Seal Rocks vs Smiths Lake

Seal Rocks is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 49 in Smiths Lake. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Seal Rocks: a median of $2 million, against $825,000 in Smiths Lake, though rent is higher in Smiths Lake. On these figures, Seal Rocks tends to suit older residents, while Smiths Lake 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

Smiths Lake

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (6 vs 1)
  • carries lower crime risk (62/100 vs 96/100)

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

First-home buyers

Smiths Lake

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($825,000 vs $2,000,000)
  • has cheaper land ($507,500 vs $1,060,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (28% vs 55%)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Seal Rocks

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 31%)
  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $380/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Seal Rocks sits closer to the CBD (274.6 km vs 277.6 km)
  • Smiths Lake is more walkable (25/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Smiths Lake

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (25/100 vs 0/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (62/100 vs 96/100)
  • But Seal Rocks has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 25%)

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

Investors

Seal Rocks

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (27.3% vs 7.9%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
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.

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Walkability 0 / 25
Seal Rocks — Walkability: 0/100 Smiths Lake — Walkability: 25/100
Safety 4 / 38
Seal Rocks — Safety: 4/100 Smiths Lake — Safety: 38/100
Low fire risk 8 / 9
Seal Rocks — Low fire risk: 8/100 Smiths Lake — Low fire risk: 9/100

Demographics

Smiths Lake has more residents (1,332 vs 56); Smiths Lake rents higher ($380/wk vs $250/wk).

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Population 56 1,332
+2279% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +27.3% +7.9%
Median age 46 49
Median household income $73,632/yr
+15% vs other
 $62,920/yr
Median weekly rent $250/wk $380/wk
+52% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
0-4 — / 4.5%
Seal Rocks — 0-4: not among its largest Smiths Lake — 0-4: 4.5%
5-14 19.6% / 13.3%
Seal Rocks — 5-14: 19.6% Smiths Lake — 5-14: 13.3%
15-19 5.4% / 4.4%
Seal Rocks — 15-19: 5.4% Smiths Lake — 15-19: 4.4%
20-24 — / 3.4%
Seal Rocks — 20-24: not among its largest Smiths Lake — 20-24: 3.4%
25-34 8.9% / 7.8%
Seal Rocks — 25-34: 8.9% Smiths Lake — 25-34: 7.8%
35-44 23.2% / 10.8%
Seal Rocks — 35-44: 23.2% Smiths Lake — 35-44: 10.8%
45-54 12.5% / 12.7%
Seal Rocks — 45-54: 12.5% Smiths Lake — 45-54: 12.7%
55-64 8.9% / 17.3%
Seal Rocks — 55-64: 8.9% Smiths Lake — 55-64: 17.3%
65-74 17.9% / 16.1%
Seal Rocks — 65-74: 17.9% Smiths Lake — 65-74: 16.1%
75-84 16.1% / 7.8%
Seal Rocks — 75-84: 16.1% Smiths Lake — 75-84: 7.8%
85+ — / 1.0%
Seal Rocks — 85+: not among its largest Smiths Lake — 85+: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Seal Rocks 43.8% lone person
Seal Rocks — Lone Person: 43.8% Seal Rocks — Couple Families: 25.0% Seal Rocks — One Parent Families: 31.2% Seal Rocks — Group Household: 0.0% Seal Rocks — Other Families: 0.0%
Smiths Lake 41.2% lone person
Smiths Lake — Lone Person: 41.2% Smiths Lake — Couple Families: 33.7% Smiths Lake — One Parent Families: 20.3% Smiths Lake — Group Household: 3.3% Smiths Lake — Other Families: 1.5%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Seal Rocks 14.3% renting
Seal Rocks — Owned Outright: 57.1% Seal Rocks — Mortgage: 28.6% Seal Rocks — Renting: 14.3%
Smiths Lake 16.9% renting
Smiths Lake — Owned Outright: 47.3% Smiths Lake — Mortgage: 35.8% Smiths Lake — Renting: 16.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Seal Rocks 100.0% houses
Seal Rocks — Houses: 100.0% Seal Rocks — Townhouses: 0.0%
Smiths Lake 99.6% houses
Smiths Lake — Houses: 99.6% Smiths Lake — Townhouses: 1.2%
Houses Townhouses

