Nowley vs Spring Plains
Spring Plains is the younger of the two, with a median age of 34 against 42 in Nowley. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Nowley, the large majority of households are couple families. In Spring Plains, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Nowley tends to suit 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
Nowley
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 33/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 48%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
Renters
Nowley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($45/wk vs $100/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Spring Plains
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (427 min vs 434 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (600 km vs 604.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Nowley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 33/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Spring Plains
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-2.7% vs -28.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Nowley and Spring 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
Spring Plains rents higher ($100/wk vs $45/wk); Spring Plains has more residents (73 vs 50).
| Nowley | Spring Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 50 | 73 +46% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -28.6% | -2.7% |
| Median age | 42 | 34 |
| Median household income | $110,500/yr +22% vs other | $86,632/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $45/wk | $100/wk +122% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.0%).
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 (18.0%).
Property market
| Nowley | Spring Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $4,142,991 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Nowley | Spring Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Nowley | Spring Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 14 across Narrabri same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Nowley | Spring Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 97% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 76% of NSW | Higher than 55% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 22% of NSW | Higher than 33% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 2% of NSW |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 12% of NSW | Higher than 18% of NSW |
Liveability
| Nowley | Spring Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Spring Plains carries more crime risk (33 vs 0); Spring Plains carries more bushfire risk (22 vs 0).
| Nowley | Spring Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 22/100 |
| Crime | None 0/100 | Low 33/100 |
| 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
| Nowley | Spring Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Nowley | Spring Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 0 | 2 |
Mobility
Nowley sits further from the CBD (604.7 km vs 600 km).
| Nowley | Spring Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 604.7 km | 600 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 434 min | 427 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2386 | 0.0% postcode 2388 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 2386 | 80 postcode 2388 |
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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Nowley | Spring Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 166 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 174 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Nowley | Spring Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 15 premises | 0% 25 premises |
Council rates
| Nowley | Spring Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,140/yr same for both | |
| Council | Narrabri same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Nowley | Spring Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Parkes same for both | |
| Member | Jamie Chaffey same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Nowley | Spring Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Spring Plains
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Nowley
Other comparisons with Spring 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.