Main Arm vs Upper Burringbar

Main Arm is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 49 in Upper Burringbar. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Main Arm, about half of households are couple families. In Upper Burringbar, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Main Arm: a median of $2.05 million, against $1.65 million in Upper Burringbar, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Main Arm tends to suit couples, while Upper Burringbar suits people living alone, older residents, and 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

  • Main Arm is already more of a family suburb (66% vs 42%)
  • Upper Burringbar carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 58/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Upper Burringbar

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,650,000 vs $2,050,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Upper Burringbar

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $450/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Main Arm

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (499 min vs 515 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (772.4 km vs 784.7 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Upper Burringbar

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (20/100 vs 58/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 16%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Main Arm

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (9.2% vs 3.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Main Arm and Upper Burringbar drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Walkability 16 / 10
Main Arm — Walkability: 16/100 Upper Burringbar — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 42 / 80
Main Arm — Safety: 42/100 Upper Burringbar — Safety: 80/100
Low fire risk 40 / 29
Main Arm — Low fire risk: 40/100 Upper Burringbar — Low fire risk: 29/100

Demographics

Main Arm has more residents (640 vs 289); Main Arm has higher household incomes ($72,956 vs $54,184).

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Population 640
+55% vs other
 289
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.2% +3.6%
Median age 45 49
Median household income $72,956/yr
+26% vs other
 $54,184/yr
Median weekly rent $450/wk
+22% vs other
 $350/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
0-4 4.5% / 3.5%
Main Arm — 0-4: 4.5% Upper Burringbar — 0-4: 3.5%
5-14 12.0% / 7.3%
Main Arm — 5-14: 12.0% Upper Burringbar — 5-14: 7.3%
15-19 5.6% / 3.1%
Main Arm — 15-19: 5.6% Upper Burringbar — 15-19: 3.1%
20-24 2.5% / 5.9%
Main Arm — 20-24: 2.5% Upper Burringbar — 20-24: 5.9%
25-34 10.3% / 17.3%
Main Arm — 25-34: 10.3% Upper Burringbar — 25-34: 17.3%
35-44 12.5% / 9.0%
Main Arm — 35-44: 12.5% Upper Burringbar — 35-44: 9.0%
45-54 15.6% / 12.8%
Main Arm — 45-54: 15.6% Upper Burringbar — 45-54: 12.8%
55-64 19.8% / 20.1%
Main Arm — 55-64: 19.8% Upper Burringbar — 55-64: 20.1%
65-74 13.3% / 18.3%
Main Arm — 65-74: 13.3% Upper Burringbar — 65-74: 18.3%
75-84 2.5% / 6.2%
Main Arm — 75-84: 2.5% Upper Burringbar — 75-84: 6.2%
85+ 0.6% / —
Main Arm — 85+: 0.6% Upper Burringbar — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Main Arm 50.9% couple families
Main Arm — Couple Families: 50.9% Main Arm — Lone Person: 26.7% Main Arm — One Parent Families: 15.5% Main Arm — Group Household: 6.9%
Upper Burringbar 28.8% couple families
Upper Burringbar — Couple Families: 28.8% Upper Burringbar — Lone Person: 46.6% Upper Burringbar — One Parent Families: 13.7% Upper Burringbar — Group Household: 11.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Main Arm 20.0% renting
Main Arm — Owned Outright: 52.6% Main Arm — Mortgage: 27.4% Main Arm — Renting: 20.0%
Upper Burringbar 26.4% renting
Upper Burringbar — Owned Outright: 40.6% Upper Burringbar — Mortgage: 33.0% Upper Burringbar — Renting: 26.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Certificate III & IV 13.0% / 14.5%
Main Arm — Certificate III & IV: 13.0% Upper Burringbar — Certificate III & IV: 14.5%
Bachelor Degree 13.8% / 13.1%
Main Arm — Bachelor Degree: 13.8% Upper Burringbar — Bachelor Degree: 13.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.1% / 8.7%
Main Arm — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1% Upper Burringbar — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7%
Postgraduate Degree 3.8% / 2.8%
Main Arm — Postgraduate Degree: 3.8% Upper Burringbar — Postgraduate Degree: 2.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.7% / 3.1%
Main Arm — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7% Upper Burringbar — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.5%).

