Redhead vs Whitebridge

Whitebridge is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 48 in Redhead. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Whitebridge, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Redhead: a median of $1.61 million, against $1.28 million in Whitebridge. On these figures, Redhead tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Whitebridge suits 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

Redhead

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (92% vs 80%)
  • But Whitebridge is already more of a family suburb (67% vs 53%)

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

First-home buyers

Whitebridge

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 33%)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,280,000 vs $1,613,500)
  • But Redhead has cheaper units ($529,000 vs $835,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Whitebridge

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 26%)

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

Commuting to the city

Redhead

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (72/100 vs 54/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (116 min vs 122 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (142.3 km vs 146.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Redhead

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 18%)
  • is more walkable (72/100 vs 54/100)
  • But Whitebridge has more units and townhouses to downsize into (20% vs 8%)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Whitebridge

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.4% vs 3.0%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Redhead and Whitebridge drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Redhead Whitebridge
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.

Redhead Whitebridge
Walkability 72 / 54
Redhead — Walkability: 72/100 Whitebridge — Walkability: 54/100
Safety 52 / 52
Redhead — Safety: 52/100 Whitebridge — Safety: 52/100
Low fire risk 22 / 40
Redhead — Low fire risk: 22/100 Whitebridge — Low fire risk: 40/100

Demographics

Redhead has more residents (3,785 vs 2,900); Whitebridge has higher household incomes ($107,224 vs $83,096).

Redhead Whitebridge
Population 3,785
+23% vs other
 2,900
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.7% +11.0%
Median age 48 40
Median household income $83,096/yr $107,224/yr
+29% vs other
Median weekly rent $420/wk
+2% vs other
 $410/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Redhead Whitebridge
0-4 4.5% / 5.4%
Redhead — 0-4: 4.5% Whitebridge — 0-4: 5.4%
5-14 13.1% / 14.4%
Redhead — 5-14: 13.1% Whitebridge — 5-14: 14.4%
15-19 6.2% / 5.5%
Redhead — 15-19: 6.2% Whitebridge — 15-19: 5.5%
20-24 3.9% / 5.8%
Redhead — 20-24: 3.9% Whitebridge — 20-24: 5.8%
25-34 6.4% / 11.3%
Redhead — 25-34: 6.4% Whitebridge — 25-34: 11.3%
35-44 10.6% / 13.2%
Redhead — 35-44: 10.6% Whitebridge — 35-44: 13.2%
45-54 13.6% / 13.8%
Redhead — 45-54: 13.6% Whitebridge — 45-54: 13.8%
55-64 13.6% / 12.4%
Redhead — 55-64: 13.6% Whitebridge — 55-64: 12.4%
65-74 13.2% / 10.6%
Redhead — 65-74: 13.2% Whitebridge — 65-74: 10.6%
75-84 9.1% / 6.0%
Redhead — 75-84: 9.1% Whitebridge — 75-84: 6.0%
85+ 5.9% / 1.8%
Redhead — 85+: 5.9% Whitebridge — 85+: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Redhead 42.8% couple families
Redhead — Couple Families: 42.8% Redhead — Lone Person: 43.1% Redhead — One Parent Families: 10.6% Redhead — Group Household: 2.2% Redhead — Other Families: 1.2%
Whitebridge 49.9% couple families
Whitebridge — Couple Families: 49.9% Whitebridge — Lone Person: 27.3% Whitebridge — One Parent Families: 16.9% Whitebridge — Group Household: 4.5% Whitebridge — Other Families: 1.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Redhead 13.6% renting
Redhead — Owned Outright: 57.3% Redhead — Mortgage: 29.2% Redhead — Renting: 13.6%
Whitebridge 18.9% renting
Whitebridge — Owned Outright: 40.9% Whitebridge — Mortgage: 40.2% Whitebridge — Renting: 18.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Redhead Whitebridge
Certificate III & IV 15.7% / 16.3%
Redhead — Certificate III & IV: 15.7% Whitebridge — Certificate III & IV: 16.3%
Bachelor Degree 13.8% / 14.7%
Redhead — Bachelor Degree: 13.8% Whitebridge — Bachelor Degree: 14.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.1% / 8.8%
Redhead — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1% Whitebridge — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8%
Postgraduate Degree 4.3% / 4.4%
Redhead — Postgraduate Degree: 4.3% Whitebridge — Postgraduate Degree: 4.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.5% / 2.3%
Redhead — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5% Whitebridge — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

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

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.

