Manobalai vs Bunnan

Bunnan is the younger of the two, with a median age of 53 against 56 in Manobalai. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Manobalai, most households are couple families. In Bunnan, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Manobalai tends to suit couples.

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

Manobalai

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 61/100)

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

First-home buyers

Bunnan

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 40%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Manobalai leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 19%)
  • Bunnan has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $253/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Manobalai

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (216 min vs 237 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (282 km vs 298.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Manobalai

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 61/100)

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

Investors

Manobalai

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (13.4% vs -6.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Manobalai Bunnan
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.

Manobalai Bunnan
Walkability 0 / 0
Manobalai — Walkability: 0/100 Bunnan — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 59 / 39
Manobalai — Safety: 59/100 Bunnan — Safety: 39/100
Low fire risk 59 / 71
Manobalai — Low fire risk: 59/100 Bunnan — Low fire risk: 71/100

Demographics

Manobalai has higher household incomes ($95,316 vs $40,768); Manobalai rents higher ($253/wk vs $150/wk).

Manobalai Bunnan
Population 76 94
+24% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +13.4% -6.0%
Median age 56 53
Median household income $95,316/yr
+57% vs other
 $40,768/yr
Median weekly rent $253/wk
+41% vs other
 $150/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Manobalai Bunnan
0-4 — / 8.5%
Manobalai — 0-4: not among its largest Bunnan — 0-4: 8.5%
5-14 10.5% / 6.4%
Manobalai — 5-14: 10.5% Bunnan — 5-14: 6.4%
15-19 6.6% / 4.3%
Manobalai — 15-19: 6.6% Bunnan — 15-19: 4.3%
20-24 7.9% / 4.3%
Manobalai — 20-24: 7.9% Bunnan — 20-24: 4.3%
25-34 — / 13.8%
Manobalai — 25-34: not among its largest Bunnan — 25-34: 13.8%
35-44 9.2% / 8.5%
Manobalai — 35-44: 9.2% Bunnan — 35-44: 8.5%
45-54 18.4% / 8.5%
Manobalai — 45-54: 18.4% Bunnan — 45-54: 8.5%
55-64 23.7% / 20.2%
Manobalai — 55-64: 23.7% Bunnan — 55-64: 20.2%
65-74 13.2% / 19.1%
Manobalai — 65-74: 13.2% Bunnan — 65-74: 19.1%
75-84 17.1% / 8.5%
Manobalai — 75-84: 17.1% Bunnan — 75-84: 8.5%
85+ — / —
Manobalai — 85+: not among its largest Bunnan — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Manobalai 66.7% couple families
Manobalai — Couple Families: 66.7% Manobalai — Lone Person: 33.3% Manobalai — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Bunnan 50.0% couple families
Bunnan — Couple Families: 50.0% Bunnan — Lone Person: 36.4% Bunnan — One Parent Families: 13.6%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Manobalai 12.5% renting
Manobalai — Owned Outright: 75.0% Manobalai — Mortgage: 12.5% Manobalai — Renting: 12.5%
Bunnan 20.6% renting
Bunnan — Owned Outright: 52.9% Bunnan — Mortgage: 26.5% Bunnan — Renting: 20.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Manobalai 100.0% houses
Manobalai — Houses: 100.0% Manobalai — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Bunnan 90.5% houses
Bunnan — Houses: 90.5% Bunnan — Flats / Apartments: 9.5%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Manobalai Bunnan
Certificate III & IV 22.4% / 19.1%
Manobalai — Certificate III & IV: 22.4% Bunnan — Certificate III & IV: 19.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.3% / 6.4%
Manobalai — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.3% Bunnan — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.4%
Bachelor Degree 5.3% / —
Manobalai — Bachelor Degree: 5.3% Bunnan — Bachelor Degree: not among its largest
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 3.2%
Manobalai — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Bunnan — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.4%).

Property market

Manobalai Bunnan
Median house price — $270,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $106,800

Zoning mix

Bunnan has more rural and farming land (100% vs 57%); Manobalai has more land zoned for conservation (43% vs 0%).

Manobalai Bunnan
Rural and farming 57% 100%
Environmental 43% 0%
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

Manobalai Bunnan
New dwellings approved 71
across Muswellbrook
 41
across Upper Hunter
Approvals change year on year +13% -20%

Ranking within NSW

Manobalai Bunnan
House price — Higher than 6% of NSW
Income Higher than 62% of NSW Higher than 5% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 33% of NSW Higher than 26% of NSW
Affordability — Higher than 87% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 16% of NSW Higher than 14% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 17% of NSW Higher than 14% of NSW

Liveability

Manobalai Bunnan
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Bunnan carries more crime risk (61 vs 41); Manobalai carries more bushfire risk (41 vs 29).

Manobalai Bunnan
Bushfire Moderate
41/100
 Low
29/100
Crime Moderate
41/100
 Moderate
61/100
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

Manobalai Bunnan
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

Manobalai Bunnan
Parks & reserves 1 0
Waterways 20 30

Mobility

Bunnan sits further from the CBD (298.9 km vs 282 km).

Manobalai Bunnan
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 282 km 298.9 km
+6% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 216 min 237 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 2333
 0.2%
postcode 2337
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 42
postcode 2333
 41
postcode 2337

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.

Manobalai Bunnan
Car (driver) 57.7% / 67.6%
Manobalai — Car (driver): 57.7% Bunnan — Car (driver): 67.6%
Worked from Home 42.3% / 17.6%
Manobalai — Worked from Home: 42.3% Bunnan — Worked from Home: 17.6%
Walked Only — / 14.7%
Manobalai — Walked Only: not among its largest Bunnan — Walked Only: 14.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (67.6%).

Setting

Manobalai Bunnan
Elevation 340 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 313 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Manobalai Bunnan
Connectivity score 15/100
same for both
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
24 premises
 0%
46 premises

Climate

Manobalai Bunnan
Annual rainfall 631 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 31.6°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 4.1°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Manobalai Bunnan
PM2.5 — 4.4 µg/m³
PM10 15.5 µg/m³ 13.6 µg/m³
NO₂ — 0.31 pphm

Council rates

Manobalai Bunnan
Average residential rate $936/yr $968/yr
Council Muswellbrook Upper Hunter

Federal electorate

Manobalai Bunnan
Division New England
same for both
Member Barnaby Joyce
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Manobalai Bunnan
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Manobalai

Retirees Rural

Bunnan

Retirees Rural Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Manobalai

Manobalai vs Giants Creek Manobalai vs Castle Rock Manobalai vs Wybong Manobalai vs Owens Gap

Other comparisons with Bunnan

Bunnan vs Merriwa Bunnan vs Giants Creek Bunnan vs Owens Gap
Full data on Manobalai Full data on Bunnan
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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.

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