Grassy Head vs Way Way

Way Way is the younger of the two, with a median age of 55 against 59 in Grassy Head. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Way Way, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Grassy Head: a median of $1.35 million, against $1.05 million in Way Way, though rent is higher in Way Way. On these figures, Way Way tends to suit 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

Grassy Head

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (60/100 vs 72/100)

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

First-home buyers

Way Way

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 34%)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,050,000 vs $1,350,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Grassy Head

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (31% vs 8%)
  • has cheaper rent ($288/wk vs $360/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Grassy Head

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (468.7 km vs 473 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Grassy Head

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (60/100 vs 72/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Grassy Head Way Way
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.

Grassy Head Way Way
Walkability 0 / 0
Grassy Head — Walkability: 0/100 Way Way — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 40 / 28
Grassy Head — Safety: 40/100 Way Way — Safety: 28/100
Low fire risk 23 / 40
Grassy Head — Low fire risk: 23/100 Way Way — Low fire risk: 40/100

Demographics

Way Way has more residents (265 vs 85); Way Way rents higher ($360/wk vs $288/wk).

Grassy Head Way Way
Population 85 265
+212% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.2% +10.9%
Median age 59 55
Median household income $58,448/yr $71,500/yr
+22% vs other
Median weekly rent $288/wk $360/wk
+25% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Grassy Head Way Way
0-4 — / 4.5%
Grassy Head — 0-4: not among its largest Way Way — 0-4: 4.5%
5-14 — / 8.7%
Grassy Head — 5-14: not among its largest Way Way — 5-14: 8.7%
15-19 5.9% / 6.4%
Grassy Head — 15-19: 5.9% Way Way — 15-19: 6.4%
20-24 — / 1.5%
Grassy Head — 20-24: not among its largest Way Way — 20-24: 1.5%
25-34 10.6% / 9.4%
Grassy Head — 25-34: 10.6% Way Way — 25-34: 9.4%
35-44 7.1% / 6.8%
Grassy Head — 35-44: 7.1% Way Way — 35-44: 6.8%
45-54 9.4% / 14.3%
Grassy Head — 45-54: 9.4% Way Way — 45-54: 14.3%
55-64 32.9% / 25.7%
Grassy Head — 55-64: 32.9% Way Way — 55-64: 25.7%
65-74 22.4% / 20.4%
Grassy Head — 65-74: 22.4% Way Way — 65-74: 20.4%
75-84 4.7% / 4.2%
Grassy Head — 75-84: 4.7% Way Way — 75-84: 4.2%
85+ — / —
Grassy Head — 85+: not among its largest Way Way — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (32.9%).

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.

Grassy Head Way Way
England 4.7% / 2.6%
Grassy Head — England: 4.7% Way Way — England: 2.6%
New Zealand — / 1.1%
Grassy Head — New Zealand: not among its largest Way Way — New Zealand: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Grassy Head 42.9% lone person
Grassy Head — Lone Person: 42.9% Grassy Head — Couple Families: 38.1% Grassy Head — One Parent Families: 19.0%
Way Way 46.0% lone person
Way Way — Lone Person: 46.0% Way Way — Couple Families: 44.0% Way Way — One Parent Families: 10.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Grassy Head 90.6% houses
Grassy Head — Houses: 90.6% Grassy Head — Flats / Apartments: 9.4%
Way Way 100.0% houses
Way Way — Houses: 100.0% Way Way — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Grassy Head Way Way
Bachelor Degree 24.7% / 14.3%
Grassy Head — Bachelor Degree: 24.7% Way Way — Bachelor Degree: 14.3%
Certificate III & IV 11.8% / 20.4%
Grassy Head — Certificate III & IV: 11.8% Way Way — Certificate III & IV: 20.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.4% / 10.2%
Grassy Head — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.4% Way Way — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.2%
Postgraduate Degree 7.1% / 2.6%
Grassy Head — Postgraduate Degree: 7.1% Way Way — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 1.5%
Grassy Head — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Way Way — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.7%).

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Grassy Head 31.0% renting
Grassy Head — Owned Outright: 48.3% Grassy Head — Mortgage: 20.7% Grassy Head — Renting: 31.0%
Way Way 7.9% renting
Way Way — Owned Outright: 50.6% Way Way — Mortgage: 41.6% Way Way — Renting: 7.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Property market

Grassy Head Way Way
Median house price $1,350,000 $1,050,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $770,000

Zoning mix

Way Way has more rural and farming land (62% vs 26%); Grassy Head has more land zoned for conservation (69% vs 34%).

Grassy Head Way Way
Environmental 69% 34%
Rural and farming 26% 62%
Parks and recreation 5% 0%
Residential 0% 4%
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

Grassy Head Way Way
New dwellings approved 144
across Kempsey
 109
across Nambucca Valley
Approvals change year on year +380% -64%

Ranking within NSW

Grassy Head Way Way
House price Higher than 69% of NSW Higher than 54% of NSW
Income Higher than 18% of NSW Higher than 36% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 8% of NSW Higher than 7% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 11% of NSW Higher than 36% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 35% of NSW Higher than 33% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 41% of NSW
same for both

Liveability

Grassy Head Way Way
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Grassy Head carries more bushfire risk (77 vs 60); Way Way carries more crime risk (72 vs 60).

Grassy Head Way Way
Bushfire High
77/100
 Moderate
60/100
Crime Moderate
60/100
 High
72/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion High
72/100
 Low
15/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Grassy Head Way Way
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

Grassy Head Way Way
Parks & reserves 0 2
Beaches 3 0
Waterways 6 12

Mobility

Way Way sits further from the CBD (473 km vs 468.7 km).

Grassy Head Way Way
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 468.7 km 473 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 318 min 322 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 2441
 0.3%
postcode 2447
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 72
postcode 2441
 62
postcode 2447

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.

Grassy Head Way Way
Car (driver) 50.0% / 62.6%
Grassy Head — Car (driver): 50.0% Way Way — Car (driver): 62.6%
Worked from Home 35.7% / 30.8%
Grassy Head — Worked from Home: 35.7% Way Way — Worked from Home: 30.8%
Walked Only 14.3% / 3.3%
Grassy Head — Walked Only: 14.3% Way Way — Walked Only: 3.3%
Car (passenger) — / 3.3%
Grassy Head — Car (passenger): not among its largest Way Way — Car (passenger): 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (62.6%).

Setting

Grassy Head Way Way
Elevation 34 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 156 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.0 km
1.0 km to a named beach
 5.5 km

NBN connectivity

Grassy Head Way Way
Connectivity score 28/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
33 premises
 0%
106 premises

Council rates

Grassy Head Way Way
Average residential rate $1,447/yr $1,175/yr
Council Kempsey Nambucca Valley

Federal electorate

Grassy Head Way Way
Division Cowper
same for both
Member Pat Conaghan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Grassy Head Way Way
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Grassy Head

Beach Coastal Retirees Rural

Way Way

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Grassy Head

Grassy Head vs Stuarts Point Grassy Head vs Yarrahapinni

Other comparisons with Way Way

Way Way vs Macksville Way Way vs Scotts Head Way Way vs Gumma Way Way vs Eungai Creek Way Way vs Congarinni Way Way vs Warrell Creek
Full data on Grassy Head Full data on Way Way
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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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