Myrtle Creek vs Ellangowan
Ellangowan is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 60 in Myrtle Creek. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Myrtle Creek: a median of $835,000, against $740,000 in Ellangowan, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Myrtle Creek tends to suit 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
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
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Myrtle Creek leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 22%)
- Ellangowan has cheaper houses ($740,000 vs $835,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Ellangowan
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 34%)
- has cheaper rent ($243/wk vs $290/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Myrtle Creek
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (462 min vs 473 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (684.7 km vs 696.4 km)
- But Ellangowan is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Myrtle Creek has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 18%)
- Ellangowan is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Myrtle Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (7.0% vs -3.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Myrtle Creek and Ellangowan 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
Ellangowan has more residents (318 vs 92); Ellangowan has higher household incomes ($71,500 vs $44,200).
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 92 | 318 +246% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +7.0% | -3.0% |
| Median age | 60 | 47 |
| Median household income | $44,200/yr | $71,500/yr +62% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $290/wk +16% vs other | $243/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.2%).
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 (20.7%).
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 (4.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $835,000 | $740,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $84,250 | — |
Zoning mix
Ellangowan has more land zoned for conservation (20% vs 1%); Myrtle Creek has more rural and farming land (99% vs 80%).
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 80% |
| Environmental | 1% | 20% |
| 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
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 24 across Richmond Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -78% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 37% of NSW | Higher than 29% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 6% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 24% of NSW | Higher than 55% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 19% of NSW | Higher than 61% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 20% of NSW | Higher than 16% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 13% of NSW | Higher than 31% of NSW |
Liveability
Ellangowan is more walkable (8 vs 0).
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 80/100 | High 82/100 |
| Crime | High 88/100 | High 81/100 |
| 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
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 same for both | |
| Waterways | 15 | 10 |
Mobility
Ellangowan sits further from the CBD (696.4 km vs 684.7 km).
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 8/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 684.7 km | 696.4 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 462 min | 473 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2469 | 0.2% postcode 2470 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 61 postcode 2469 | 67 postcode 2470 |
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 (80.9%).
Setting
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 47 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 34 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 35.2 km | 35.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 21/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 17 premises | 0% 122 premises |
Climate
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,408 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,282/yr same for both | |
| Council | Richmond Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Myrtle Creek | Ellangowan | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Myrtle Creek
Other comparisons with Ellangowan
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.