Gulmarrad vs James Creek

Gulmarrad is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 52 in James Creek. 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 James Creek: a median of $1.26 million, against $955,000 in Gulmarrad, though rent is higher in Gulmarrad. On these figures, Gulmarrad tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while James Creek suits couples.

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

Gulmarrad

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 28/100)
  • But James Creek is already more of a family suburb (88% vs 75%)

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

First-home buyers

Gulmarrad

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($955,000 vs $1,257,500)
  • has cheaper land ($435,000 vs $545,000)
  • But James Creek leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 29%)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

James Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (24% vs 35%)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

They split

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

  • Gulmarrad sits closer to the CBD (645.9 km vs 649.3 km)
  • James Creek is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Gulmarrad carries lower crime risk (15/100 vs 28/100)
  • James Creek is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)

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

Investors

James Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (21.8% vs 15.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Gulmarrad James Creek
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.

Gulmarrad James Creek
Walkability 0 / 8
Gulmarrad — Walkability: 0/100 James Creek — Walkability: 8/100
Safety 85 / 72
Gulmarrad — Safety: 85/100 James Creek — Safety: 72/100
Low fire risk 28 / 79
Gulmarrad — Low fire risk: 28/100 James Creek — Low fire risk: 79/100

Demographics

Gulmarrad has more residents (1,950 vs 257); James Creek has higher household incomes ($92,248 vs $67,704).

Gulmarrad James Creek
Population 1,950
+87% vs other
 257
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +15.1% +21.8%
Median age 49 52
Median household income $67,704/yr $92,248/yr
+36% vs other
Median weekly rent $450/wk
+6% vs other
 $423/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Gulmarrad James Creek
0-4 4.7% / 5.1%
Gulmarrad — 0-4: 4.7% James Creek — 0-4: 5.1%
5-14 13.2% / 13.6%
Gulmarrad — 5-14: 13.2% James Creek — 5-14: 13.6%
15-19 5.6% / 2.3%
Gulmarrad — 15-19: 5.6% James Creek — 15-19: 2.3%
20-24 3.5% / 5.4%
Gulmarrad — 20-24: 3.5% James Creek — 20-24: 5.4%
25-34 6.5% / 5.4%
Gulmarrad — 25-34: 6.5% James Creek — 25-34: 5.4%
35-44 10.4% / 12.5%
Gulmarrad — 35-44: 10.4% James Creek — 35-44: 12.5%
45-54 12.2% / 12.1%
Gulmarrad — 45-54: 12.2% James Creek — 45-54: 12.1%
55-64 16.6% / 18.7%
Gulmarrad — 55-64: 16.6% James Creek — 55-64: 18.7%
65-74 19.9% / 20.2%
Gulmarrad — 65-74: 19.9% James Creek — 65-74: 20.2%
75-84 6.8% / 5.4%
Gulmarrad — 75-84: 6.8% James Creek — 75-84: 5.4%
85+ 0.8% / 3.5%
Gulmarrad — 85+: 0.8% James Creek — 85+: 3.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Gulmarrad 62.3% couple families
Gulmarrad — Couple Families: 62.3% Gulmarrad — Lone Person: 19.6% Gulmarrad — One Parent Families: 13.1% Gulmarrad — Group Household: 4.2% Gulmarrad — Other Families: 0.8%
James Creek 76.2% couple families
James Creek — Couple Families: 76.2% James Creek — Lone Person: 11.9% James Creek — One Parent Families: 11.9% James Creek — Group Household: 0.0% James Creek — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Gulmarrad 5.1% renting
Gulmarrad — Owned Outright: 56.3% Gulmarrad — Mortgage: 38.6% Gulmarrad — Renting: 5.1%
James Creek 0.0% renting
James Creek — Owned Outright: 66.3% James Creek — Mortgage: 33.7% James Creek — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Gulmarrad James Creek
Certificate III & IV 22.9% / 18.3%
Gulmarrad — Certificate III & IV: 22.9% James Creek — Certificate III & IV: 18.3%
Bachelor Degree 8.6% / 10.1%
Gulmarrad — Bachelor Degree: 8.6% James Creek — Bachelor Degree: 10.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.0% / 8.2%
Gulmarrad — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.0% James Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.6% / 2.7%
Gulmarrad — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6% James Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.7%
Postgraduate Degree 1.5% / 2.7%
Gulmarrad — Postgraduate Degree: 1.5% James Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.9%).

