencer carries more crime risk (73 vs 59); Spencer carries more bushfire risk (91 vs 76).

Canoelands Spencer
Bushfire High
76/100
 High
91/100
Crime Moderate
59/100
 High
73/100
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

Canoelands Spencer
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

Canoelands Spencer
Parks & reserves 1 0
Waterways 3 11

Mobility

Spencer sits further from the CBD (106.6 km vs 64.3 km).

Canoelands Spencer
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 64.3 km 106.6 km
+66% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 70 min 100 min
Electric vehicle share 1.2%
postcode 2157
 0.6%
postcode 2775
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 57
postcode 2157
 36
postcode 2775

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.

Canoelands Spencer
Car (driver) 42.9% / 77.0%
Canoelands — Car (driver): 42.9% Spencer — Car (driver): 77.0%
Worked from Home 50.5% / 16.1%
Canoelands — Worked from Home: 50.5% Spencer — Worked from Home: 16.1%
Walked Only 3.3% / 6.9%
Canoelands — Walked Only: 3.3% Spencer — Walked Only: 6.9%
Car (passenger) 3.3% / —
Canoelands — Car (passenger): 3.3% Spencer — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.0%).

Setting

Canoelands Spencer
Elevation 218 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 208 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 14.3 km 15.3 km

NBN connectivity

Canoelands Spencer
Connectivity score 20/100 27/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
23 premises
 0%
122 premises

Climate

Canoelands Spencer
Annual rainfall 1,176 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Canoelands Spencer
Average residential rate $1,488/yr $1,409/yr
Council Hornsby Central Coast (NSW)

Federal electorate

Canoelands Spencer
Division Berowra Robertson
Member Julian Leeser Gordon Reid
Party Liberal Australian Labor Party

First Home Owner Grant

Canoelands Spencer
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Canoelands

Outer Premium

Spencer

Affordable Outer River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Canoelands

Canoelands vs Glenorie Canoelands vs Cowan Canoelands vs Maroota Canoelands vs Fiddletown Canoelands vs Berowra Waters Canoelands vs Wendoree Park

Other comparisons with Spencer

Spencer vs Gunderman Spencer vs Mount White Spencer vs Wendoree Park Spencer vs Lower Mangrove
Full data on Canoelands Full data on Spencer
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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