Palmers Island vs Goodwood Island

In both, most homes are detached houses. In Palmers Island, the large majority of households own their home and about half of households are couple families. In Goodwood Island, about half of households rent and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Goodwood Island: a median of $1.12 million, against $975,000 in Palmers Island, though rent is higher in Palmers Island. On these figures, Palmers Island tends to suit couples, while Goodwood Island suits renters and people living alone.

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 Island

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (63% vs 42%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (87% vs 64%)
  • But Goodwood Island carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 28/100)

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

First-home buyers

Palmers Island

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (28% vs 42%)
  • has cheaper houses ($975,000 vs $1,125,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Goodwood Island

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (51% vs 12%)
  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $313/wk)
  • But Palmers Island leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 30%)

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

Commuting to the city

Palmers Island

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (21/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (422 min vs 434 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (651.3 km vs 663.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Goodwood Island

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (36% vs 13%)
  • carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 28/100)
  • But Palmers Island is more walkable (21/100 vs 0/100)

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

Investors

Goodwood Island

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (31.9% vs 5.2%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Palmers Island and Goodwood 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.

Palmers Island Goodwood 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.

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Walkability 21 / 0
Palmers Island — Walkability: 21/100 Goodwood Island — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 72 / 89
Palmers Island — Safety: 72/100 Goodwood Island — Safety: 89/100
Low fire risk 77 / 15
Palmers Island — Low fire risk: 77/100 Goodwood Island — Low fire risk: 15/100

Demographics

Palmers Island has more residents (482 vs 91); Palmers Island has higher household incomes ($73,008 vs $43,316).

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Population 482
+81% vs other
 91
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.2% +31.9%
Median age 49 50
Median household income $73,008/yr
+41% vs other
 $43,316/yr
Median weekly rent $313/wk
+20% vs other
 $250/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
0-4 2.9% / 3.3%
Palmers Island — 0-4: 2.9% Goodwood Island — 0-4: 3.3%
5-14 14.3% / 11.0%
Palmers Island — 5-14: 14.3% Goodwood Island — 5-14: 11.0%
15-19 4.8% / 6.6%
Palmers Island — 15-19: 4.8% Goodwood Island — 15-19: 6.6%
20-24 3.1% / 4.4%
Palmers Island — 20-24: 3.1% Goodwood Island — 20-24: 4.4%
25-34 7.1% / 4.4%
Palmers Island — 25-34: 7.1% Goodwood Island — 25-34: 4.4%
35-44 10.6% / 4.4%
Palmers Island — 35-44: 10.6% Goodwood Island — 35-44: 4.4%
45-54 12.9% / 15.4%
Palmers Island — 45-54: 12.9% Goodwood Island — 45-54: 15.4%
55-64 18.9% / 25.3%
Palmers Island — 55-64: 18.9% Goodwood Island — 55-64: 25.3%
65-74 15.8% / 12.1%
Palmers Island — 65-74: 15.8% Goodwood Island — 65-74: 12.1%
75-84 6.6% / 5.5%
Palmers Island — 75-84: 6.6% Goodwood Island — 75-84: 5.5%
85+ 2.5% / 3.3%
Palmers Island — 85+: 2.5% Goodwood Island — 85+: 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Palmers Island 37.1% lone person
Palmers Island — Lone Person: 37.1% Palmers Island — Couple Families: 51.4% Palmers Island — One Parent Families: 11.4%
Goodwood Island 58.3% lone person
Goodwood Island — Lone Person: 58.3% Goodwood Island — Couple Families: 25.0% Goodwood Island — One Parent Families: 16.7%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Palmers Island 11.6% renting
Palmers Island — Owned Outright: 53.7% Palmers Island — Mortgage: 34.8% Palmers Island — Renting: 11.6%
Goodwood Island 51.4% renting
Goodwood Island — Owned Outright: 34.3% Goodwood Island — Mortgage: 14.3% Goodwood Island — Renting: 51.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Certificate III & IV 20.7% / 19.8%
Palmers Island — Certificate III & IV: 20.7% Goodwood Island — Certificate III & IV: 19.8%
Bachelor Degree 7.1% / 7.7%
Palmers Island — Bachelor Degree: 7.1% Goodwood Island — Bachelor Degree: 7.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.4% / 3.3%
Palmers Island — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.4% Goodwood Island — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.2% / —
Palmers Island — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2% Goodwood Island — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).