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.

Gulmarrad James Creek
England 3.7% / 3.1%
Gulmarrad — England: 3.7% James Creek — England: 3.1%
New Zealand 1.7% / 1.6%
Gulmarrad — New Zealand: 1.7% James Creek — New Zealand: 1.6%
South Africa 0.4% / 2.3%
Gulmarrad — South Africa: 0.4% James Creek — South Africa: 2.3%
Germany 0.4% / 1.6%
Gulmarrad — Germany: 0.4% James Creek — Germany: 1.6%
Scotland 0.5% / —
Gulmarrad — Scotland: 0.5% James Creek — Scotland: not among its largest
Philippines 0.4% / —
Gulmarrad — Philippines: 0.4% James Creek — Philippines: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Gulmarrad 99.6% houses
Gulmarrad — Houses: 99.6% Gulmarrad — Flats / Apartments: 0.4%
James Creek 97.6% houses
James Creek — Houses: 97.6% James Creek — Flats / Apartments: 2.4%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Gulmarrad James Creek
Median house price $955,000 $1,257,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $435,000 $545,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 48 days
from 32 sales
 —

Zoning mix

James Creek has more land zoned for conservation (35% vs 7%); Gulmarrad has more rural and farming land (63% vs 41%).

Gulmarrad James Creek
Rural and farming 63% 41%
Environmental 7% 35%
Residential 27% 22%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 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

Gulmarrad James Creek
New dwellings approved 246
across Clarence Valley
same for both
Approvals change year on year -80%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Gulmarrad James Creek
House price Higher than 52% of NSW Higher than 55% of NSW
Income Higher than 30% of NSW Higher than 59% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 34% of NSW Higher than 53% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 33% of NSW Higher than 54% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 27% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 94% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW

Liveability

James Creek is more walkable (8 vs 0).

Gulmarrad James Creek
Grade D —
Score 29/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Gulmarrad carries more bushfire risk (72 vs 21); James Creek carries more crime risk (28 vs 15).

Gulmarrad James Creek
Bushfire High
72/100
 Low
21/100
Crime Low
15/100
 Low
28/100
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 1
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Gulmarrad James Creek
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Gulmarrad

  • Gulmarrad Public School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in James Creek

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

Amenities in the suburb

Gulmarrad James Creek
Waterways 3 1

Mobility

James Creek sits further from the CBD (649.3 km vs 645.9 km).

Gulmarrad James Creek
Walkability score 0/100 8/100
Distance to Sydney 645.9 km 649.3 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 421 min
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 2463
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 70
postcode 2463
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.

Gulmarrad James Creek
Car (driver) 80.3% / 75.6%
Gulmarrad — Car (driver): 80.3% James Creek — Car (driver): 75.6%
Worked from Home 12.3% / 15.9%
Gulmarrad — Worked from Home: 12.3% James Creek — Worked from Home: 15.9%
Car (passenger) 5.6% / 4.9%
Gulmarrad — Car (passenger): 5.6% James Creek — Car (passenger): 4.9%
Walked Only 1.3% / 3.7%
Gulmarrad — Walked Only: 1.3% James Creek — Walked Only: 3.7%
Bicycle 0.6% / —
Gulmarrad — Bicycle: 0.6% James Creek — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.3%).

Setting

Gulmarrad James Creek
Elevation 27 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 12 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 10.9 km 5.7 km

NBN connectivity

Gulmarrad James Creek
Connectivity score 89/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 64%
903 premises
 0%
89 premises

Climate

Gulmarrad James Creek
Annual rainfall 1,408 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Gulmarrad James Creek
Average residential rate $1,380/yr
same for both
Council Clarence Valley
same for both

Federal electorate

Gulmarrad James Creek
Division Page
same for both
Member Kevin Hogan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Gulmarrad James Creek
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Gulmarrad

Acreage Retirees

James Creek

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Gulmarrad

Gulmarrad vs Maclean Gulmarrad vs Townsend Gulmarrad vs South Arm Gulmarrad vs Tyndale Gulmarrad vs Palmers Channel Gulmarrad vs Taloumbi

Other comparisons with James Creek

James Creek vs Maclean James Creek vs Townsend James Creek vs Harwood James Creek vs Palmers Channel
Full data on Gulmarrad Full data on James Creek
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or