Gulmarrad vs Palmers Channel
Gulmarrad is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 52 in Palmers Channel. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Palmers Channel tends to suit people living alone.
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)
- is already more of a family suburb (75% vs 55%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Palmers Channel
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $450/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (29% vs 35%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Gulmarrad
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (15.1% vs -3.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Gulmarrad and Palmers Channel 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
Gulmarrad has more residents (1,950 vs 115); Gulmarrad rents higher ($450/wk vs $350/wk).
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,950 +94% vs other | 115 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +15.1% | -3.4% |
| Median age | 49 | 52 |
| Median household income | $67,704/yr +8% vs other | $62,348/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $450/wk +22% vs other | $350/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).
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 (5.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $955,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $435,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 48 days from 32 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Palmers Channel has more land zoned for conservation (24% vs 7%); Palmers Channel has more rural and farming land (76% vs 63%).
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 63% | 76% |
| Residential | 27% | 0% |
| Environmental | 7% | 24% |
| 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
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 246 across Clarence Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -80% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 52% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 30% of NSW | Higher than 25% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 34% of NSW | Higher than 14% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 33% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 27% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 94% of NSW | Higher than 53% of NSW |
Liveability
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 29/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Gulmarrad carries more bushfire risk (72 vs 0).
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 72/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 15/100 | Low 17/100 |
| 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 same for both | |
Schools
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Palmers Channel
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 3 | 0 |
Mobility
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 645.9 km | 647.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 421 min | 423 min |
| 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.3%).
Setting
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 27 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 10.9 km | 5.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 89/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 64% 903 premises | 0% 52 premises |
Climate
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,408 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,380/yr same for both | |
| Council | Clarence Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Gulmarrad | Palmers Channel | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Gulmarrad
Other comparisons with Palmers Channel
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.