Hydes Creek vs Valery
Hydes Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 57 in Valery. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Hydes Creek, most households are couple families. In Valery, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Hydes Creek tends to suit families with children, couples, and older residents, while Valery suits 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Hydes Creek is already more of a family suburb (78% vs 50%)
- Valery carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 71/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Valery
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (12% vs 24%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Valery
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($209/wk vs $309/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Valery
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (344 min vs 349 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (516.2 km vs 522.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Hydes Creek has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 17%)
- Valery carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 71/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Where they sit
Hydes Creek and Valery 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
Hydes Creek has more residents (155 vs 53); Hydes Creek rents higher ($309/wk vs $209/wk).
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 155 +66% vs other | 53 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | — same for both | |
| Median age | 41 | 57 |
| Median household income | $106,600/yr +24% vs other | $81,224/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $309/wk +32% vs other | $209/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.5%).
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 (7.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $3,300,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Valery has more land zoned for conservation (41% vs 1%); Hydes Creek has more rural and farming land (96% vs 58%).
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 96% | 58% |
| Environmental | 1% | 41% |
| Residential | 2% | 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
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 40 across Bellingen same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +12% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 95% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 72% of NSW | Higher than 49% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 53% of NSW same for both | |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 3% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 79% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 42% of NSW | Higher than 24% of NSW |
Liveability
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Valery carries more bushfire risk (23 vs 0); Hydes Creek carries more crime risk (71 vs 38).
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 23/100 |
| Crime | High 71/100 | Low 38/100 |
| 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
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 | 6 |
Mobility
Hydes Creek sits further from the CBD (522.3 km vs 516.2 km).
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 8/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 522.3 km +1% vs other | 516.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 349 min | 344 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.9% postcode 2454 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 70 postcode 2454 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 (77.8%).
Setting
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 52 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 44 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 12.8 km | 10.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 16/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 58 premises | 0% 20 premises |
Climate
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,827 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 4.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 10.8 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.22 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,592/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bellingen same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper same for both | |
| Member | Pat Conaghan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hydes Creek | Valery | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Hydes Creek
Other comparisons with Valery
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.