Scotts Head vs Way Way

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Way Way, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Way Way: a median of $1.05 million, against $965,000 in Scotts Head, and rent is higher there too.

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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Scotts Head has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • Way Way 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

Scotts Head

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper land ($399,000 vs $770,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Scotts Head

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (18% vs 8%)
  • has cheaper rent ($330/wk vs $360/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Way Way

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (322 min vs 346 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (473 km vs 478.7 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

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

Scotts Head Way Way
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.

Scotts Head Way Way
Walkability 4 / 0
Scotts Head — Walkability: 4/100 Way Way — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 29 / 28
Scotts Head — Safety: 29/100 Way Way — Safety: 28/100
Low fire risk 85 / 40
Scotts Head — Low fire risk: 85/100 Way Way — Low fire risk: 40/100

Demographics

Scotts Head has more residents (986 vs 265); Way Way has higher household incomes ($71,500 vs $63,024).

Scotts Head Way Way
Population 986
+73% vs other
 265
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.7% +10.9%
Median age 54 55
Median household income $63,024/yr $71,500/yr
+13% vs other
Median weekly rent $330/wk $360/wk
+9% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Scotts Head Way Way
0-4 4.8% / 4.5%
Scotts Head — 0-4: 4.8% Way Way — 0-4: 4.5%
5-14 12.1% / 8.7%
Scotts Head — 5-14: 12.1% Way Way — 5-14: 8.7%
15-19 4.1% / 6.4%
Scotts Head — 15-19: 4.1% Way Way — 15-19: 6.4%
20-24 1.3% / 1.5%
Scotts Head — 20-24: 1.3% Way Way — 20-24: 1.5%
25-34 6.7% / 9.4%
Scotts Head — 25-34: 6.7% Way Way — 25-34: 9.4%
35-44 11.1% / 6.8%
Scotts Head — 35-44: 11.1% Way Way — 35-44: 6.8%
45-54 11.2% / 14.3%
Scotts Head — 45-54: 11.2% Way Way — 45-54: 14.3%
55-64 19.5% / 25.7%
Scotts Head — 55-64: 19.5% Way Way — 55-64: 25.7%
65-74 18.5% / 20.4%
Scotts Head — 65-74: 18.5% Way Way — 65-74: 20.4%
75-84 7.9% / 4.2%
Scotts Head — 75-84: 7.9% Way Way — 75-84: 4.2%
85+ 2.1% / —
Scotts Head — 85+: 2.1% Way Way — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Scotts Head 42.8% lone person
Scotts Head — Lone Person: 42.8% Scotts Head — Couple Families: 37.9% Scotts Head — One Parent Families: 12.9% Scotts Head — Group Household: 5.3% Scotts Head — Other Families: 1.1%
Way Way 46.0% lone person
Way Way — Lone Person: 46.0% Way Way — Couple Families: 44.0% Way Way — One Parent Families: 10.0% Way Way — Group Household: 0.0% Way Way — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Scotts Head 18.1% renting
Scotts Head — Owned Outright: 58.4% Scotts Head — Mortgage: 23.5% Scotts Head — Renting: 18.1%
Way Way 7.9% renting
Way Way — Owned Outright: 50.6% Way Way — Mortgage: 41.6% Way Way — Renting: 7.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Scotts Head Way Way
England 3.8% / 2.6%
Scotts Head — England: 3.8% Way Way — England: 2.6%
New Zealand 1.6% / 1.1%
Scotts Head — New Zealand: 1.6% Way Way — New Zealand: 1.1%
France 0.9% / —
Scotts Head — France: 0.9% Way Way — France: not among its largest
Philippines 0.8% / —
Scotts Head — Philippines: 0.8% Way Way — Philippines: not among its largest
Netherlands 0.7% / —
Scotts Head — Netherlands: 0.7% Way Way — Netherlands: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.8%).

