North Macksville vs Wirrimbi

Wirrimbi is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 53 in North Macksville. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In North Macksville, about half of households are people living alone. In Wirrimbi, most households are couple families. On these figures, North Macksville tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Wirrimbi suits families with children and 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

Wirrimbi

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 80/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 50%)

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

First-home buyers

Wirrimbi

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 38%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

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

  • North Macksville has cheaper rent ($340/wk vs $415/wk)
  • Wirrimbi leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 37%)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • North Macksville has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 12%)
  • Wirrimbi carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 80/100)

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

Investors

Wirrimbi

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (97.5% vs 11.9%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

North Macksville Wirrimbi
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.

North Macksville Wirrimbi
Walkability 21 / 19
North Macksville — Walkability: 21/100 Wirrimbi — Walkability: 19/100
Safety 20 / 87
North Macksville — Safety: 20/100 Wirrimbi — Safety: 87/100
Low fire risk 55 / 100
North Macksville — Low fire risk: 55/100 Wirrimbi — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

North Macksville has more residents (669 vs 160); Wirrimbi has higher household incomes ($111,800 vs $47,632).

North Macksville Wirrimbi
Population 669
+76% vs other
 160
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +11.9% +97.5%
Median age 53 39
Median household income $47,632/yr $111,800/yr
+135% vs other
Median weekly rent $340/wk $415/wk
+22% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

North Macksville Wirrimbi
0-4 4.2% / 3.8%
North Macksville — 0-4: 4.2% Wirrimbi — 0-4: 3.8%
5-14 11.7% / 17.5%
North Macksville — 5-14: 11.7% Wirrimbi — 5-14: 17.5%
15-19 4.8% / 8.8%
North Macksville — 15-19: 4.8% Wirrimbi — 15-19: 8.8%
20-24 3.6% / 3.1%
North Macksville — 20-24: 3.6% Wirrimbi — 20-24: 3.1%
25-34 8.1% / 10.6%
North Macksville — 25-34: 8.1% Wirrimbi — 25-34: 10.6%
35-44 7.6% / 9.4%
North Macksville — 35-44: 7.6% Wirrimbi — 35-44: 9.4%
45-54 10.6% / 15.0%
North Macksville — 45-54: 10.6% Wirrimbi — 45-54: 15.0%
55-64 16.6% / 10.0%
North Macksville — 55-64: 16.6% Wirrimbi — 55-64: 10.0%
65-74 16.1% / 10.0%
North Macksville — 65-74: 16.1% Wirrimbi — 65-74: 10.0%
75-84 12.3% / 1.9%
North Macksville — 75-84: 12.3% Wirrimbi — 75-84: 1.9%
85+ 5.2% / —
North Macksville — 85+: 5.2% Wirrimbi — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

North Macksville 28.3% couple families
North Macksville — Couple Families: 28.3% North Macksville — Lone Person: 48.2% North Macksville — One Parent Families: 21.5% North Macksville — Group Household: 2.1%
Wirrimbi 62.9% couple families
Wirrimbi — Couple Families: 62.9% Wirrimbi — Lone Person: 20.0% Wirrimbi — One Parent Families: 17.1% Wirrimbi — Group Household: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

North Macksville 18.1% renting
North Macksville — Owned Outright: 59.2% North Macksville — Mortgage: 22.7% North Macksville — Renting: 18.1%
Wirrimbi 11.6% renting
Wirrimbi — Owned Outright: 39.5% Wirrimbi — Mortgage: 48.8% Wirrimbi — Renting: 11.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

North Macksville Wirrimbi
Certificate III & IV 17.2% / 18.8%
North Macksville — Certificate III & IV: 17.2% Wirrimbi — Certificate III & IV: 18.8%
Bachelor Degree 7.5% / 13.1%
North Macksville — Bachelor Degree: 7.5% Wirrimbi — Bachelor Degree: 13.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 1.9%
North Macksville — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Wirrimbi — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 1.9%
Postgraduate Degree 0.7% / 2.5%
North Macksville — Postgraduate Degree: 0.7% Wirrimbi — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.6% / —
North Macksville — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.6% Wirrimbi — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.8%).

