Marlo Merrican vs Upper Rollands Plains
In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Marlo Merrican, most households are couple families. On these figures, Marlo Merrican tends to suit couples, while Upper Rollands Plains suits families with children and older residents.
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
Upper Rollands Plains
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 63/100)
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Upper Rollands Plains
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (30% vs 40%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Marlo Merrican
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $320/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Upper Rollands Plains
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (289 min vs 300 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (418.3 km vs 422.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Upper Rollands Plains
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 63/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 7%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Upper Rollands Plains
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (2.0% vs -14.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Marlo Merrican and Upper Rollands Plains 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
Upper Rollands Plains has more residents (150 vs 60); Upper Rollands Plains has higher household incomes ($69,836 vs $49,348).
| Marlo Merrican | Upper Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 60 | 150 +150% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -14.3% | +2.0% |
| Median age | 43 | 44 |
| Median household income | $49,348/yr | $69,836/yr +42% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk | $320/wk +28% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.0%).
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 (18.3%).
Zoning mix
Upper Rollands Plains has more rural and farming land (93% vs 42%); Marlo Merrican has more land zoned for conservation (58% vs 7%).
| Marlo Merrican | Upper Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 42% | 93% |
| Environmental | 58% | 7% |
| 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
| Marlo Merrican | Upper Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 546 across Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +33% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Marlo Merrican | Upper Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 11% of NSW | Higher than 33% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 36% of NSW | Higher than 50% of NSW |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 35% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 28% of NSW | Higher than 34% of NSW |
Liveability
| Marlo Merrican | Upper Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Marlo Merrican carries more crime risk (63 vs 12).
| Marlo Merrican | Upper Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 92/100 | High 85/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 63/100 | Low 12/100 |
| 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
| Marlo Merrican | Upper Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Marlo Merrican
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Upper Rollands Plains
- Rollands Plains Upper Public School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Marlo Merrican | Upper Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 3 | 5 |
Mobility
Marlo Merrican sits further from the CBD (422.7 km vs 418.3 km).
| Marlo Merrican | Upper Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 6/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 422.7 km +1% vs other | 418.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 300 min | 289 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2441 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 72 postcode 2441 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 (63.3%).
Setting
| Marlo Merrican | Upper Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 142 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 79 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 27.1 km | 31.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Marlo Merrican | Upper Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 18/100 | 24/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 25 premises | 0% 52 premises |
Climate
| Marlo Merrican | Upper Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Marlo Merrican | Upper Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,325/yr same for both | |
| Council | Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Marlo Merrican | Upper Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Marlo Merrican | Upper Rollands Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Marlo Merrican
Other comparisons with Upper Rollands Plains
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.