Qualifications

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

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Bachelor Degree 26.8% / 9.8%
Seal Rocks — Bachelor Degree: 26.8% Smiths Lake — Bachelor Degree: 9.8%
Certificate III & IV — / 21.1%
Seal Rocks — Certificate III & IV: not among its largest Smiths Lake — Certificate III & IV: 21.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.9% / 8.9%
Seal Rocks — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9% Smiths Lake — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.9%
Postgraduate Degree — / 3.1%
Seal Rocks — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Smiths Lake — Postgraduate Degree: 3.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 1.3%
Seal Rocks — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Smiths Lake — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.8%).

Property market

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Median house price $2,000,000 $825,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $1,060,000 $507,500
Typical days to sell (houses) — 57 days
from 24 sales

Zoning mix

Seal Rocks has more land zoned for conservation (99% vs 72%); Smiths Lake has more rural and farming land (23% vs 0%).

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Environmental 99% 72%
Rural and farming 0% 23%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 4%
Residential 0% 1%
Planning zones cover 99% of Seal Rocks and 100% of Smiths Lake. 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

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
New dwellings approved 743
across Mid-Coast
same for both
Approvals change year on year +327%
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.

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Houses — 2.7%
$600/wk on $1.16M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
House price Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 36% of NSW
Income Higher than 41% of NSW Higher than 25% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 21% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 7% of NSW Higher than 43% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 34% of NSW Higher than 45% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 11% of NSW Higher than 67% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 10% of NSW

Liveability

Smiths Lake is more walkable (25 vs 0).

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Grade — D
Score — 22/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
same for both

Risk profile

Seal Rocks carries more crime risk (96 vs 62).

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Bushfire High
92/100
 High
91/100
Crime High
96/100
 Moderate
62/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
59/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
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

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 1
same for both
Parks & reserves 1 6
Childcare 0 1
Beaches 1 0
Waterways 0 2

Mobility

Smiths Lake sits further from the CBD (277.6 km vs 274.6 km).

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Walkability score 0/100 25/100
Distance to Sydney 274.6 km 277.6 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 201 min 204 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 2423
 0.4%
postcode 2428
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 61
postcode 2423
 41
postcode 2428

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.

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Car (driver) 29.4% / 70.9%
Seal Rocks — Car (driver): 29.4% Smiths Lake — Car (driver): 70.9%
Worked from Home 52.9% / 20.6%
Seal Rocks — Worked from Home: 52.9% Smiths Lake — Worked from Home: 20.6%
Walked Only 17.6% / 3.1%
Seal Rocks — Walked Only: 17.6% Smiths Lake — Walked Only: 3.1%
Car (passenger) — / 5.4%
Seal Rocks — Car (passenger): not among its largest Smiths Lake — Car (passenger): 5.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.9%).

Setting

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Elevation 109 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 0 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.0 km
3.1 km to a named beach
 2.1 km
2.9 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Connectivity score 15/100 52/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
26 premises
 13%
1,046 premises

Council rates

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Average residential rate $1,560/yr
same for both
Council Mid-Coast
same for both

Federal electorate

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Division Lyne
same for both
Member Alison Penfold
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Seal Rocks Smiths Lake
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Seal Rocks

Coastal Premium Retirees Rural

Smiths Lake

Acreage Coastal

More comparisons

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Seal Rocks vs Bungwahl

Other comparisons with Smiths Lake

Smiths Lake vs Bungwahl Smiths Lake vs Tarbuck Bay Smiths Lake vs Charlotte Bay
Full data on Seal Rocks Full data on Smiths Lake
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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