Pembrooke vs Rawdon Island
Rawdon Island is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 50 in Pembrooke. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most 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
Rawdon Island
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (88% vs 61%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 86%)
- But Pembrooke carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 70/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Pembrooke
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (28% vs 38%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Pembrooke
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($330/wk vs $475/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Rawdon Island
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (12/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (386.5 km vs 399.7 km)
- has a shorter drive in (264 min vs 271 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Pembrooke
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 70/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 16%)
- But Rawdon Island is more walkable (12/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Rawdon Island
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (44.9% vs -7.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Pembrooke and Rawdon 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
Rawdon Island has higher household incomes ($122,148 vs $71,500); Rawdon Island rents higher ($475/wk vs $330/wk).
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 118 | 142 +20% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -7.1% | +44.9% |
| Median age | 50 | 38 |
| Median household income | $71,500/yr | $122,148/yr +71% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $330/wk | $475/wk +44% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.8%).
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 (5.1%).
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 (22.9%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,500,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $200,000 |
Zoning mix
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 84% | 76% |
| Environmental | 13% | 22% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 3% | 0% |
| Residential | 0% | 1% |
| 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
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 546 across Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +33% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 75% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 38% of NSW | Higher than 85% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 43% of NSW | Higher than 60% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 15% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 50% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 49% of NSW | Higher than 58% of NSW |
Liveability
Rawdon Island is more walkable (12 vs 0).
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Rawdon Island carries more crime risk (70 vs 18); Pembrooke carries more bushfire risk (58 vs 18).
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 58/100 | Low 18/100 |
| Crime | Low 18/100 | High 70/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 51 | 2 |
Mobility
Pembrooke sits further from the CBD (399.7 km vs 386.5 km).
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 12/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 399.7 km +3% vs other | 386.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 271 min | 264 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2446 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 69 postcode 2446 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 (78.0%).
Setting
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 21 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 1 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 12.3 km | 8.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 53 premises | 0% 48 premises |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.1 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 11.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.92 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,325/yr same for both | |
| Council | Port Macquarie-Hastings same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lyne same for both | |
| Member | Alison Penfold same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Pembrooke | Rawdon Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Pembrooke
Rawdon Island
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Pembrooke
Other comparisons with Rawdon 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.