Long Flat vs Pipeclay
Long Flat is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 51 in Pipeclay. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Pipeclay: a median of $1.2 million, against $500,000 in Long Flat, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Long Flat 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Long Flat has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- Pipeclay carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 88/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Long Flat
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($500,000 vs $1,200,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Long Flat has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $400/wk)
- Pipeclay leaves renters under less rental stress (25% vs 31%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Long Flat
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (47/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (280 min vs 302 min)
- But Pipeclay sits closer to the CBD (397.3 km vs 402.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Long Flat is more walkable (47/100 vs 0/100)
- Pipeclay carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 88/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Pipeclay
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (59.4% vs -9.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Long Flat and Pipeclay 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
Pipeclay has higher household incomes ($84,500 vs $50,648); Pipeclay rents higher ($400/wk vs $300/wk).
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 112 +9% vs other | 102 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -9.7% | +59.4% |
| Median age | 47 | 51 |
| Median household income | $50,648/yr | $84,500/yr +67% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk | $400/wk +33% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (25.5%).
Property market
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $500,000 | $1,200,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| 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
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 546 across Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +33% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 15% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| Income | — | Higher than 52% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 80% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 50% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 58% of NSW | Higher than 39% of NSW |
Liveability
Long Flat is more walkable (47 vs 0).
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Pipeclay carries more bushfire risk (60 vs 23); Long Flat carries more crime risk (88 vs 58).
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 23/100 | Moderate 60/100 |
| Crime | High 88/100 | Moderate 58/100 |
| 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
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Long Flat
- Long Flat Public School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Pipeclay
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 4 | 3 |
Mobility
Long Flat sits further from the CBD (402.5 km vs 397.3 km).
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 47/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 402.5 km +1% vs other | 397.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 280 min | 302 min |
| 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 (70.9%).
Setting
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 65 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 28 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 36.5 km | 30.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 27/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 60 premises | 0% 35 premises |
Climate
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,325/yr same for both | |
| Council | Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Long Flat | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Long Flat
Pipeclay
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Long Flat
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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.