Palmers Island vs Wooloweyah

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Palmers Island, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Wooloweyah: a median of $1.25 million, against $975,000 in Palmers Island, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Palmers Island tends to suit 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

Wooloweyah

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 28/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Palmers Island has cheaper houses ($975,000 vs $1,247,500)
  • Wooloweyah leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 28%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Palmers Island

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($313/wk vs $403/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Palmers Island

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (21/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (422 min vs 435 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Palmers Island

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (21/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 20%)
  • But Wooloweyah carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 28/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Palmers Island and Wooloweyah 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 Wooloweyah
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 Wooloweyah
Walkability 21 / 0
Palmers Island — Walkability: 21/100 Wooloweyah — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 72 / 82
Palmers Island — Safety: 72/100 Wooloweyah — Safety: 82/100
Low fire risk 77 / 15
Palmers Island — Low fire risk: 77/100 Wooloweyah — Low fire risk: 15/100

Demographics

Wooloweyah rents higher ($403/wk vs $313/wk); Wooloweyah has higher household incomes ($87,048 vs $73,008).

Palmers Island Wooloweyah
Population 482
+13% vs other
 419
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.2% +3.2%
Median age 49
same for both
Median household income $73,008/yr $87,048/yr
+19% vs other
Median weekly rent $313/wk $403/wk
+29% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Palmers Island Wooloweyah
0-4 2.9% / 3.6%
Palmers Island — 0-4: 2.9% Wooloweyah — 0-4: 3.6%
5-14 14.3% / 11.5%
Palmers Island — 5-14: 14.3% Wooloweyah — 5-14: 11.5%
15-19 4.8% / 3.8%
Palmers Island — 15-19: 4.8% Wooloweyah — 15-19: 3.8%
20-24 3.1% / 3.3%
Palmers Island — 20-24: 3.1% Wooloweyah — 20-24: 3.3%
25-34 7.1% / 6.9%
Palmers Island — 25-34: 7.1% Wooloweyah — 25-34: 6.9%
35-44 10.6% / 13.1%
Palmers Island — 35-44: 10.6% Wooloweyah — 35-44: 13.1%
45-54 12.9% / 14.1%
Palmers Island — 45-54: 12.9% Wooloweyah — 45-54: 14.1%
55-64 18.9% / 22.9%
Palmers Island — 55-64: 18.9% Wooloweyah — 55-64: 22.9%
65-74 15.8% / 16.2%
Palmers Island — 65-74: 15.8% Wooloweyah — 65-74: 16.2%
75-84 6.6% / 1.2%
Palmers Island — 75-84: 6.6% Wooloweyah — 75-84: 1.2%
85+ 2.5% / 2.1%
Palmers Island — 85+: 2.5% Wooloweyah — 85+: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Palmers Island 51.4% couple families
Palmers Island — Couple Families: 51.4% Palmers Island — Lone Person: 37.1% Palmers Island — One Parent Families: 11.4% Palmers Island — Group Household: 0.0%
Wooloweyah 40.2% couple families
Wooloweyah — Couple Families: 40.2% Wooloweyah — Lone Person: 33.9% Wooloweyah — One Parent Families: 16.1% Wooloweyah — Group Household: 9.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

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%
Wooloweyah 13.3% renting
Wooloweyah — Owned Outright: 43.0% Wooloweyah — Mortgage: 43.7% Wooloweyah — Renting: 13.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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 Wooloweyah
England 3.9% / 3.8%
Palmers Island — England: 3.9% Wooloweyah — England: 3.8%
New Zealand 0.8% / 4.1%
Palmers Island — New Zealand: 0.8% Wooloweyah — New Zealand: 4.1%
Netherlands 0.8% / 0.7%
Palmers Island — Netherlands: 0.8% Wooloweyah — Netherlands: 0.7%
South Africa — / 1.0%
Palmers Island — South Africa: not among its largest Wooloweyah — South Africa: 1.0%
Taiwan 0.8% / —
Palmers Island — Taiwan: 0.8% Wooloweyah — Taiwan: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.1%).

