Old Bar vs Oxley Island

Oxley Island is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 50 in Old Bar. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Oxley Island, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Oxley Island: a median of $940,000, against $795,000 in Old Bar, though rent is higher in Old Bar. On these figures, Old Bar tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Oxley Island 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Old Bar has more parks and reserves (8 vs 0)
  • Oxley Island is already more of a family suburb (69% vs 50%)

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

First-home buyers

Old Bar

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($795,000 vs $940,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Oxley Island

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (16% vs 31%)
  • has cheaper rent ($225/wk vs $358/wk)
  • But Old Bar has a bigger rental market to choose from (27% vs 17%)

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

Commuting to the city

Old Bar

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (316.2 km vs 320.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Old Bar

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more residents already 65 and over (32% vs 20%)

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

Investors

Old Bar

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (16.8% vs 0.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Old Bar Oxley Island
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.

Old Bar Oxley Island
Walkability 16 / 12
Old Bar — Walkability: 16/100 Oxley Island — Walkability: 12/100
Safety 49 / 51
Old Bar — Safety: 49/100 Oxley Island — Safety: 51/100
Low fire risk 16 / 89
Old Bar — Low fire risk: 16/100 Oxley Island — Low fire risk: 89/100

Demographics

Old Bar has more residents (5,126 vs 321); Old Bar rents higher ($358/wk vs $225/wk).

Old Bar Oxley Island
Population 5,126
+94% vs other
 321
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +16.8% +0.6%
Median age 50 45
Median household income $60,840/yr $74,464/yr
+22% vs other
Median weekly rent $358/wk
+37% vs other
 $225/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Old Bar Oxley Island
0-4 5.5% / 4.0%
Old Bar — 0-4: 5.5% Oxley Island — 0-4: 4.0%
5-14 12.4% / 19.0%
Old Bar — 5-14: 12.4% Oxley Island — 5-14: 19.0%
15-19 4.2% / 5.6%
Old Bar — 15-19: 4.2% Oxley Island — 15-19: 5.6%
20-24 3.4% / 3.1%
Old Bar — 20-24: 3.4% Oxley Island — 20-24: 3.1%
25-34 8.9% / 7.8%
Old Bar — 25-34: 8.9% Oxley Island — 25-34: 7.8%
35-44 9.9% / 10.0%
Old Bar — 35-44: 9.9% Oxley Island — 35-44: 10.0%
45-54 11.0% / 13.4%
Old Bar — 45-54: 11.0% Oxley Island — 45-54: 13.4%
55-64 13.5% / 15.3%
Old Bar — 55-64: 13.5% Oxley Island — 55-64: 15.3%
65-74 17.4% / 13.7%
Old Bar — 65-74: 17.4% Oxley Island — 65-74: 13.7%
75-84 9.8% / 5.3%
Old Bar — 75-84: 9.8% Oxley Island — 75-84: 5.3%
85+ 4.3% / 0.9%
Old Bar — 85+: 4.3% Oxley Island — 85+: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Old Bar 31.1% couple families
Old Bar — Couple Families: 31.1% Old Bar — Lone Person: 44.2% Old Bar — One Parent Families: 18.4% Old Bar — Group Household: 5.1% Old Bar — Other Families: 1.1%
Oxley Island 55.7% couple families
Oxley Island — Couple Families: 55.7% Oxley Island — Lone Person: 25.7% Oxley Island — One Parent Families: 12.9% Oxley Island — Group Household: 5.7% Oxley Island — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Old Bar 27.3% renting
Old Bar — Owned Outright: 46.9% Old Bar — Mortgage: 25.8% Old Bar — Renting: 27.3%
Oxley Island 17.0% renting
Oxley Island — Owned Outright: 47.0% Oxley Island — Mortgage: 36.0% Oxley Island — Renting: 17.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Old Bar Oxley Island
Certificate III & IV 18.9% / 17.1%
Old Bar — Certificate III & IV: 18.9% Oxley Island — Certificate III & IV: 17.1%
Bachelor Degree 8.8% / 9.3%
Old Bar — Bachelor Degree: 8.8% Oxley Island — Bachelor Degree: 9.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 6.5%
Old Bar — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Oxley Island — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.5%
Postgraduate Degree 2.1% / 2.5%
Old Bar — Postgraduate Degree: 2.1% Oxley Island — Postgraduate Degree: 2.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.3% / 1.2%
Old Bar — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3% Oxley Island — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

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.

