Old Bar vs Pampoolah

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Pampoolah, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Old Bar: a median of $795,000, against $670,000 in Pampoolah, though rent is higher in Pampoolah. On these figures, Old Bar tends to suit people living alone, while Pampoolah suits couples and buyers on a tighter budget.

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 1)
  • Pampoolah is already more of a family suburb (74% vs 50%)

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

First-home buyers

Pampoolah

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 33%)
  • has cheaper houses ($670,000 vs $795,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Old Bar

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (27% vs 7%)
  • has cheaper rent ($358/wk vs $400/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Pampoolah

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (213 min vs 218 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (310.4 km vs 316.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Old Bar

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (18% vs 3%)

Weighs smaller dwellings, 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 7.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Old Bar and Pampoolah 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 Pampoolah
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 Pampoolah
Walkability 16 / 12
Old Bar — Walkability: 16/100 Pampoolah — Walkability: 12/100
Safety 49 / 58
Old Bar — Safety: 49/100 Pampoolah — Safety: 58/100
Low fire risk 16 / 14
Old Bar — Low fire risk: 16/100 Pampoolah — Low fire risk: 14/100

Demographics

Old Bar has more residents (5,126 vs 423); Pampoolah rents higher ($400/wk vs $358/wk).

Old Bar Pampoolah
Population 5,126
+92% vs other
 423
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +16.8% +7.6%
Median age 50 51
Median household income $60,840/yr $66,976/yr
+10% vs other
Median weekly rent $358/wk $400/wk
+12% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Old Bar Pampoolah
0-4 5.5% / 2.8%
Old Bar — 0-4: 5.5% Pampoolah — 0-4: 2.8%
5-14 12.4% / 12.5%
Old Bar — 5-14: 12.4% Pampoolah — 5-14: 12.5%
15-19 4.2% / 7.8%
Old Bar — 15-19: 4.2% Pampoolah — 15-19: 7.8%
20-24 3.4% / 1.9%
Old Bar — 20-24: 3.4% Pampoolah — 20-24: 1.9%
25-34 8.9% / 5.2%
Old Bar — 25-34: 8.9% Pampoolah — 25-34: 5.2%
35-44 9.9% / 10.2%
Old Bar — 35-44: 9.9% Pampoolah — 35-44: 10.2%
45-54 11.0% / 13.5%
Old Bar — 45-54: 11.0% Pampoolah — 45-54: 13.5%
55-64 13.5% / 17.0%
Old Bar — 55-64: 13.5% Pampoolah — 55-64: 17.0%
65-74 17.4% / 17.0%
Old Bar — 65-74: 17.4% Pampoolah — 65-74: 17.0%
75-84 9.8% / 9.2%
Old Bar — 75-84: 9.8% Pampoolah — 75-84: 9.2%
85+ 4.3% / 2.6%
Old Bar — 85+: 4.3% Pampoolah — 85+: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.4%).

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%
Pampoolah 58.9% couple families
Pampoolah — Couple Families: 58.9% Pampoolah — Lone Person: 18.9% Pampoolah — One Parent Families: 14.7% Pampoolah — Group Household: 7.4% Pampoolah — 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%
Pampoolah 7.3% renting
Pampoolah — Owned Outright: 64.2% Pampoolah — Mortgage: 28.5% Pampoolah — Renting: 7.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Old Bar Pampoolah
Certificate III & IV 18.9% / 22.2%
Old Bar — Certificate III & IV: 18.9% Pampoolah — Certificate III & IV: 22.2%
Bachelor Degree 8.8% / 6.1%
Old Bar — Bachelor Degree: 8.8% Pampoolah — Bachelor Degree: 6.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.7% / 6.4%
Old Bar — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7% Pampoolah — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.4%
Postgraduate Degree 2.1% / 2.6%
Old Bar — Postgraduate Degree: 2.1% Pampoolah — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.3% / 0.9%
Old Bar — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3% Pampoolah — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.2%).

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 Pampoolah
England 3.2% / 5.0%
Old Bar — England: 3.2% Pampoolah — England: 5.0%
New Zealand 1.0% / 1.2%
Old Bar — New Zealand: 1.0% Pampoolah — New Zealand: 1.2%
Netherlands 0.5% / 0.7%
Old Bar — Netherlands: 0.5% Pampoolah — Netherlands: 0.7%
Philippines 0.2% / 0.9%
Old Bar — Philippines: 0.2% Pampoolah — Philippines: 0.9%
Scotland 0.5% / —
Old Bar — Scotland: 0.5% Pampoolah — Scotland: not among its largest
South Africa 0.4% / —
Old Bar — South Africa: 0.4% Pampoolah — South Africa: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.0%).

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%
Pampoolah 96.7% houses
Pampoolah — Houses: 96.7% Pampoolah — Townhouses: 0.0% Pampoolah — Flats / Apartments: 3.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Old Bar Pampoolah
Median house price $795,000 $670,000
Median unit price $469,000 —
Median land price $425,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 43 days
from 79 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Pampoolah has more rural and farming land (86% vs 39%); Old Bar has more land zoned for conservation (25% vs 7%).

Old Bar Pampoolah
Rural and farming 39% 86%
Residential 30% 6%
Environmental 25% 7%
Parks and recreation 6% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 2%
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 Pampoolah
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 Pampoolah
Houses 3.8%
$620/wk on $855K
 —
Units 3.9%
$450/wk on $608K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Old Bar Pampoolah
House price Higher than 32% of NSW Higher than 31% of NSW
Income Higher than 23% of NSW Higher than 29% 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 54% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 36% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 55% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 61% of NSW —
Rental yield (units) Higher than 18% of NSW —

Liveability

Old Bar Pampoolah
Grade D —
Score 21/100 —
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
same for both

Risk profile

Old Bar Pampoolah
Bushfire High
84/100
 High
86/100
Crime Moderate
51/100
 Moderate
42/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion High
88/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Old Bar Pampoolah
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 Pampoolah

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

Amenities in the suburb

Old Bar Pampoolah
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 4 0
Parks & reserves 8 1
Childcare 4 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Beaches 1 0
Waterways 20 12

Mobility

Old Bar sits further from the CBD (316.2 km vs 310.4 km).

Old Bar Pampoolah
Walkability score 16/100 12/100
Distance to Sydney 316.2 km
+2% vs other
 310.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 218 min 213 min
Public transport score 52/100
Bus
 22/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 31.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 4.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
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 Pampoolah
Car (driver) 80.2% / 70.5%
Old Bar — Car (driver): 80.2% Pampoolah — Car (driver): 70.5%
Worked from Home 11.4% / 17.3%
Old Bar — Worked from Home: 11.4% Pampoolah — Worked from Home: 17.3%
Car (passenger) 4.1% / 9.4%
Old Bar — Car (passenger): 4.1% Pampoolah — Car (passenger): 9.4%
Walked Only 3.6% / 2.9%
Old Bar — Walked Only: 3.6% Pampoolah — Walked Only: 2.9%
Bicycle 0.2% / —
Old Bar — Bicycle: 0.2% Pampoolah — Bicycle: not among its largest

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

Setting

Old Bar Pampoolah
Elevation 16 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 14 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.7 km
3.1 km to a named beach
 8.2 km

NBN connectivity

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

Climate

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

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

Old Bar Pampoolah
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

Pampoolah

Acreage Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Old Bar

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

Other comparisons with Pampoolah

Pampoolah vs Oxley Island Pampoolah vs Glenthorne Pampoolah vs Dumaresq Island
Full data on Old Bar Full data on Pampoolah
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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