Qualifications

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

Palmers Island Wooloweyah
Certificate III & IV 20.7% / 18.9%
Palmers Island — Certificate III & IV: 20.7% Wooloweyah — Certificate III & IV: 18.9%
Bachelor Degree 7.1% / 18.4%
Palmers Island — Bachelor Degree: 7.1% Wooloweyah — Bachelor Degree: 18.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.4% / 10.5%
Palmers Island — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.4% Wooloweyah — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.5%
Postgraduate Degree — / 5.3%
Palmers Island — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Wooloweyah — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.2% / 3.8%
Palmers Island — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2% Wooloweyah — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.8%

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

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%
Wooloweyah 94.4% houses
Wooloweyah — Houses: 94.4% Wooloweyah — Flats / Apartments: 5.6% Wooloweyah — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Palmers Island Wooloweyah
Median house price $975,000 $1,247,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $880,000 —

Zoning mix

Palmers Island has more rural and farming land (72% vs 9%); Wooloweyah has more land zoned for conservation (90% vs 28%).

Palmers Island Wooloweyah
Environmental 28% 90%
Rural and farming 72% 9%
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 Wooloweyah
New dwellings approved 246
across Clarence Valley
same for both
Approvals change year on year -80%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Palmers Island Wooloweyah
House price Higher than 45% of NSW Higher than 65% of NSW
Income Higher than 40% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 35% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 46% of NSW Higher than 37% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 27% of NSW Higher than 60% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 56% of NSW Higher than 94% of NSW

Liveability

Palmers Island is more walkable (21 vs 0).

Palmers Island Wooloweyah
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Wooloweyah carries more bushfire risk (85 vs 23); Palmers Island carries more crime risk (28 vs 18).

Palmers Island Wooloweyah
Bushfire Low
23/100
 High
85/100
Crime Low
28/100
 Low
18/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion High
85/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Palmers Island Wooloweyah
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 Wooloweyah

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

Amenities in the suburb

Palmers Island Wooloweyah
Parks & reserves 0 1
Waterways 5 1

Mobility

Palmers Island Wooloweyah
Walkability score 21/100 0/100
Distance to Sydney 651.3 km 652.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 422 min 435 min
Public transport score 27/100
Bus
 22/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 4.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 1.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 4 min
scheduled, not actual
 28.5 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 2463
 0.6%
postcode 2464
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 70
postcode 2463
 58
postcode 2464

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 Wooloweyah
Car (driver) 76.1% / 78.0%
Palmers Island — Car (driver): 76.1% Wooloweyah — Car (driver): 78.0%
Worked from Home 12.8% / 15.2%
Palmers Island — Worked from Home: 12.8% Wooloweyah — Worked from Home: 15.2%
Walked Only 6.9% / 2.1%
Palmers Island — Walked Only: 6.9% Wooloweyah — Walked Only: 2.1%
Car (passenger) 4.3% / 3.1%
Palmers Island — Car (passenger): 4.3% Wooloweyah — Car (passenger): 3.1%
Bicycle — / 1.6%
Palmers Island — Bicycle: not among its largest Wooloweyah — Bicycle: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.0%).

Setting

Palmers Island Wooloweyah
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 4.3 km
4.4 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Palmers Island Wooloweyah
Connectivity score 30/100 89/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the curb
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
194 premises
 45%
198 premises

Climate

Palmers Island Wooloweyah
Annual rainfall 1,408 mm 1,557 mm
Summer max (Jan) — 27.4°C
Winter min (Jul) — 11.0°C

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

Palmers Island Wooloweyah
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

Wooloweyah

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Palmers Island

Palmers Island vs Yamba Palmers Island vs Harwood Palmers Island vs Palmers Channel Palmers Island vs Goodwood Island

Other comparisons with Wooloweyah

Wooloweyah vs Yamba Wooloweyah vs Angourie Wooloweyah vs Palmers Channel Wooloweyah vs Taloumbi
Full data on Palmers Island Full data on Wooloweyah
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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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