Old Bar Oxley Island
England 3.2% / 2.2%
Old Bar — England: 3.2% Oxley Island — England: 2.2%
New Zealand 1.0% / 4.4%
Old Bar — New Zealand: 1.0% Oxley Island — New Zealand: 4.4%
Bangladesh — / 1.6%
Old Bar — Bangladesh: not among its largest Oxley Island — Bangladesh: 1.6%
China — / 0.9%
Old Bar — China: not among its largest Oxley Island — China: 0.9%
Scotland 0.5% / —
Old Bar — Scotland: 0.5% Oxley Island — Scotland: not among its largest
Netherlands 0.5% / —
Old Bar — Netherlands: 0.5% Oxley Island — Netherlands: not among its largest
South Africa 0.4% / —
Old Bar — South Africa: 0.4% Oxley Island — South Africa: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Old Bar 82.2% houses
Old Bar — Houses: 82.2% Old Bar — Townhouses: 14.4% Old Bar — Flats / Apartments: 3.4%
Oxley Island 100.0% houses
Oxley Island — Houses: 100.0% Oxley Island — Townhouses: 0.0% Oxley Island — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Old Bar Oxley Island
Median house price $795,000 $940,000
Median unit price $469,000 —
Median land price $425,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 43 days
from 79 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Oxley Island has more rural and farming land (85% vs 39%); Old Bar has more land zoned for conservation (25% vs 15%).

Old Bar Oxley Island
Rural and farming 39% 85%
Residential 30% 0%
Environmental 25% 15%
Parks and recreation 6% 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

Old Bar Oxley Island
New dwellings approved 743
across Mid-Coast
same for both
Approvals change year on year +327%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Old Bar Oxley Island
Houses 3.8%
$620/wk on $855K
 —
Units 3.9%
$450/wk on $608K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Old Bar Oxley Island
House price Higher than 32% of NSW Higher than 46% of NSW
Income Higher than 23% of NSW Higher than 42% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 67% of NSW Higher than 60% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 44% of NSW Higher than 47% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 36% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 61% of NSW —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 18% of NSW —

Liveability

Old Bar Oxley Island
Grade D —
Score 21/100 —
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Old Bar carries more bushfire risk (84 vs 11).

Old Bar Oxley Island
Bushfire High
84/100
 Low
11/100
Crime Moderate
51/100
 Moderate
49/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion High
88/100
 Moderate
64/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Old Bar Oxley Island
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Old Bar

  • Old Bar Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Oxley Island

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Old Bar Oxley Island
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 4 0
Parks & reserves 8 0
Childcare 4 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Beaches 1 0
Waterways 20 11

Mobility

Oxley Island sits further from the CBD (320.4 km vs 316.2 km).

Old Bar Oxley Island
Walkability score 16/100 12/100
Distance to Sydney 316.2 km 320.4 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 218 min 221 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 2430
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 2430
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.

Old Bar Oxley Island
Car (driver) 80.2% / 64.7%
Old Bar — Car (driver): 80.2% Oxley Island — Car (driver): 64.7%
Worked from Home 11.4% / 18.1%
Old Bar — Worked from Home: 11.4% Oxley Island — Worked from Home: 18.1%
Walked Only 3.6% / 8.6%
Old Bar — Walked Only: 3.6% Oxley Island — Walked Only: 8.6%
Car (passenger) 4.1% / 4.3%
Old Bar — Car (passenger): 4.1% Oxley Island — Car (passenger): 4.3%
Bus 0.2% / 4.3%
Old Bar — Bus: 0.2% Oxley Island — Bus: 4.3%
Bicycle 0.2% / —
Old Bar — Bicycle: 0.2% Oxley Island — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.2%).

Setting

Old Bar Oxley Island
Elevation 16 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 11 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.7 km
3.1 km to a named beach
 4.2 km

NBN connectivity

Old Bar Oxley Island
Connectivity score 70/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 46%
2,910 premises
 0%
143 premises

Climate

Old Bar Oxley Island
Annual rainfall 1,331 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Old Bar Oxley Island
Average residential rate $1,560/yr
same for both
Council Mid-Coast
same for both

Federal electorate

Old Bar Oxley Island
Division Lyne
same for both
Member Alison Penfold
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Old Bar Oxley Island
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Old Bar

Coastal Quiet Retirees

Oxley Island

Family Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Old Bar

Old Bar vs Wallabi Point Old Bar vs Mitchells Island Old Bar vs Pampoolah Old Bar vs Koorainghat Old Bar vs Bohnock

Other comparisons with Oxley Island

Oxley Island vs Cundletown Oxley Island vs Mitchells Island Oxley Island vs Pampoolah Oxley Island vs Bohnock Oxley Island vs Jones Island Oxley Island vs Dumaresq Island
Full data on Old Bar Full data on Oxley Island
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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