Gum Scrub vs Marlo Merrican
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Gum Scrub, about half of households are couple families. In Marlo Merrican, most households are couple families. On these figures, Marlo Merrican tends to suit 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
Marlo Merrican
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (63/100 vs 73/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Gum Scrub
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (29% vs 40%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Marlo Merrican
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $400/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Gum Scrub
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (411.5 km vs 422.7 km)
- has a shorter drive in (294 min vs 300 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Gum Scrub has more residents already 65 and over (13% vs 7%)
- Marlo Merrican carries lower crime risk (63/100 vs 73/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Gum Scrub
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-0.8% vs -14.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Gum Scrub and Marlo Merrican 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
Gum Scrub has more residents (121 vs 60); Gum Scrub has higher household incomes ($82,316 vs $49,348).
| Gum Scrub | Marlo Merrican | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 121 +50% vs other | 60 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -0.8% | -14.3% |
| Median age | 44 | 43 |
| Median household income | $82,316/yr +40% vs other | $49,348/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $400/wk +38% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.7%).
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 (10.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.4%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
Gum Scrub has more rural and farming land (84% vs 42%); Marlo Merrican has more land zoned for conservation (58% vs 16%).
| Gum Scrub | Marlo Merrican | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 84% | 42% |
| Environmental | 16% | 58% |
| 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
| Gum Scrub | Marlo Merrican | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 546 across Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +33% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Gum Scrub | Marlo Merrican | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 50% of NSW | Higher than 11% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 29% of NSW | Higher than 36% of NSW |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 35% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 58% of NSW | Higher than 28% of NSW |
Liveability
| Gum Scrub | Marlo Merrican | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Marlo Merrican carries more bushfire risk (92 vs 60); Gum Scrub carries more crime risk (73 vs 63).
| Gum Scrub | Marlo Merrican | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 60/100 | High 92/100 |
| Crime | High 73/100 | Moderate 63/100 |
| 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
| Gum Scrub | Marlo Merrican | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Gum Scrub | Marlo Merrican | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 2 | 3 |
Mobility
Marlo Merrican sits further from the CBD (422.7 km vs 411.5 km).
| Gum Scrub | Marlo Merrican | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 411.5 km | 422.7 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 294 min | 300 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2441 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 72 postcode 2441 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 (81.5%).
Setting
| Gum Scrub | Marlo Merrican | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 45 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 142 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 22 km | 27.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Gum Scrub | Marlo Merrican | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 18/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 52 premises | 0% 25 premises |
Climate
| Gum Scrub | Marlo Merrican | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 2,842 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Gum Scrub | Marlo Merrican | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,325/yr same for both | |
| Council | Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Gum Scrub | Marlo Merrican | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper | Lyne |
| Member | Pat Conaghan | Alison Penfold |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Gum Scrub | Marlo Merrican | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Gum Scrub
Other comparisons with Marlo Merrican
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.