Pooncarie vs Menindee
Pooncarie is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 50 in Menindee. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Pooncarie: a median of $240,000, against $66,000 in Menindee, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Pooncarie tends to suit couples, while Menindee suits older residents 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
Pooncarie
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 96/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (52% vs 38%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (102% vs 90%)
- But Menindee has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Menindee
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($66,500 vs $240,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 45%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Menindee
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (39% vs 17%)
- has cheaper rent ($184/wk vs $205/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Menindee
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (1004.9 km vs 1154.1 km)
- has a shorter drive in (724 min vs 786 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Pooncarie carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 96/100)
- Menindee has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 16%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Pooncarie
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (36.1% vs -2.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Pooncarie and Menindee 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
Menindee has more residents (537 vs 226); Menindee skews older (50 vs 40).
| Pooncarie | Menindee | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 226 | 537 +138% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +36.1% | -2.5% |
| Median age | 40 | 50 |
| Median household income | $53,612/yr +14% vs other | $46,020/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $205/wk +10% vs other | $184/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (2.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Pooncarie | Menindee | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $240,000 | $66,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $23,000 |
Zoning mix
Pooncarie has more rural and farming land (91% vs 81%).
| Pooncarie | Menindee | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 91% | 81% |
| Environmental | 1% | 3% |
| Planning zones cover 93% of Pooncarie and 84% of Menindee. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve. | ||
| 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
| Pooncarie | Menindee | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 84 across Wentworth | 4 across Central Darling |
| Approvals change year on year | -61% | — |
Ranking within NSW
| Pooncarie | Menindee | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 2% of NSW same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 14% of NSW | Higher than 7% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 18% of NSW | Higher than 1% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 97% of NSW | Higher than 95% of NSW |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 9% of NSW | Higher than 1% of NSW |
Liveability
| Pooncarie | Menindee | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 13/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
Menindee carries more crime risk (96 vs 12); Pooncarie carries more bushfire risk (35 vs 19).
| Pooncarie | Menindee | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 35/100 | Low 19/100 |
| Crime | Low 12/100 | High 96/100 |
| 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
| Pooncarie | Menindee | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Pooncarie
- Pooncarie Public School Government · Primary
Schools in Menindee
- Menindee Central School Government · Combined above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Pooncarie | Menindee | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 6 | 5 |
| Childcare | 1 same for both | |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Hospitals | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 66 | 228 |
Mobility
Pooncarie sits further from the CBD (1154.1 km vs 1004.9 km).
| Pooncarie | Menindee | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 1154.1 km +13% vs other | 1004.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 786 min | 724 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2648 | 0.0% postcode 2879 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 60 postcode 2648 | 94 postcode 2879 |
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 (55.3%).
Setting
| Pooncarie | Menindee | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 62 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 77 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Pooncarie | Menindee | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 44 premises | 0% 72 premises |
Council rates
| Pooncarie | Menindee | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $891/yr | $332/yr |
| Council | Wentworth | Central Darling |
Federal electorate
| Pooncarie | Menindee | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Farrer | Parkes |
| Member | David Farley | Jamie Chaffey |
| Party | One Nation | The Nationals |
First Home Owner Grant
| Pooncarie | Menindee | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Pooncarie
Other comparisons with Menindee
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.