North Star vs Croppa Creek
In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In North Star, about half of households are couple families. In Croppa Creek, the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, North Star tends to suit people living alone, while Croppa Creek suits 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
North Star
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (61/100 vs 84/100)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (98% vs 79%)
- But Croppa Creek is already more of a family suburb (79% vs 57%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
Renters
North Star
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($140/wk vs $200/wk)
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (40% vs 29%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- North Star sits closer to the CBD (680.9 km vs 693.9 km)
- Croppa Creek has a shorter drive in (492 min vs 504 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- North Star carries lower crime risk (61/100 vs 84/100)
- Croppa Creek has more units and townhouses to downsize into (21% vs 2%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
North Star
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-7.0% vs -13.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
North Star and Croppa Creek 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
North Star has more residents (214 vs 104); Croppa Creek rents higher ($200/wk vs $140/wk).
| North Star | Croppa Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 214 +51% vs other | 104 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -7.0% | -13.3% |
| Median age | 38 same for both | |
| Median household income | $92,872/yr | $125,632/yr +35% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $140/wk | $200/wk +43% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (4.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| North Star | Croppa Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $240,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| North Star | Croppa Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| 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 Star | Croppa Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 15 across Gwydir same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| North Star | Croppa Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 5% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 87% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 22% of NSW | Higher than 39% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 98% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 26% of NSW | Higher than 21% of NSW |
Liveability
| North Star | Croppa Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
North Star carries more bushfire risk (15 vs 0); Croppa Creek carries more crime risk (84 vs 61).
| North Star | Croppa Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 15/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 61/100 | High 84/100 |
| 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
| North Star | Croppa Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in North Star
- North Star Public School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Croppa Creek
- Croppa Creek Public School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| North Star | Croppa Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 same for both | |
| Fuel stations | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 7 | 3 |
Mobility
Croppa Creek sits further from the CBD (693.9 km vs 680.9 km).
| North Star | Croppa Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 680.9 km | 693.9 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 504 min | 492 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2408 | — |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 42 postcode 2408 | — |
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 (75.5%).
Setting
| North Star | Croppa Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 280 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 271 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| North Star | Croppa Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 17/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 45 premises | 0% 21 premises |
Council rates
| North Star | Croppa Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $825/yr same for both | |
| Council | Gwydir same for both | |
Federal electorate
| North Star | Croppa Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| North Star | Croppa Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
North Star
Croppa Creek
More comparisons
Other comparisons with North Star
Other comparisons with Croppa Creek
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.