Palmers Channel vs Palmers Island
Palmers Island is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 52 in Palmers Channel. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Palmers Channel, most households are couple families. In Palmers Island, about half of households are couple families.
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
Palmers Channel
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 28/100)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 87%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Palmers Island
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 29%)
- has cheaper rent ($313/wk vs $350/wk)
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
- Palmers Channel sits closer to the CBD (647.3 km vs 651.3 km)
- Palmers Island is more walkable (21/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Palmers Channel
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 28/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (31% vs 25%)
- But Palmers Island is more walkable (21/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Palmers Island
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (5.2% vs -3.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Palmers Channel and Palmers 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.
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
Palmers Island has more residents (482 vs 115); Palmers Island has higher household incomes ($73,008 vs $62,348).
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 115 | 482 +319% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -3.4% | +5.2% |
| Median age | 52 | 49 |
| Median household income | $62,348/yr | $73,008/yr +17% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk +11% vs other | $313/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).
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 (22.6%).
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 (5.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $975,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $880,000 |
Zoning mix
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 76% | 72% |
| Environmental | 24% | 28% |
| 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
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 246 across Clarence Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -80% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 45% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 25% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 14% of NSW | Higher than 70% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 46% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 27% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 53% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
Liveability
Palmers Island is more walkable (21 vs 0).
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Palmers Island carries more bushfire risk (23 vs 0); Palmers Island carries more crime risk (28 vs 17).
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 23/100 |
| Crime | Low 17/100 | Low 28/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | High 85/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Palmers Channel
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Palmers Island
- Palmers Island Public School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 0 | 5 |
Mobility
Palmers Island sits further from the CBD (651.3 km vs 647.3 km).
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 21/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 647.3 km | 651.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 423 min | 422 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2463 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 70 postcode 2463 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 (76.1%).
Setting
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre same for both | |
| Distance to the ocean | 5.5 km | 491 m |
NBN connectivity
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 52 premises | 0% 194 premises |
Climate
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,408 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,380/yr same for both | |
| Council | Clarence Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Palmers Channel | Palmers Island | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Palmers Channel
Other comparisons with Palmers Island
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.