Lower Pappinbarra vs Pipeclay
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lower Pappinbarra, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Pipeclay: a median of $1.2 million, against $898,000 in Lower Pappinbarra, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Lower Pappinbarra tends to suit couples and buyers on a tighter budget, while Pipeclay suits people living alone and families with children.
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
Lower Pappinbarra
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 58/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (71% vs 58%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Lower Pappinbarra has cheaper houses ($897,500 vs $1,200,000)
- Pipeclay leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 31%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Lower Pappinbarra
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($131/wk vs $400/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 25%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Lower Pappinbarra
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (276 min vs 302 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (392.6 km vs 397.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Lower Pappinbarra
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 58/100)
- is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
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 18.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Lower Pappinbarra 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 rents higher ($400/wk vs $131/wk); Pipeclay has higher household incomes ($84,500 vs $58,500).
| Lower Pappinbarra | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 136 +25% vs other | 102 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +18.3% | +59.4% |
| Median age | 51 same for both | |
| Median household income | $58,500/yr | $84,500/yr +44% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $131/wk | $400/wk +205% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.6%).
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 (3.9%).
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 (25.7%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Lower Pappinbarra | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $897,500 | $1,200,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Lower Pappinbarra | 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
| Lower Pappinbarra | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 546 across Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +33% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Lower Pappinbarra | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 42% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 19% of NSW | Higher than 52% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 63% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 32% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 49% of NSW | Higher than 50% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 4% of NSW | Higher than 39% of NSW |
Liveability
Lower Pappinbarra is more walkable (14 vs 0).
| Lower Pappinbarra | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Pipeclay carries more crime risk (58 vs 0); Lower Pappinbarra carries more bushfire risk (93 vs 60).
| Lower Pappinbarra | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 93/100 | Moderate 60/100 |
| Crime | None 0/100 | 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
| Lower Pappinbarra | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Lower Pappinbarra | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 1 | 3 |
Mobility
Pipeclay sits further from the CBD (397.3 km vs 392.6 km).
| Lower Pappinbarra | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 14/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 392.6 km | 397.3 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 276 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 (71.7%).
Setting
| Lower Pappinbarra | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 49 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 28 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 27.0 km | 30.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Lower Pappinbarra | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 27/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 32 premises | 0% 35 premises |
Climate
| Lower Pappinbarra | 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
| Lower Pappinbarra | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,325/yr same for both | |
| Council | Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Lower Pappinbarra | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Lower Pappinbarra | Pipeclay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Pipeclay
More comparisons
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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.