Lower Portland vs Maroota
Maroota is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 46 in Lower Portland. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lower Portland, most households are couple families. In Maroota, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Lower Portland: a median of $2.6 million, against $2.35 million in Maroota, though rent is higher in Maroota.
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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Maroota
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($2,350,000 vs $2,595,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Maroota
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (22% vs 8%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Maroota
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (64 km vs 83.6 km)
- has a shorter drive in (67 min vs 81 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Lower Portland
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (20.7% vs -0.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Lower Portland and Maroota 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
Lower Portland skews older (46 vs 41).
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 711 +13% vs other | 616 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +20.7% | -0.2% |
| Median age | 46 | 41 |
| Median household income | $102,180/yr | $108,108/yr +6% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $400/wk | $430/wk +8% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.7%).
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 (20.1%).
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 (3.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $2,595,000 | $2,350,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $1,050,000 | — |
Zoning mix
Lower Portland has more land zoned for conservation (40% vs 14%); Maroota has more rural and farming land (85% vs 60%).
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 60% | 85% |
| Environmental | 40% | 14% |
| 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 Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 459 across Hawkesbury | 2,648 across The Hills |
| Approvals change year on year | +3% | -4% |
Ranking within NSW
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 86% of NSW | Higher than 70% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 70% of NSW | Higher than 74% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 66% of NSW | Higher than 69% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 16% of NSW | Higher than 46% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 47% of NSW | Higher than 48% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 41% of NSW | Higher than 43% of NSW |
Liveability
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C same for both | |
| Score | 36/100 | 38/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Lower Portland carries more bushfire risk (89 vs 77).
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 89/100 | High 77/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 42/100 | Moderate 51/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Lower Portland
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Maroota
- Maroota Public School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 14 | 5 |
Mobility
Lower Portland sits further from the CBD (83.6 km vs 64 km).
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 16/100 | 19/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 83.6 km +23% vs other | 64 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 81 min | 67 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2756 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 46 postcode 2756 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 (61.4%).
Setting
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 4 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 184 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 34.0 km | 24.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 279 premises | 0% 208 premises |
Climate
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 806 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.3 µg/m³ | 6.1 µg/m³ |
| PM10 | 14.5 µg/m³ | 15.5 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | 0.23 pphm | 0.53 pphm |
Council rates
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,650/yr | $1,204/yr |
| Council | Hawkesbury | The Hills |
Federal electorate
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Macquarie | Berowra |
| Member | Susan Templeman | Julian Leeser |
| Party | Australian Labor Party | Liberal |
First Home Owner Grant
| Lower Portland | Maroota | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Lower Portland
Other comparisons with Maroota
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.