Fullerton Cove vs Williamtown

Williamtown is the younger of the two, with a median age of 56 against 69 in Fullerton Cove. In both, the large majority of households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Fullerton Cove: a median of $1.21 million, against $1.1 million in Williamtown, though rent is higher in Williamtown. On these figures, Fullerton Cove tends to suit 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Fullerton Cove carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 87/100)
  • Williamtown has more separate houses rather than flats (96% vs 72%)

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

First-home buyers

Fullerton Cove

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (41% vs 51%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Fullerton Cove leaves renters under less rental stress (28% vs 36%)
  • Williamtown has a bigger rental market to choose from (14% vs 1%)

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

Commuting to the city

Williamtown

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (24/100 vs 12/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (176 km vs 178.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Fullerton Cove

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (28% vs 4%)
  • carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 87/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (63% vs 37%)
  • But Williamtown has more GPs (2 vs 0)

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

Investors

Fullerton Cove

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (29.9% vs -13.9%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
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.

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Walkability 12 / 24
Fullerton Cove — Walkability: 12/100 Williamtown — Walkability: 24/100
Safety 49 / 13
Fullerton Cove — Safety: 49/100 Williamtown — Safety: 13/100
Low fire risk 50 / 31
Fullerton Cove — Low fire risk: 50/100 Williamtown — Low fire risk: 31/100

Demographics

Fullerton Cove skews older (69 vs 56); Fullerton Cove has higher household incomes ($55,224 vs $46,228).

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Population 735 762
+4% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +29.9% -13.9%
Median age 69 56
Median household income $55,224/yr
+16% vs other
 $46,228/yr
Median weekly rent $300/wk $320/wk
+7% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
0-4 1.1% / 3.5%
Fullerton Cove — 0-4: 1.1% Williamtown — 0-4: 3.5%
5-14 4.8% / 6.3%
Fullerton Cove — 5-14: 4.8% Williamtown — 5-14: 6.3%
15-19 2.4% / 4.7%
Fullerton Cove — 15-19: 2.4% Williamtown — 15-19: 4.7%
20-24 1.9% / 7.7%
Fullerton Cove — 20-24: 1.9% Williamtown — 20-24: 7.7%
25-34 3.1% / 7.5%
Fullerton Cove — 25-34: 3.1% Williamtown — 25-34: 7.5%
35-44 3.4% / 7.0%
Fullerton Cove — 35-44: 3.4% Williamtown — 35-44: 7.0%
45-54 5.7% / 11.8%
Fullerton Cove — 45-54: 5.7% Williamtown — 45-54: 11.8%
55-64 13.5% / 13.8%
Fullerton Cove — 55-64: 13.5% Williamtown — 55-64: 13.8%
65-74 36.5% / 19.6%
Fullerton Cove — 65-74: 36.5% Williamtown — 65-74: 19.6%
75-84 23.9% / 13.5%
Fullerton Cove — 75-84: 23.9% Williamtown — 75-84: 13.5%
85+ 2.4% / 3.9%
Fullerton Cove — 85+: 2.4% Williamtown — 85+: 3.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (36.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Fullerton Cove 55.6% lone person
Fullerton Cove — Lone Person: 55.6% Fullerton Cove — Couple Families: 26.7% Fullerton Cove — One Parent Families: 12.6% Fullerton Cove — Group Household: 5.2% Fullerton Cove — Other Families: 0.0%
Williamtown 60.6% lone person
Williamtown — Lone Person: 60.6% Williamtown — Couple Families: 24.5% Williamtown — One Parent Families: 11.1% Williamtown — Group Household: 1.9% Williamtown — Other Families: 1.9%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Fullerton Cove 1.4% renting
Fullerton Cove — Owned Outright: 80.4% Fullerton Cove — Mortgage: 18.2% Fullerton Cove — Renting: 1.4%
Williamtown 14.0% renting
Williamtown — Owned Outright: 66.7% Williamtown — Mortgage: 19.3% Williamtown — Renting: 14.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Certificate III & IV 17.6% / 21.4%
Fullerton Cove — Certificate III & IV: 17.6% Williamtown — Certificate III & IV: 21.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.5% / 5.4%
Fullerton Cove — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.5% Williamtown — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.4%
Bachelor Degree 9.3% / 5.6%
Fullerton Cove — Bachelor Degree: 9.3% Williamtown — Bachelor Degree: 5.6%
Postgraduate Degree 2.3% / 0.9%
Fullerton Cove — Postgraduate Degree: 2.3% Williamtown — Postgraduate Degree: 0.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.4% / 1.2%
Fullerton Cove — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4% Williamtown — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.4%).

