Great Marlow vs Ulmarra
In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Great Marlow: a median of $825,000, against $635,000 in Ulmarra, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Ulmarra 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
Great Marlow
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (63/100 vs 76/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (62% vs 53%)
- But Ulmarra 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
Ulmarra
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($635,000 vs $825,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Ulmarra
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($260/wk vs $345/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Great Marlow sits closer to the CBD (616.9 km vs 621.8 km)
- Ulmarra is more walkable (14/100 vs 4/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Great Marlow carries lower crime risk (63/100 vs 76/100)
- Ulmarra is more walkable (14/100 vs 4/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, 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
Great Marlow and Ulmarra drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Ulmarra has more residents (749 vs 184); Great Marlow has higher household incomes ($72,748 vs $51,168).
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 184 | 749 +307% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.0% | -3.9% |
| Median age | 50 | 49 |
| Median household income | $72,748/yr +30% vs other | $51,168/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $345/wk +25% vs other | $260/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.3%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $825,000 | $635,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 26 days from 13 sales |
Zoning mix
Great Marlow has more land zoned for conservation (17% vs 6%); Ulmarra has more rural and farming land (93% vs 82%).
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 82% | 93% |
| Environmental | 17% | 6% |
| 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
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 246 across Clarence Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -80% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 36% of NSW | Higher than 17% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 39% of NSW | Higher than 12% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 45% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 55% of NSW | Higher than 60% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 18% of NSW | Higher than 21% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 70% of NSW | Higher than 50% of NSW |
Liveability
Ulmarra is more walkable (14 vs 4).
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 18/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
Ulmarra carries more bushfire risk (32 vs 16); Ulmarra carries more crime risk (76 vs 63).
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 16/100 | Low 32/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 63/100 | High 76/100 |
| 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
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Great Marlow
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Ulmarra
- Ulmarra Public School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 | 10 |
Mobility
Ulmarra sits further from the CBD (621.8 km vs 616.9 km).
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 4/100 | 14/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 616.9 km | 621.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 413 min | 411 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2460 | 0.2% postcode 2462 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 60 postcode 2460 | 55 postcode 2462 |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (81.7%).
Setting
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre same for both | |
| Distance to the ocean | 32.4 km | 25.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 60/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the curb | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 11% 83 premises | 0% 358 premises |
Climate
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,060 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 8.3°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,380/yr same for both | |
| Council | Clarence Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Great Marlow | Ulmarra | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Great Marlow
Other comparisons with Ulmarra
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.