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.

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
England 3.1% / 3.5%
Main Arm — England: 3.1% Upper Burringbar — England: 3.5%
New Zealand 2.5% / 2.4%
Main Arm — New Zealand: 2.5% Upper Burringbar — New Zealand: 2.4%
Japan — / 2.1%
Main Arm — Japan: not among its largest Upper Burringbar — Japan: 2.1%
Germany 1.2% / —
Main Arm — Germany: 1.2% Upper Burringbar — Germany: not among its largest
France 1.2% / —
Main Arm — France: 1.2% Upper Burringbar — France: not among its largest
Italy — / 1.0%
Main Arm — Italy: not among its largest Upper Burringbar — Italy: 1.0%
Malaysia 0.8% / —
Main Arm — Malaysia: 0.8% Upper Burringbar — Malaysia: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Main Arm 96.6% houses
Main Arm — Houses: 96.6% Main Arm — Townhouses: 3.4%
Upper Burringbar 100.0% houses
Upper Burringbar — Houses: 100.0% Upper Burringbar — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses

Property market

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Median house price $2,050,000 $1,650,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Main Arm has more land zoned for conservation (26% vs 1%); Upper Burringbar has more rural and farming land (79% vs 69%).

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Rural and farming 69% 79%
Environmental 26% 1%
Other and special use 6% 21%
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

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
New dwellings approved 129
across Byron
 331
across Tweed
Approvals change year on year -65% -50%

Ranking within NSW

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
House price Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 50% of NSW
Income Higher than 40% of NSW Higher than 14% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 66% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 6% of NSW Higher than 21% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 85% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 46% of NSW Higher than 29% of NSW

Liveability

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Grade D —
Score 28/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Main Arm carries more crime risk (58 vs 20); Upper Burringbar carries more bushfire risk (71 vs 60).

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Bushfire Moderate
60/100
 High
71/100
Crime Moderate
58/100
 Low
20/100
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

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
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

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Waterways 4 3

Mobility

Upper Burringbar sits further from the CBD (784.7 km vs 772.4 km).

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Walkability score 16/100 10/100
Distance to Sydney 772.4 km 784.7 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 499 min 515 min
Electric vehicle share 1.5%
postcode 2482
 1.2%
postcode 2483
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 89
postcode 2482
 72
postcode 2483

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.

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Car (driver) 64.0% / 72.4%
Main Arm — Car (driver): 64.0% Upper Burringbar — Car (driver): 72.4%
Worked from Home 28.0% / 20.4%
Main Arm — Worked from Home: 28.0% Upper Burringbar — Worked from Home: 20.4%
Walked Only 3.7% / 4.1%
Main Arm — Walked Only: 3.7% Upper Burringbar — Walked Only: 4.1%
Car (passenger) 4.2% / 3.1%
Main Arm — Car (passenger): 4.2% Upper Burringbar — Car (passenger): 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.4%).

Setting

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Elevation 32 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 116 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 11.2 km 12.9 km

NBN connectivity

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Connectivity score 29/100 20/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
222 premises
 0%
136 premises

Climate

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Annual rainfall 1,569 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.1°C
same for both

Council rates

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Average residential rate $1,577/yr $1,745/yr
Council Byron Tweed

Federal electorate

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Division Richmond
same for both
Member Justine Elliot
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Main Arm Upper Burringbar
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Main Arm

Acreage

Upper Burringbar

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Main Arm

Main Arm vs Mullumbimby Main Arm vs Mullumbimby Creek Main Arm vs Upper Main Arm Main Arm vs The Pocket Main Arm vs Middle Pocket Main Arm vs Palmwoods

Other comparisons with Upper Burringbar

Upper Burringbar vs Burringbar Upper Burringbar vs Stokers Siding Upper Burringbar vs Smiths Creek Upper Burringbar vs Crabbes Creek Upper Burringbar vs Middle Pocket Upper Burringbar vs Chowan Creek
Full data on Main Arm Full data on Upper Burringbar
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

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