Croudace Bay vs Valentine

Croudace Bay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 46 in Valentine. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Valentine: a median of $1.3 million, against $1.06 million in Croudace Bay. On these figures, Croudace Bay tends to suit families with children 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

Valentine

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (6 vs 2)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Croudace Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,060,500 vs $1,300,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Investors

Croudace Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (11.7% vs 4.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Croudace Bay Valentine
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.

Croudace Bay Valentine
Walkability 56 / 60
Croudace Bay — Walkability: 56/100 Valentine — Walkability: 60/100
Safety 76 / 71
Croudace Bay — Safety: 76/100 Valentine — Safety: 71/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Croudace Bay — Low fire risk: 100/100 Valentine — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Valentine has more residents (5,773 vs 641); Valentine skews older (46 vs 41).

Croudace Bay Valentine
Population 641 5,773
+801% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +11.7% +4.7%
Median age 41 46
Median household income $104,520/yr $112,268/yr
+7% vs other
Median weekly rent $478/wk $490/wk
+3% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Croudace Bay Valentine
0-4 5.6% / 4.6%
Croudace Bay — 0-4: 5.6% Valentine — 0-4: 4.6%
5-14 18.7% / 14.5%
Croudace Bay — 5-14: 18.7% Valentine — 5-14: 14.5%
15-19 7.2% / 6.3%
Croudace Bay — 15-19: 7.2% Valentine — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 3.7% / 5.0%
Croudace Bay — 20-24: 3.7% Valentine — 20-24: 5.0%
25-34 5.5% / 6.9%
Croudace Bay — 25-34: 5.5% Valentine — 25-34: 6.9%
35-44 14.2% / 11.3%
Croudace Bay — 35-44: 14.2% Valentine — 35-44: 11.3%
45-54 12.5% / 14.1%
Croudace Bay — 45-54: 12.5% Valentine — 45-54: 14.1%
55-64 10.5% / 13.9%
Croudace Bay — 55-64: 10.5% Valentine — 55-64: 13.9%
65-74 11.5% / 13.3%
Croudace Bay — 65-74: 11.5% Valentine — 65-74: 13.3%
75-84 7.3% / 8.0%
Croudace Bay — 75-84: 7.3% Valentine — 75-84: 8.0%
85+ 2.7% / 2.1%
Croudace Bay — 85+: 2.7% Valentine — 85+: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Croudace Bay 57.0% couple families
Croudace Bay — Couple Families: 57.0% Croudace Bay — Lone Person: 23.4% Croudace Bay — One Parent Families: 19.6% Croudace Bay — Group Household: 0.0% Croudace Bay — Other Families: 0.0%
Valentine 55.6% couple families
Valentine — Couple Families: 55.6% Valentine — Lone Person: 26.5% Valentine — One Parent Families: 15.3% Valentine — Group Household: 1.6% Valentine — Other Families: 1.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Croudace Bay 16.1% renting
Croudace Bay — Owned Outright: 40.6% Croudace Bay — Mortgage: 43.3% Croudace Bay — Renting: 16.1%
Valentine 11.3% renting
Valentine — Owned Outright: 49.3% Valentine — Mortgage: 39.4% Valentine — Renting: 11.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Croudace Bay Valentine
Certificate III & IV 18.4% / 16.9%
Croudace Bay — Certificate III & IV: 18.4% Valentine — Certificate III & IV: 16.9%
Bachelor Degree 12.0% / 15.2%
Croudace Bay — Bachelor Degree: 12.0% Valentine — Bachelor Degree: 15.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.8% / 10.0%
Croudace Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8% Valentine — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.0%
Postgraduate Degree 3.1% / 4.7%
Croudace Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 3.1% Valentine — Postgraduate Degree: 4.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.8% / 2.4%
Croudace Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.8% Valentine — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).

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.