Redhead Whitebridge
England 3.0% / 1.8%
Redhead — England: 3.0% Whitebridge — England: 1.8%
New Zealand 1.0% / 0.8%
Redhead — New Zealand: 1.0% Whitebridge — New Zealand: 0.8%
Germany 0.6% / 0.4%
Redhead — Germany: 0.6% Whitebridge — Germany: 0.4%
Scotland 0.4% / 0.5%
Redhead — Scotland: 0.4% Whitebridge — Scotland: 0.5%
South Africa 0.4% / —
Redhead — South Africa: 0.4% Whitebridge — South Africa: not among its largest
Netherlands — / 0.4%
Redhead — Netherlands: not among its largest Whitebridge — Netherlands: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Redhead 92.5% houses
Redhead — Houses: 92.5% Redhead — Townhouses: 5.9% Redhead — Flats / Apartments: 1.6%
Whitebridge 80.3% houses
Whitebridge — Houses: 80.3% Whitebridge — Townhouses: 18.0% Whitebridge — Flats / Apartments: 1.7%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Redhead Whitebridge
Median house price $1,613,500 $1,280,000
Median unit price $529,000 $835,000
Median land price $1,100,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 36 days
from 29 sales
 30 days
from 5 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Redhead Whitebridge
3 bed $1.45M / $1.24M
Redhead — 3 bed: $1.45M (20 sales) Whitebridge — 3 bed: $1.24M (16 sales)

20 vs 16 sales

4 bed $1.77M / $1.36M
Redhead — 4 bed: $1.77M (22 sales) Whitebridge — 4 bed: $1.36M (9 sales)

22 vs 9 sales

Zoning mix

Whitebridge has more land zoned for conservation (60% vs 40%).

Redhead Whitebridge
Environmental 40% 60%
Residential 30% 21%
Parks and recreation 15% 6%
Other and special use 0% 8%
Industrial 8% 2%
Rural and farming 7% 2%
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

Redhead Whitebridge
New dwellings approved 1,212
across Lake Macquarie
same for both
Approvals change year on year +2%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Redhead Whitebridge
Houses 3.0%
$850/wk on $1.5M
 4.4%
$825/wk on $985K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Redhead Whitebridge
House price Higher than 78% of NSW Higher than 66% of NSW
Income Higher than 51% of NSW Higher than 73% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 82% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 17% of NSW Higher than 51% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 77% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 72% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 20% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW

Liveability

Redhead is more walkable (72 vs 54).

Redhead Whitebridge
Grade C B
Score 46/100 49/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Redhead carries more bushfire risk (78 vs 60).

Redhead Whitebridge
Bushfire High
78/100
 Moderate
60/100
Crime Moderate
48/100
same for both
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
37/100
 Low
23/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Redhead Whitebridge
Inside the suburb 1
same for both
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km None 2
The University of Newcastle (Newcastle City), 7.6 km

Schools in Redhead

  • Redhead Public School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Whitebridge

  • Whitebridge High School Government · Secondary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Redhead Whitebridge
Supermarkets 1
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 6 2
Parks & reserves 7 5
Childcare 3 2
GPs 1
same for both
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1
same for both
Beaches 2 0
Waterways 3 12

Mobility

Whitebridge sits further from the CBD (146.6 km vs 142.3 km).

Redhead Whitebridge
Walkability score 72/100 54/100
Distance to Sydney 142.3 km 146.6 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 116 min 122 min
Public transport score 74/100
Bus
 50/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 50.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 20.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 2290
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 37
postcode 2290
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.

Redhead Whitebridge
Car (driver) 63.1% / 64.8%
Redhead — Car (driver): 63.1% Whitebridge — Car (driver): 64.8%
Worked from Home 29.8% / 29.8%
Redhead — Worked from Home: 29.8% Whitebridge — Worked from Home: 29.8%
Car (passenger) 4.4% / 3.6%
Redhead — Car (passenger): 4.4% Whitebridge — Car (passenger): 3.6%
Walked Only 1.9% / 1.3%
Redhead — Walked Only: 1.9% Whitebridge — Walked Only: 1.3%
Bicycle 0.7% / 0.2%
Redhead — Bicycle: 0.7% Whitebridge — Bicycle: 0.2%
Bus — / 0.2%
Redhead — Bus: not among its largest Whitebridge — Bus: 0.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (64.8%).

Setting

Redhead Whitebridge
Elevation 25 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 93 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.0 km
1.0 km to a named beach
 987 m
4.5 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Redhead Whitebridge
Connectivity score 63/100 72/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 33%
1,923 premises
 49%
1,240 premises

Climate

Redhead Whitebridge
Annual rainfall 1,025 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.2°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Redhead Whitebridge
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 21.7 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.64 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Redhead Whitebridge
Average residential rate $1,708/yr
same for both
Council Lake Macquarie
same for both

Federal electorate

Redhead Whitebridge
Division Shortland
same for both
Member Pat Conroy
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Redhead Whitebridge
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Redhead

Beach Coastal Large Blocks Parks Quiet Retirees

Whitebridge

Coastal River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Redhead

Redhead vs Belmont Redhead vs Belmont North Redhead vs Gateshead Redhead vs Dudley Redhead vs Jewells

Other comparisons with Whitebridge

Whitebridge vs Charlestown Whitebridge vs Merewether Whitebridge vs Gateshead Whitebridge vs Kahibah Whitebridge vs Dudley Whitebridge vs Highfields
Full data on Redhead Full data on Whitebridge
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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