Oxley Island vs Pampoolah
Oxley Island is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 51 in Pampoolah. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Oxley Island: a median of $940,000, against $670,000 in Pampoolah, though rent is higher in Pampoolah. On these figures, Oxley Island tends to suit families with children, while Pampoolah suits older residents 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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
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
- has cheaper houses ($670,000 vs $940,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 32%)
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 $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 221 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (310.4 km vs 320.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Pampoolah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (29% vs 20%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Pampoolah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (7.6% vs 0.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Oxley Island 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.
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
Pampoolah rents higher ($400/wk vs $225/wk); Pampoolah has more residents (423 vs 321).
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 321 | 423 +32% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.6% | +7.6% |
| Median age | 45 | 51 |
| Median household income | $74,464/yr +10% vs other | $66,976/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $225/wk | $400/wk +78% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $940,000 | $670,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 85% | 86% |
| Environmental | 15% | 7% |
| Residential | 0% | 6% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 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
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 743 across Mid-Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +327% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 46% of NSW | Higher than 31% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 42% of NSW | Higher than 29% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 60% of NSW same for both | |
| Affordability | Higher than 47% of NSW | Higher than 54% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 36% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 55% of NSW |
Liveability
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Pampoolah carries more bushfire risk (86 vs 11).
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 11/100 | High 86/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 49/100 | Moderate 42/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 64/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 11 | 12 |
Mobility
Oxley Island sits further from the CBD (320.4 km vs 310.4 km).
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 12/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 320.4 km +3% vs other | 310.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 221 min | 213 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.5%).
Setting
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 11 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 14 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 4.2 km | 8.2 km |
NBN connectivity
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 143 premises | 0% 176 premises |
Climate
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,331 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,560/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mid-Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Oxley Island | Pampoolah | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Oxley Island
Other comparisons with Pampoolah
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.