Lake Innes vs Sancrox
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 Lake Innes: a median of $1.55 million, against $1.25 million in Sancrox. On these figures, Sancrox 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
Lake Innes
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (61/100 vs 71/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (86% vs 76%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Sancrox
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,250,000 vs $1,554,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Lake Innes
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (18% vs 6%)
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
- Lake Innes sits closer to the CBD (377.6 km vs 382.4 km)
- Sancrox is more walkable (14/100 vs 6/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Lake Innes carries lower crime risk (61/100 vs 71/100)
- Sancrox is more walkable (14/100 vs 6/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Lake Innes
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (16.2% vs 5.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Lake Innes and Sancrox 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
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 495 | 602 +22% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +16.2% | +5.2% |
| Median age | 44 | 45 |
| Median household income | $115,128/yr +7% vs other | $106,600/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $400/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.3%).
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 (4.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,554,000 | $1,250,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $856,250 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 69 days from 4 sales |
Zoning mix
Lake Innes has more land zoned for conservation (49% vs 8%); Sancrox has more rural and farming land (74% vs 48%).
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 48% | 74% |
| Environmental | 49% | 8% |
| Residential | 1% | 12% |
| Industrial | 0% | 4% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 3% |
| 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
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 546 across Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +33% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 70% of NSW | Higher than 37% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 79% of NSW | Higher than 72% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 50% of NSW | Higher than 63% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 51% of NSW | Higher than 80% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 50% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 57% of NSW | Higher than 64% of NSW |
Liveability
Sancrox is more walkable (14 vs 6).
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 31/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Lake Innes carries more bushfire risk (67 vs 54); Sancrox carries more crime risk (71 vs 61).
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 67/100 | Moderate 54/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 61/100 | High 71/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Low 33/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 13 | 9 |
Mobility
Sancrox sits further from the CBD (382.4 km vs 377.6 km).
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 6/100 | 14/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 377.6 km | 382.4 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 257 min same for both | |
| Public transport score | 21/100 Bus | 22/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 3.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 4.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 5 min scheduled, not actual | 2 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2446 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 69 postcode 2446 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 (77.0%).
Setting
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 19 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 5.4 km | 8.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 39/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 188 premises | 13% 277 premises |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.1 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 11.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.92 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,325/yr same for both | |
| Council | Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Lake Innes | Sancrox | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Lake Innes
Other comparisons with Sancrox
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.