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.

North Macksville Wirrimbi
England 3.1% / 1.9%
North Macksville — England: 3.1% Wirrimbi — England: 1.9%
Nepal — / 3.1%
North Macksville — Nepal: not among its largest Wirrimbi — Nepal: 3.1%
New Zealand 1.3% / —
North Macksville — New Zealand: 1.3% Wirrimbi — New Zealand: not among its largest
India 0.4% / —
North Macksville — India: 0.4% Wirrimbi — India: not among its largest
Italy 0.4% / —
North Macksville — Italy: 0.4% Wirrimbi — Italy: not among its largest
Germany 0.4% / —
North Macksville — Germany: 0.4% Wirrimbi — Germany: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

North Macksville 79.6% houses
North Macksville — Houses: 79.6% North Macksville — Townhouses: 0.0% North Macksville — Flats / Apartments: 20.4%
Wirrimbi 83.7% houses
Wirrimbi — Houses: 83.7% Wirrimbi — Townhouses: 23.3% Wirrimbi — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

North Macksville Wirrimbi
Median house price $818,158 $790,000
Median unit price $265,000 —
Median land price $1,075,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 68 days
from 3 sales
 —

Zoning mix

North Macksville has more land zoned for conservation (27% vs 9%); Wirrimbi has more rural and farming land (64% vs 48%).

North Macksville Wirrimbi
Rural and farming 48% 64%
Environmental 27% 9%
Residential 21% 27%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 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

North Macksville Wirrimbi
New dwellings approved 109
across Nambucca Valley
same for both
Approvals change year on year -64%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

North Macksville Wirrimbi
House price Higher than 41% of NSW Higher than 33% of NSW
Income Higher than 9% of NSW Higher than 77% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 69% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 20% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 33% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 62% of NSW

Liveability

North Macksville Wirrimbi
Grade D —
Score 20/100 —
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

North Macksville carries more bushfire risk (45 vs 0); North Macksville carries more crime risk (80 vs 13).

North Macksville Wirrimbi
Bushfire Moderate
45/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
80/100
 Low
13/100
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 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

North Macksville Wirrimbi
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

North Macksville Wirrimbi
Parks & reserves 2 0
Hospitals 1 0
Waterways 14 2

Mobility

North Macksville Wirrimbi
Walkability score 21/100 19/100
Distance to Sydney 477 km 477.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 315 min
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 2447
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 62
postcode 2447
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.

North Macksville Wirrimbi
Car (driver) 76.6% / 66.2%
North Macksville — Car (driver): 76.6% Wirrimbi — Car (driver): 66.2%
Worked from Home 9.2% / 21.1%
North Macksville — Worked from Home: 9.2% Wirrimbi — Worked from Home: 21.1%
Car (passenger) 10.3% / 12.7%
North Macksville — Car (passenger): 10.3% Wirrimbi — Car (passenger): 12.7%
Walked Only 3.8% / —
North Macksville — Walked Only: 3.8% Wirrimbi — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.6%).

Setting

North Macksville Wirrimbi
Elevation 21 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 22 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.7 km 6.6 km

NBN connectivity

North Macksville Wirrimbi
Connectivity score 55/100 30/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 25%
388 premises
 0%
54 premises

Council rates

North Macksville Wirrimbi
Average residential rate $1,175/yr
same for both
Council Nambucca Valley
same for both

Federal electorate

North Macksville Wirrimbi
Division Cowper
same for both
Member Pat Conaghan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

North Macksville Wirrimbi
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

North Macksville

Retirees Rural

Wirrimbi

Professionals Rural Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with North Macksville

North Macksville vs Nambucca Heads North Macksville vs Macksville North Macksville vs Gumma North Macksville vs Newee Creek North Macksville vs Congarinni North

Other comparisons with Wirrimbi

Wirrimbi vs Newee Creek Wirrimbi vs Congarinni North Wirrimbi vs Tewinga
Full data on North Macksville Full data on Wirrimbi
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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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