Lorne vs Upsalls Creek
Upsalls Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 53 in Lorne. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lorne, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Lorne tends to suit couples, while Upsalls Creek 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
- Lorne is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 57%)
- Upsalls Creek carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 76/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Lorne
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 27%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Upsalls Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($290/wk vs $315/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Lorne
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (20/100 vs 5/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (349.4 km vs 362.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Lorne is more walkable (20/100 vs 5/100)
- Upsalls Creek carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 76/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Lorne
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (4.1% vs -1.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Lorne and Upsalls Creek 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
Lorne has more residents (277 vs 116); Lorne has higher household incomes ($80,184 vs $71,500).
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 277 +58% vs other | 116 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.1% | -1.7% |
| Median age | 53 | 49 |
| Median household income | $80,184/yr +11% vs other | $71,500/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $315/wk +8% vs other | $290/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.4%).
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 (23.3%).
Property market
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $985,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 546 across Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +33% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 50% of NSW | — |
| Income | — | Higher than 36% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 70% of NSW | Higher than 47% of NSW |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 38% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 30% of NSW | Higher than 42% of NSW |
Liveability
Lorne is more walkable (20 vs 5).
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Lorne carries more crime risk (76 vs 28).
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 50/100 | Moderate 57/100 |
| Crime | High 76/100 | Low 28/100 |
| 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
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 13 | 1 |
Mobility
Upsalls Creek sits further from the CBD (362.4 km vs 349.4 km).
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 20/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 349.4 km | 362.4 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 245 min | 248 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2439 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 86 postcode 2439 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 (85.4%).
Setting
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 33 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 55 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 18.4 km | 15.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 21/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 47 premises | 0% 56 premises |
Climate
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,331 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,325/yr same for both | |
| Council | Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Lorne | Upsalls Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Lorne
Other comparisons with Upsalls Creek
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.