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.

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
England 3.9% / —
Palmers Island — England: 3.9% Goodwood Island — England: not among its largest
Germany — / 3.3%
Palmers Island — Germany: not among its largest Goodwood Island — Germany: 3.3%
New Zealand 0.8% / —
Palmers Island — New Zealand: 0.8% Goodwood Island — New Zealand: not among its largest
Taiwan 0.8% / —
Palmers Island — Taiwan: 0.8% Goodwood Island — Taiwan: not among its largest
Netherlands 0.8% / —
Palmers Island — Netherlands: 0.8% Goodwood Island — Netherlands: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Palmers Island 86.9% houses
Palmers Island — Houses: 86.9% Palmers Island — Flats / Apartments: 10.7% Palmers Island — Townhouses: 2.4%
Goodwood Island 63.9% houses
Goodwood Island — Houses: 63.9% Goodwood Island — Flats / Apartments: 36.1% Goodwood Island — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Median house price $975,000 $1,125,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $880,000 —

Zoning mix

Goodwood Island has more land zoned for conservation (48% vs 28%); Palmers Island has more rural and farming land (72% vs 51%).

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Rural and farming 72% 51%
Environmental 28% 48%
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 Island Goodwood Island
New dwellings approved 246
across Clarence Valley
same for both
Approvals change year on year -80%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
House price Higher than 45% of NSW Higher than 58% of NSW
Income Higher than 40% of NSW Higher than 6% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 20% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 46% of NSW Higher than 8% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 27% of NSW Higher than 19% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 56% of NSW Higher than 55% of NSW

Liveability

Palmers Island is more walkable (21 vs 0).

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Goodwood Island carries more bushfire risk (85 vs 23); Palmers Island carries more crime risk (28 vs 11).

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Bushfire Low
23/100
 High
85/100
Crime Low
28/100
 Low
11/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion High
85/100
 High
81/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Palmers Island

  • Palmers Island Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Goodwood Island

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

Amenities in the suburb

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Waterways 5 1

Mobility

Goodwood Island sits further from the CBD (663.2 km vs 651.3 km).

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Walkability score 21/100 0/100
Distance to Sydney 651.3 km 663.2 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 422 min 434 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 2463
 0.2%
postcode 2469
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 70
postcode 2463
 61
postcode 2469

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.

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Car (driver) 76.1% / 56.5%
Palmers Island — Car (driver): 76.1% Goodwood Island — Car (driver): 56.5%
Worked from Home 12.8% / 30.4%
Palmers Island — Worked from Home: 12.8% Goodwood Island — Worked from Home: 30.4%
Walked Only 6.9% / 13.0%
Palmers Island — Walked Only: 6.9% Goodwood Island — Walked Only: 13.0%
Car (passenger) 4.3% / —
Palmers Island — Car (passenger): 4.3% Goodwood Island — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.1%).

Setting

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Elevation 2 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 0 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 491 m 57 m

NBN connectivity

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
194 premises
 0%
34 premises

Climate

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Annual rainfall 1,408 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Average residential rate $1,380/yr
same for both
Council Clarence Valley
same for both

Federal electorate

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Division Page
same for both
Member Kevin Hogan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Palmers Island Goodwood Island
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Palmers Island

Coastal Rural

Goodwood Island

Coastal Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Palmers Island

Palmers Island vs Yamba Palmers Island vs Wooloweyah Palmers Island vs Harwood Palmers Island vs Palmers Channel

Other comparisons with Goodwood Island

Goodwood Island vs Iluka Goodwood Island vs Woombah Goodwood Island vs Harwood Goodwood Island vs Chatsworth
Full data on Palmers Island Full data on Goodwood Island
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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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