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.

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
England 6.9% / 5.2%
Fullerton Cove — England: 6.9% Williamtown — England: 5.2%
New Zealand 1.4% / 1.2%
Fullerton Cove — New Zealand: 1.4% Williamtown — New Zealand: 1.2%
Germany 1.2% / 0.7%
Fullerton Cove — Germany: 1.2% Williamtown — Germany: 0.7%
Malaysia — / 0.8%
Fullerton Cove — Malaysia: not among its largest Williamtown — Malaysia: 0.8%
Scotland — / 0.8%
Fullerton Cove — Scotland: not among its largest Williamtown — Scotland: 0.8%
Netherlands 0.5% / —
Fullerton Cove — Netherlands: 0.5% Williamtown — Netherlands: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Fullerton Cove 72.3% houses
Fullerton Cove — Houses: 72.3% Fullerton Cove — Townhouses: 25.8% Fullerton Cove — Flats / Apartments: 1.9%
Williamtown 96.4% houses
Williamtown — Houses: 96.4% Williamtown — Townhouses: 1.9% Williamtown — Flats / Apartments: 1.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Median house price $1,208,750 $1,100,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $1,250,000

Zoning mix

Fullerton Cove has more rural and farming land (64% vs 39%); Fullerton Cove has more land zoned for conservation (33% vs 17%).

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Rural and farming 64% 39%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 43%
Environmental 33% 17%
Commercial 0% 2%
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

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
New dwellings approved 495
across Port Stephens
same for both
Approvals change year on year -72%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
House price Higher than 57% of NSW Higher than 33% of NSW
Income Higher than 15% of NSW Higher than 7% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 17% of NSW Higher than 25% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 59% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 66% of NSW

Liveability

Williamtown is more walkable (24 vs 12); Fullerton Cove scores higher overall (34 vs 18).

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Grade C D
Score 34/100 18/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Williamtown carries more crime risk (87 vs 51); Williamtown carries more bushfire risk (69 vs 50).

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Bushfire Moderate
50/100
 Moderate
69/100
Crime Moderate
51/100
 High
87/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
66/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise High
70/100
 High
100/100
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
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

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Cafes & restaurants 0 3
Parks & reserves 1 0
GPs 0 2
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 0 2
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 0 6

Mobility

Fullerton Cove sits further from the CBD (178.3 km vs 176 km).

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Walkability score 12/100 24/100
Distance to Sydney 178.3 km
+1% vs other
 176 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 134 min 133 min
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 39.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 75.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2318
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 79
postcode 2318
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.

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Car (driver) 65.0% / 68.9%
Fullerton Cove — Car (driver): 65.0% Williamtown — Car (driver): 68.9%
Worked from Home 24.4% / 21.5%
Fullerton Cove — Worked from Home: 24.4% Williamtown — Worked from Home: 21.5%
Car (passenger) 8.1% / 3.2%
Fullerton Cove — Car (passenger): 8.1% Williamtown — Car (passenger): 3.2%
Walked Only 2.4% / 6.4%
Fullerton Cove — Walked Only: 2.4% Williamtown — Walked Only: 6.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.9%).

Setting

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Elevation 0 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.1 km 3.8 km

NBN connectivity

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Connectivity score 60/100 49/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 37%
347 premises
 9%
548 premises

Climate

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Annual rainfall 1,181 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.7°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
PM2.5 7.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 30.4 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.73 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Average residential rate $1,359/yr
same for both
Council Port Stephens
same for both

Federal electorate

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Division Paterson
same for both
Member Meryl Swanson
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Fullerton Cove Williamtown
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Fullerton Cove

Coastal Retirees Rural Townhouses

Williamtown

Quiet Retirees River Rural

More comparisons

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Other comparisons with Williamtown

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Full data on Fullerton Cove Full data on Williamtown
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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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