Qualifications

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

Scotts Head Way Way
Certificate III & IV 20.5% / 20.4%
Scotts Head — Certificate III & IV: 20.5% Way Way — Certificate III & IV: 20.4%
Bachelor Degree 14.2% / 14.3%
Scotts Head — Bachelor Degree: 14.2% Way Way — Bachelor Degree: 14.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.8% / 10.2%
Scotts Head — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8% Way Way — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.2%
Postgraduate Degree 3.2% / 2.6%
Scotts Head — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2% Way Way — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.7% / 1.5%
Scotts Head — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.7% Way Way — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Scotts Head 89.2% houses
Scotts Head — Houses: 89.2% Scotts Head — Flats / Apartments: 6.8% Scotts Head — Townhouses: 4.0%
Way Way 100.0% houses
Way Way — Houses: 100.0% Way Way — Flats / Apartments: 0.0% Way Way — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Scotts Head Way Way
Median house price $965,000 $1,050,000
Median unit price $530,000 —
Median land price $399,000 $770,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 105 days
from 7 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Way Way has more rural and farming land (62% vs 0%); Scotts Head has more land zoned for conservation (78% vs 34%).

Scotts Head Way Way
Environmental 78% 34%
Rural and farming 0% 62%
Residential 13% 4%
Parks and recreation 6% 0%
Planning zones cover 98% of Scotts Head and 100% of Way Way. 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

Scotts Head Way Way
New dwellings approved 109
across Nambucca Valley
same for both
Approvals change year on year -64%
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.

Scotts Head Way Way
Houses 2.4%
$675/wk on $1.45M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Scotts Head Way Way
House price Higher than 49% of NSW Higher than 54% of NSW
Income Higher than 25% of NSW Higher than 36% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 44% of NSW Higher than 7% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 31% of NSW Higher than 36% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 33% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 41% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 6% of NSW —

Liveability

Scotts Head Way Way
Grade C —
Score 32/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
same for both

Risk profile

Way Way carries more bushfire risk (60 vs 15).

Scotts Head Way Way
Bushfire Low
15/100
 Moderate
60/100
Crime High
71/100
 High
72/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion High
75/100
 Low
15/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Scotts Head Way Way
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Scotts Head

  • Scotts Head Public School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Way Way

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Scotts Head Way Way
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 4 0
Parks & reserves 3 2
GPs 1 0
Beaches 2 0
Waterways 0 12

Mobility

Scotts Head sits further from the CBD (478.7 km vs 473 km).

Scotts Head Way Way
Walkability score 4/100 0/100
Distance to Sydney 478.7 km
+1% vs other
 473 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 346 min 322 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 2447
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 62
postcode 2447
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.

Scotts Head Way Way
Car (driver) 71.4% / 62.6%
Scotts Head — Car (driver): 71.4% Way Way — Car (driver): 62.6%
Worked from Home 15.5% / 30.8%
Scotts Head — Worked from Home: 15.5% Way Way — Worked from Home: 30.8%
Walked Only 8.6% / 3.3%
Scotts Head — Walked Only: 8.6% Way Way — Walked Only: 3.3%
Car (passenger) 4.6% / 3.3%
Scotts Head — Car (passenger): 4.6% Way Way — Car (passenger): 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (71.4%).

Setting

Scotts Head Way Way
Elevation 5 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 156 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 317 m
2.2 km to a named beach
 5.5 km

NBN connectivity

Scotts Head Way Way
Connectivity score 61/100 28/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 30%
668 premises
 0%
106 premises

Council rates

Scotts Head Way Way
Average residential rate $1,175/yr
same for both
Council Nambucca Valley
same for both

Federal electorate

Scotts Head Way Way
Division Cowper
same for both
Member Pat Conaghan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Scotts Head Way Way
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Scotts Head

Acreage Coastal Retirees

Way Way

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Scotts Head

Scotts Head vs Nambucca Heads Scotts Head vs Gumma

Other comparisons with Way Way

Way Way vs Macksville Way Way vs Gumma Way Way vs Eungai Creek Way Way vs Congarinni Way Way vs Warrell Creek Way Way vs Eungai Rail
Full data on Scotts Head Full data on Way Way
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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