Mooneba vs Sherwood

Mooneba is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 55 in Sherwood. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mooneba, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Mooneba tends to suit 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

Too close to call

Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

First-home buyers

Mooneba

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 32%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

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

  • Mooneba has a bigger rental market to choose from (24% vs 9%)
  • Sherwood has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $350/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Sherwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a shorter drive in (293 min vs 299 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Sherwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 28%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.

Investors

Sherwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (0.7% vs -12.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Mooneba Sherwood
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.

Mooneba Sherwood
Walkability 5 / 5
Mooneba — Walkability: 5/100 Sherwood — Walkability: 5/100
Low fire risk 50 / 35
Mooneba — Low fire risk: 50/100 Sherwood — Low fire risk: 35/100

Demographics

Sherwood has more residents (145 vs 71); Mooneba rents higher ($350/wk vs $300/wk).

Mooneba Sherwood
Population 71 145
+104% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -12.3% +0.7%
Median age 50 55
Median household income $67,132/yr $67,756/yr
Median weekly rent $350/wk
+14% vs other
 $300/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Mooneba Sherwood
0-4 8.5% / 2.8%
Mooneba — 0-4: 8.5% Sherwood — 0-4: 2.8%
5-14 14.1% / 8.3%
Mooneba — 5-14: 14.1% Sherwood — 5-14: 8.3%
15-19 — / 6.9%
Mooneba — 15-19: not among its largest Sherwood — 15-19: 6.9%
20-24 12.7% / —
Mooneba — 20-24: 12.7% Sherwood — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 5.6% / 6.2%
Mooneba — 25-34: 5.6% Sherwood — 25-34: 6.2%
35-44 8.5% / 4.8%
Mooneba — 35-44: 8.5% Sherwood — 35-44: 4.8%
45-54 7.0% / 16.6%
Mooneba — 45-54: 7.0% Sherwood — 45-54: 16.6%
55-64 18.3% / 22.1%
Mooneba — 55-64: 18.3% Sherwood — 55-64: 22.1%
65-74 11.3% / 20.7%
Mooneba — 65-74: 11.3% Sherwood — 65-74: 20.7%
75-84 16.9% / 10.3%
Mooneba — 75-84: 16.9% Sherwood — 75-84: 10.3%
85+ — / 3.4%
Mooneba — 85+: not among its largest Sherwood — 85+: 3.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Mooneba 45.5% couple families
Mooneba — Couple Families: 45.5% Mooneba — One Parent Families: 27.3% Mooneba — Lone Person: 27.3% Mooneba — Group Household: 0.0%
Sherwood 41.4% couple families
Sherwood — Couple Families: 41.4% Sherwood — One Parent Families: 24.1% Sherwood — Lone Person: 20.7% Sherwood — Group Household: 13.8%
Couple Families One Parent Families Lone Person Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Mooneba 24.0% renting
Mooneba — Owned Outright: 44.0% Mooneba — Mortgage: 32.0% Mooneba — Renting: 24.0%
Sherwood 8.9% renting
Sherwood — Owned Outright: 71.4% Sherwood — Mortgage: 19.6% Sherwood — Renting: 8.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Mooneba 100.0% houses
Mooneba — Houses: 100.0% Mooneba — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Sherwood 94.7% houses
Sherwood — Houses: 94.7% Sherwood — Flats / Apartments: 5.3%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Mooneba Sherwood
Certificate III & IV 16.9% / 22.8%
Mooneba — Certificate III & IV: 16.9% Sherwood — Certificate III & IV: 22.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.6% / 9.0%
Mooneba — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.6% Sherwood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.0%
Bachelor Degree 4.2% / 6.9%
Mooneba — Bachelor Degree: 4.2% Sherwood — Bachelor Degree: 6.9%
Postgraduate Degree 7.0% / —
Mooneba — Postgraduate Degree: 7.0% Sherwood — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).

Property market

Mooneba Sherwood
Median house price — $860,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Mooneba Sherwood
Rural and farming 90% 95%
Environmental 10% 5%
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

Mooneba Sherwood
New dwellings approved 144
across Kempsey
same for both
Approvals change year on year +380%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Mooneba Sherwood
House price — Higher than 40% of NSW
Income Higher than 29% of NSW Higher than 30% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 45% of NSW Higher than 49% of NSW
Affordability — Higher than 46% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 7% of NSW Higher than 8% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 49% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW

Liveability

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

Risk profile

Sherwood carries more bushfire risk (65 vs 50).

Mooneba Sherwood
Bushfire Moderate
50/100
 Moderate
65/100
Crime None
0/100
 —
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

Mooneba Sherwood
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

Mooneba Sherwood
Cafes & restaurants 0 1
Waterways 2 3

Mobility

Mooneba Sherwood
Walkability score 5/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 436.5 km 435 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 299 min 293 min
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 2440
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 53
postcode 2440
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.

Mooneba Sherwood
Car (driver) 85.0% / 64.9%
Mooneba — Car (driver): 85.0% Sherwood — Car (driver): 64.9%
Worked from Home 15.0% / 15.8%
Mooneba — Worked from Home: 15.0% Sherwood — Worked from Home: 15.8%
Walked Only — / 10.5%
Mooneba — Walked Only: not among its largest Sherwood — Walked Only: 10.5%
Car (passenger) — / 8.8%
Mooneba — Car (passenger): not among its largest Sherwood — Car (passenger): 8.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (85.0%).

Setting

Mooneba Sherwood
Elevation 36 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 48 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 29.6 km 27.7 km

NBN connectivity

Mooneba Sherwood
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
30 premises
 0%
60 premises

Council rates

Mooneba Sherwood
Average residential rate $1,447/yr
same for both
Council Kempsey
same for both

Federal electorate

Mooneba Sherwood
Division Cowper
same for both
Member Pat Conaghan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Mooneba Sherwood
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Mooneba

Family Retirees Rural

Sherwood

Retirees River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Mooneba

Mooneba vs Yarravel Mooneba vs Turners Flat Mooneba vs Skillion Flat

Other comparisons with Sherwood

Sherwood vs Aldavilla Sherwood vs Yarravel Sherwood vs Dondingalong Sherwood vs Turners Flat Sherwood vs Yessabah
Full data on Mooneba Full data on Sherwood
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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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