Pola Creek vs Verges Creek

Pola Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 46 in Verges Creek. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Pola Creek, the large majority of households are couple families. In Verges Creek, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Pola Creek tends to suit couples.

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

Pola Creek

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 73/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (80% vs 66%)

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

First-home buyers

Pola Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 24%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Verges Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($255/wk vs $280/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Verges Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (12/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Pola Creek

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 73/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (27% vs 22%)
  • But Verges Creek is more walkable (12/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs 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

Pola Creek and Verges 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.

Pola Creek Verges Creek
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.

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Walkability 0 / 12
Pola Creek — Walkability: 0/100 Verges Creek — Walkability: 12/100
Safety 89 / 27
Pola Creek — Safety: 89/100 Verges Creek — Safety: 27/100
Low fire risk 100 / 43
Pola Creek — Low fire risk: 100/100 Verges Creek — Low fire risk: 43/100

Demographics

Verges Creek has more residents (298 vs 86); Pola Creek has higher household incomes ($121,316 vs $79,300).

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Population 86 298
+247% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +28.4% +27.9%
Median age 40 46
Median household income $121,316/yr
+35% vs other
 $79,300/yr
Median weekly rent $280/wk
+9% vs other
 $255/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Pola Creek Verges Creek
0-4 4.7% / 3.7%
Pola Creek — 0-4: 4.7% Verges Creek — 0-4: 3.7%
5-14 16.3% / 15.1%
Pola Creek — 5-14: 16.3% Verges Creek — 5-14: 15.1%
15-19 3.5% / 7.7%
Pola Creek — 15-19: 3.5% Verges Creek — 15-19: 7.7%
20-24 4.7% / 3.4%
Pola Creek — 20-24: 4.7% Verges Creek — 20-24: 3.4%
25-34 10.5% / 7.7%
Pola Creek — 25-34: 10.5% Verges Creek — 25-34: 7.7%
35-44 10.5% / 13.1%
Pola Creek — 35-44: 10.5% Verges Creek — 35-44: 13.1%
45-54 10.5% / 12.8%
Pola Creek — 45-54: 10.5% Verges Creek — 45-54: 12.8%
55-64 11.6% / 15.1%
Pola Creek — 55-64: 11.6% Verges Creek — 55-64: 15.1%
65-74 15.1% / 13.8%
Pola Creek — 65-74: 15.1% Verges Creek — 65-74: 13.8%
75-84 11.6% / 6.4%
Pola Creek — 75-84: 11.6% Verges Creek — 75-84: 6.4%
85+ — / 1.3%
Pola Creek — 85+: not among its largest Verges Creek — 85+: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Pola Creek 80.0% couple families
Pola Creek — Couple Families: 80.0% Pola Creek — Lone Person: 20.0% Pola Creek — One Parent Families: 0.0% Pola Creek — Other Families: 0.0% Pola Creek — Group Household: 0.0%
Verges Creek 51.6% couple families
Verges Creek — Couple Families: 51.6% Verges Creek — Lone Person: 23.4% Verges Creek — One Parent Families: 14.1% Verges Creek — Other Families: 6.2% Verges Creek — Group Household: 4.7%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Other Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Pola Creek 12.0% renting
Pola Creek — Owned Outright: 36.0% Pola Creek — Mortgage: 52.0% Pola Creek — Renting: 12.0%
Verges Creek 6.8% renting
Verges Creek — Owned Outright: 51.1% Verges Creek — Mortgage: 42.0% Verges Creek — Renting: 6.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Certificate III & IV 20.9% / 22.8%
Pola Creek — Certificate III & IV: 20.9% Verges Creek — Certificate III & IV: 22.8%
Bachelor Degree 7.0% / 6.0%
Pola Creek — Bachelor Degree: 7.0% Verges Creek — Bachelor Degree: 6.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 3.5% / 4.4%
Pola Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.5% Verges Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.4%
Postgraduate Degree — / 1.3%
Pola Creek — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Verges Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 1.3%

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.

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Thailand 4.7% / 1.0%
Pola Creek — Thailand: 4.7% Verges Creek — Thailand: 1.0%
England — / 2.0%
Pola Creek — England: not among its largest Verges Creek — England: 2.0%
New Zealand — / 1.3%
Pola Creek — New Zealand: not among its largest Verges Creek — New Zealand: 1.3%
Germany — / 1.3%
Pola Creek — Germany: not among its largest Verges Creek — Germany: 1.3%
Netherlands — / 1.3%
Pola Creek — Netherlands: not among its largest Verges Creek — Netherlands: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Pola Creek 100.0% houses
Pola Creek — Houses: 100.0% Pola Creek — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Verges Creek 96.0% houses
Verges Creek — Houses: 96.0% Verges Creek — Flats / Apartments: 4.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Median house price — $980,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $772,500

Zoning mix

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Rural and farming 88% 84%
Residential 0% 15%
Environmental 9% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 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

Pola Creek Verges Creek
New dwellings approved 144
across Kempsey
same for both
Approvals change year on year +380%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Pola Creek Verges Creek
House price — Higher than 42% of NSW
Income Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 46% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 43% of NSW Higher than 60% of NSW
Affordability — Higher than 55% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 8% of NSW Higher than 7% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 63% of NSW Higher than 47% of NSW

Liveability

Verges Creek is more walkable (12 vs 0).

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
same for both

Risk profile

Verges Creek carries more bushfire risk (57 vs 0); Verges Creek carries more crime risk (73 vs 11).

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
57/100
Crime Low
11/100
 High
73/100
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 2
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Pola Creek Verges 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

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Parks & reserves 0 1
Waterways 3 1

Mobility

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Walkability score 0/100 12/100
Distance to Sydney 425.3 km 426.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 285 min 289 min
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 2440
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 53
postcode 2440
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.

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Car (driver) 85.7% / 85.1%
Pola Creek — Car (driver): 85.7% Verges Creek — Car (driver): 85.1%
Worked from Home 14.3% / 6.1%
Pola Creek — Worked from Home: 14.3% Verges Creek — Worked from Home: 6.1%
Car (passenger) — / 8.8%
Pola Creek — Car (passenger): not among its largest Verges Creek — Car (passenger): 8.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (85.7%).

Setting

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Elevation 3 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 23 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 14.8 km 10.9 km

NBN connectivity

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Connectivity score 30/100 29/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
29 premises
 0%
128 premises

Council rates

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Average residential rate $1,447/yr
same for both
Council Kempsey
same for both

Federal electorate

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Division Cowper
same for both
Member Pat Conaghan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Pola Creek Verges Creek
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Pola Creek

Retirees Rural

Verges Creek

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Pola Creek

Pola Creek vs Frederickton Pola Creek vs Kempsey Pola Creek vs Austral Eden Pola Creek vs Hampden Hall

Other comparisons with Verges Creek

Verges Creek vs South Kempsey Verges Creek vs East Kempsey Verges Creek vs Belmore River Verges Creek vs Hampden Hall
Full data on Pola Creek Full data on Verges Creek
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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