Croudace Bay Valentine
England 4.4% / 3.2%
Croudace Bay — England: 4.4% Valentine — England: 3.2%
South Africa 1.2% / 0.8%
Croudace Bay — South Africa: 1.2% Valentine — South Africa: 0.8%
New Zealand 0.9% / 1.0%
Croudace Bay — New Zealand: 0.9% Valentine — New Zealand: 1.0%
China 0.9% / 0.2%
Croudace Bay — China: 0.9% Valentine — China: 0.2%
Germany 0.5% / 0.6%
Croudace Bay — Germany: 0.5% Valentine — Germany: 0.6%
Iraq 0.6% / —
Croudace Bay — Iraq: 0.6% Valentine — Iraq: not among its largest
Scotland — / 0.6%
Croudace Bay — Scotland: not among its largest Valentine — Scotland: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Croudace Bay 96.8% houses
Croudace Bay — Houses: 96.8% Croudace Bay — Townhouses: 3.6% Croudace Bay — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Valentine 88.2% houses
Valentine — Houses: 88.2% Valentine — Townhouses: 11.4% Valentine — Flats / Apartments: 0.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Croudace Bay Valentine
Median house price $1,060,500 $1,300,000
Median unit price — $840,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 5 sales
 34 days
from 67 sales

Zoning mix

Valentine has more land zoned for conservation (51% vs 17%).

Croudace Bay Valentine
Environmental 17% 51%
Parks and recreation 46% 6%
Residential 34% 42%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 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

Croudace Bay Valentine
New dwellings approved 1,212
across Lake Macquarie
same for both
Approvals change year on year +2%
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.

Croudace Bay Valentine
Houses — 3.2%
$810/wk on $1.33M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Croudace Bay Valentine
House price Higher than 49% of NSW Higher than 62% of NSW
Income Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 60% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 69% of NSW Higher than 68% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of NSW Higher than 73% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 28% of NSW

Liveability

Croudace Bay Valentine
Grade B A
Score 68/100 71/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Croudace Bay Valentine
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
24/100
 Low
29/100
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
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Croudace Bay Valentine
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Croudace Bay

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

Schools in Valentine

  • Valentine Public School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Croudace Bay Valentine
Parks & reserves 2 6
Childcare 1 2
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Waterways 1 7

Mobility

Croudace Bay Valentine
Walkability score 56/100 60/100
Distance to Sydney 141 km
+1% vs other
 139.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 117 min 113 min
Public transport score 64/100
Bus
 78/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 25.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 119.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 2280
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 44
postcode 2280
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.

Croudace Bay Valentine
Car (driver) 63.4% / 62.7%
Croudace Bay — Car (driver): 63.4% Valentine — Car (driver): 62.7%
Worked from Home 33.3% / 32.9%
Croudace Bay — Worked from Home: 33.3% Valentine — Worked from Home: 32.9%
Car (passenger) 3.3% / 2.9%
Croudace Bay — Car (passenger): 3.3% Valentine — Car (passenger): 2.9%
Walked Only — / 0.6%
Croudace Bay — Walked Only: not among its largest Valentine — Walked Only: 0.6%
Bicycle — / 0.4%
Croudace Bay — Bicycle: not among its largest Valentine — Bicycle: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (63.4%).

Setting

Croudace Bay Valentine
Elevation 14 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 41 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 5.0 km 4.5 km

NBN connectivity

Croudace Bay Valentine
Connectivity score 73/100 65/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 51%
253 premises
 36%
2,289 premises

Climate

Croudace Bay Valentine
Annual rainfall 1,025 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.2°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Croudace Bay Valentine
PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³ 5.0 µg/m³
PM10 16.5 µg/m³ 11.6 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.53 pphm 0.27 pphm

Council rates

Croudace Bay Valentine
Average residential rate $1,708/yr
same for both
Council Lake Macquarie
same for both

Federal electorate

Croudace Bay Valentine
Division Shortland
same for both
Member Pat Conroy
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Croudace Bay Valentine
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Croudace Bay

Family Large Blocks Parks River

Valentine

Large Blocks Parks

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Full data on Croudace Bay Full data on Valentine
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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.

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