Palmwoods vs Upper Wilsons Creek
Palmwoods is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 48 in Upper Wilsons Creek. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Palmwoods tends to suit families with children, while Upper Wilsons Creek suits older residents.
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
Palmwoods
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 42%)
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
Palmwoods
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (40% vs 15%)
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $490/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (21% vs 31%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Palmwoods
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (509 min vs 526 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (777.4 km vs 782.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Upper Wilsons Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (32% vs 13%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Upper Wilsons Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (9.7% vs -25.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Palmwoods and Upper Wilsons Creek 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
Upper Wilsons Creek rents higher ($490/wk vs $200/wk); Upper Wilsons Creek has higher household incomes ($81,224 vs $50,232).
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 78 | 79 +1% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -25.0% | +9.7% |
| Median age | 40 | 48 |
| Median household income | $50,232/yr | $81,224/yr +62% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $490/wk +145% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).
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 (6.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,100,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Upper Wilsons Creek has more land zoned for conservation (81% vs 21%); Palmwoods has more rural and farming land (48% vs 19%).
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 21% | 81% |
| Rural and farming | 48% | 19% |
| Other and special use | 30% | 0% |
| 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
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 129 across Byron same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -65% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 57% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 11% of NSW | Higher than 48% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 9% of NSW | Higher than 8% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 41% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 89% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 31% of NSW | Higher than 4% of NSW |
Liveability
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Upper Wilsons Creek carries more bushfire risk (80 vs 57).
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 57/100 | High 80/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 43/100 | Moderate 49/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 1 | 2 |
Mobility
Upper Wilsons Creek sits further from the CBD (782.5 km vs 777.4 km).
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 777.4 km | 782.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 509 min | 526 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.5% postcode 2482 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 89 postcode 2482 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 (57.1%).
Setting
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 194 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 320 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 14.3 km | 16.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 22/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 17 premises | 0% 19 premises |
Climate
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,569 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 9.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,577/yr same for both | |
| Council | Byron same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Richmond same for both | |
| Member | Justine Elliot same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Palmwoods | Upper Wilsons Creek | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Palmwoods
Other comparisons with Upper Wilsons Creek
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.