Dirty Creek vs Upper Corindi

Dirty Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 32 against 51 in Upper Corindi. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Dirty Creek, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Upper Corindi: a median of $1.3 million, against $728,000 in Dirty Creek. On these figures, Dirty Creek tends to suit young adults and buyers on a tighter budget, while Upper Corindi suits older residents.

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

Upper Corindi

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (60% vs 45%)

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

  • Dirty Creek has cheaper houses ($727,500 vs $1,300,000)
  • Upper Corindi leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 31%)

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

Dirty Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (12/100 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

  • Dirty Creek is more walkable (12/100 vs 0/100)
  • Upper Corindi has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 13%)

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

Investors

Dirty Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (16.5% vs 1.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
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.

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Walkability 12 / 0
Dirty Creek — Walkability: 12/100 Upper Corindi — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 9 / 10
Dirty Creek — Safety: 9/100 Upper Corindi — Safety: 10/100
Low fire risk 20 / 40
Dirty Creek — Low fire risk: 20/100 Upper Corindi — Low fire risk: 40/100

Demographics

Upper Corindi skews older (51 vs 32); Upper Corindi has more residents (158 vs 106).

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Population 106 158
+49% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +16.5% +1.3%
Median age 32 51
Median household income $58,500/yr $65,884/yr
+13% vs other
Median weekly rent $385/wk $400/wk
+4% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
0-4 6.6% / 5.1%
Dirty Creek — 0-4: 6.6% Upper Corindi — 0-4: 5.1%
5-14 15.1% / 12.7%
Dirty Creek — 5-14: 15.1% Upper Corindi — 5-14: 12.7%
15-19 6.6% / 3.2%
Dirty Creek — 15-19: 6.6% Upper Corindi — 15-19: 3.2%
20-24 5.7% / 3.2%
Dirty Creek — 20-24: 5.7% Upper Corindi — 20-24: 3.2%
25-34 20.8% / 9.5%
Dirty Creek — 25-34: 20.8% Upper Corindi — 25-34: 9.5%
35-44 7.5% / 12.7%
Dirty Creek — 35-44: 7.5% Upper Corindi — 35-44: 12.7%
45-54 11.3% / 7.0%
Dirty Creek — 45-54: 11.3% Upper Corindi — 45-54: 7.0%
55-64 13.2% / 22.2%
Dirty Creek — 55-64: 13.2% Upper Corindi — 55-64: 22.2%
65-74 8.5% / 22.2%
Dirty Creek — 65-74: 8.5% Upper Corindi — 65-74: 22.2%
75-84 4.7% / 2.5%
Dirty Creek — 75-84: 4.7% Upper Corindi — 75-84: 2.5%
85+ — / —
Dirty Creek — 85+: not among its largest Upper Corindi — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Dirty Creek 45.2% lone person
Dirty Creek — Lone Person: 45.2% Dirty Creek — Couple Families: 19.4% Dirty Creek — One Parent Families: 25.8% Dirty Creek — Group Household: 9.7%
Upper Corindi 40.5% lone person
Upper Corindi — Lone Person: 40.5% Upper Corindi — Couple Families: 42.9% Upper Corindi — One Parent Families: 16.7% Upper Corindi — Group Household: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Dirty Creek 17.1% renting
Dirty Creek — Owned Outright: 31.4% Dirty Creek — Mortgage: 51.4% Dirty Creek — Renting: 17.1%
Upper Corindi 19.6% renting
Upper Corindi — Owned Outright: 48.2% Upper Corindi — Mortgage: 32.1% Upper Corindi — Renting: 19.6%
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.

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
India 3.8% / —
Dirty Creek — India: 3.8% Upper Corindi — India: not among its largest
Malaysia 2.8% / —
Dirty Creek — Malaysia: 2.8% Upper Corindi — Malaysia: not among its largest
Bangladesh 2.8% / —
Dirty Creek — Bangladesh: 2.8% Upper Corindi — Bangladesh: not among its largest
England — / 2.5%
Dirty Creek — England: not among its largest Upper Corindi — England: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.8%).

Qualifications

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

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Certificate III & IV 16.0% / 15.8%
Dirty Creek — Certificate III & IV: 16.0% Upper Corindi — Certificate III & IV: 15.8%
Bachelor Degree 6.6% / 7.6%
Dirty Creek — Bachelor Degree: 6.6% Upper Corindi — Bachelor Degree: 7.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 2.8% / 4.4%
Dirty Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.8% Upper Corindi — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 2.5%
Dirty Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Upper Corindi — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Dirty Creek 103.1% houses
Dirty Creek — Houses: 103.1% Dirty Creek — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Upper Corindi 94.3% houses
Upper Corindi — Houses: 94.3% Upper Corindi — Flats / Apartments: 5.7%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Median house price $727,500 $1,300,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Rural and farming 80% 86%
Environmental 16% 14%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 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

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
New dwellings approved 356
across Coffs Harbour
same for both
Approvals change year on year +61%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
House price Higher than 28% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
Income Higher than 20% of NSW Higher than 28% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 61% of NSW Higher than 24% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 48% of NSW Higher than 43% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 53% of NSW Higher than 52% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 62% of NSW Higher than 46% of NSW

Liveability

Dirty Creek is more walkable (12 vs 0).

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
same for both

Risk profile

Dirty Creek carries more bushfire risk (80 vs 60).

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Bushfire High
80/100
 Moderate
60/100
Crime High
91/100
 High
90/100
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

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
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

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Parks & reserves 0 1
Waterways 10 17

Mobility

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Walkability score 12/100 0/100
Distance to Sydney 569.2 km 567.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 373 min 376 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2456
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 59
postcode 2456
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.

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Car (driver) 58.1% / 80.4%
Dirty Creek — Car (driver): 58.1% Upper Corindi — Car (driver): 80.4%
Worked from Home 27.9% / 10.7%
Dirty Creek — Worked from Home: 27.9% Upper Corindi — Worked from Home: 10.7%
Car (passenger) 14.0% / 8.9%
Dirty Creek — Car (passenger): 14.0% Upper Corindi — Car (passenger): 8.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.4%).

Setting

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Elevation 103 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 59 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 7.1 km 7.4 km

NBN connectivity

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Connectivity score 30/100 29/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
56 premises
 0%
78 premises

Climate

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Annual rainfall 1,827 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Average residential rate $1,437/yr
same for both
Council Coffs Harbour
same for both

Federal electorate

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Division Page
same for both
Member Kevin Hogan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Dirty Creek Upper Corindi
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Dirty Creek

River Rural

Upper Corindi

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Dirty Creek

Dirty Creek vs Corindi Beach Dirty Creek vs Halfway Creek

Other comparisons with Upper Corindi

Upper Corindi vs Woolgoolga Upper Corindi vs Corindi Beach Upper Corindi vs Bucca Upper Corindi vs Halfway Creek Upper Corindi vs Sherwood
Full data on Dirty Creek Full data on Upper Corindi
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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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