Rainbow Reach vs Summer Island
Summer Island is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 56 in Rainbow Reach. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Rainbow Reach, about half of households are people living alone. In Summer Island, most households are couple families. On these figures, Rainbow Reach tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Summer Island suits families with children and 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
Summer Island
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 64/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (81% vs 39%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 89%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Rainbow Reach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (10% vs 30%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Rainbow Reach
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (27% vs 17%)
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $450/wk)
- But Summer Island leaves renters under less rental stress (21% vs 29%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Rainbow Reach has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 12%)
- Summer Island carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 64/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Rainbow Reach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (1.2% vs -7.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Rainbow Reach and Summer 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
Summer Island has higher household incomes ($109,200 vs $53,300); Summer Island rents higher ($450/wk vs $300/wk).
| Rainbow Reach | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 84 | 93 +11% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.2% | -7.9% |
| Median age | 56 | 41 |
| Median household income | $53,300/yr | $109,200/yr +105% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk | $450/wk +50% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (23.8%).
Property market
| Rainbow Reach | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,250,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $550,000 | — |
Zoning mix
Summer Island has more rural and farming land (94% vs 71%); Rainbow Reach has more land zoned for conservation (29% vs 6%).
| Rainbow Reach | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 71% | 94% |
| Environmental | 29% | 6% |
| 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
| Rainbow Reach | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 144 across Kempsey same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +380% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Rainbow Reach | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 65% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 13% of NSW | Higher than 75% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 24% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 10% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 7% of NSW | Higher than 8% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 61% of NSW |
Liveability
| Rainbow Reach | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Rainbow Reach carries more crime risk (64 vs 11); Summer Island carries more bushfire risk (25 vs 13).
| Rainbow Reach | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 13/100 | Low 25/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 64/100 | Low 11/100 |
| 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
| Rainbow Reach | Summer 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
| Rainbow Reach | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 | 0 |
Mobility
| Rainbow Reach | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 447.3 km | 446 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 300 min | 298 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.0%).
Setting
| Rainbow Reach | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 1 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 0 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 5.7 km | 7.2 km |
NBN connectivity
| Rainbow Reach | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 39 premises | 0% 31 premises |
Council rates
| Rainbow Reach | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,447/yr same for both | |
| Council | Kempsey same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Rainbow Reach | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper same for both | |
| Member | Pat Conaghan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Rainbow Reach | Summer Island | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Rainbow Reach
Other comparisons with Summer 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.