Thrumster vs Lake Innes

Thrumster is the younger of the two, with a median age of 32 against 44 in Lake Innes. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Lake Innes: a median of $1.55 million, against $865,000 in Thrumster, though rent is higher in Thrumster. On these figures, Thrumster tends to suit families with children 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

Lake Innes

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (61/100 vs 77/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (86% vs 75%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 90%)
  • But Thrumster 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

Thrumster

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($865,000 vs $1,554,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Lake Innes

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 23%)
  • has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $460/wk)
  • But Thrumster has a bigger rental market to choose from (31% vs 18%)

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

Commuting to the city

Thrumster

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (35/100 vs 6/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Lake Innes

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (17% vs 11%)
  • carries lower crime risk (61/100 vs 77/100)
  • But Thrumster is more walkable (35/100 vs 6/100)

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

Where they sit

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

Thrumster Lake Innes
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.

Thrumster Lake Innes
Walkability 35 / 6
Thrumster — Walkability: 35/100 Lake Innes — Walkability: 6/100
Safety 23 / 39
Thrumster — Safety: 23/100 Lake Innes — Safety: 39/100
Low fire risk 19 / 33
Thrumster — Low fire risk: 19/100 Lake Innes — Low fire risk: 33/100

Demographics

Thrumster has more residents (2,382 vs 495); Lake Innes skews older (44 vs 32).

Thrumster Lake Innes
Population 2,382
+79% vs other
 495
Population trend (2016 → 2021) — +16.2%
Median age 32 44
Median household income $103,376/yr $115,128/yr
+11% vs other
Median weekly rent $460/wk
+13% vs other
 $400/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Thrumster Lake Innes
0-4 10.2% / 4.0%
Thrumster — 0-4: 10.2% Lake Innes — 0-4: 4.0%
5-14 15.9% / 13.9%
Thrumster — 5-14: 15.9% Lake Innes — 5-14: 13.9%
15-19 5.5% / 10.1%
Thrumster — 15-19: 5.5% Lake Innes — 15-19: 10.1%
20-24 6.6% / 6.3%
Thrumster — 20-24: 6.6% Lake Innes — 20-24: 6.3%
25-34 17.0% / 6.3%
Thrumster — 25-34: 17.0% Lake Innes — 25-34: 6.3%
35-44 14.3% / 10.7%
Thrumster — 35-44: 14.3% Lake Innes — 35-44: 10.7%
45-54 11.1% / 13.7%
Thrumster — 45-54: 11.1% Lake Innes — 45-54: 13.7%
55-64 8.0% / 18.2%
Thrumster — 55-64: 8.0% Lake Innes — 55-64: 18.2%
65-74 8.1% / 10.1%
Thrumster — 65-74: 8.1% Lake Innes — 65-74: 10.1%
75-84 2.9% / 4.8%
Thrumster — 75-84: 2.9% Lake Innes — 75-84: 4.8%
85+ 0.3% / 2.4%
Thrumster — 85+: 0.3% Lake Innes — 85+: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Thrumster 56.1% couple families
Thrumster — Couple Families: 56.1% Thrumster — One Parent Families: 18.6% Thrumster — Lone Person: 20.8% Thrumster — Group Household: 3.2% Thrumster — Other Families: 1.3%
Lake Innes 61.9% couple families
Lake Innes — Couple Families: 61.9% Lake Innes — One Parent Families: 23.7% Lake Innes — Lone Person: 14.4% Lake Innes — Group Household: 0.0% Lake Innes — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families One Parent Families Lone Person Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Thrumster 31.0% renting
Thrumster — Owned Outright: 20.8% Thrumster — Mortgage: 48.2% Thrumster — Renting: 31.0%
Lake Innes 17.6% renting
Lake Innes — Owned Outright: 47.7% Lake Innes — Mortgage: 34.6% Lake Innes — Renting: 17.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Thrumster Lake Innes
Certificate III & IV 18.1% / 18.0%
Thrumster — Certificate III & IV: 18.1% Lake Innes — Certificate III & IV: 18.0%
Bachelor Degree 10.4% / 10.5%
Thrumster — Bachelor Degree: 10.4% Lake Innes — Bachelor Degree: 10.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.1% / 8.3%
Thrumster — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1% Lake Innes — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.3%
Postgraduate Degree 2.9% / 3.2%
Thrumster — Postgraduate Degree: 2.9% Lake Innes — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.9% / 1.6%
Thrumster — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9% Lake Innes — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.1%).

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.

Thrumster Lake Innes
England 3.8% / 4.2%
Thrumster — England: 3.8% Lake Innes — England: 4.2%
New Zealand 1.7% / 1.2%
Thrumster — New Zealand: 1.7% Lake Innes — New Zealand: 1.2%
India 2.4% / —
Thrumster — India: 2.4% Lake Innes — India: not among its largest
Thailand 0.5% / 1.2%
Thrumster — Thailand: 0.5% Lake Innes — Thailand: 1.2%
Ireland — / 0.8%
Thrumster — Ireland: not among its largest Lake Innes — Ireland: 0.8%
Philippines 0.6% / —
Thrumster — Philippines: 0.6% Lake Innes — Philippines: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Thrumster 89.6% houses
Thrumster — Houses: 89.6% Thrumster — Townhouses: 8.4% Thrumster — Flats / Apartments: 2.0%
Lake Innes 100.0% houses
Lake Innes — Houses: 100.0% Lake Innes — Townhouses: 0.0% Lake Innes — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Thrumster Lake Innes
Median house price $865,000 $1,554,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $450,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 34 days
from 61 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Lake Innes has more land zoned for conservation (49% vs 23%); Lake Innes has more rural and farming land (48% vs 32%).

Thrumster Lake Innes
Environmental 23% 49%
Rural and farming 32% 48%
Residential 35% 1%
Industrial 5% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 1%
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

Thrumster Lake Innes
New dwellings approved 546
across Port Macquarie-Hastings
same for both
Approvals change year on year +33%
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.

Thrumster Lake Innes
Houses 3.8%
$695/wk on $950K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Thrumster Lake Innes
House price Higher than 39% of NSW Higher than 70% of NSW
Income Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 50% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 51% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 67% of NSW Higher than 50% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 97% of NSW Higher than 57% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 62% of NSW —

Liveability

Thrumster is more walkable (35 vs 6).

Thrumster Lake Innes
Grade D —
Score 29/100 —
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Thrumster carries more crime risk (77 vs 61); Thrumster carries more bushfire risk (81 vs 67).

Thrumster Lake Innes
Bushfire High
81/100
 Moderate
67/100
Crime High
77/100
 Moderate
61/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Low
33/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 3
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Thrumster Lake Innes
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 Thrumster

  • St Joseph's Regional College Catholic · Secondary above peers

Schools in Lake Innes

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

Amenities in the suburb

Thrumster Lake Innes
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 5 0
Parks & reserves 2 1
Childcare 2 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
EV chargers 3 0
Waterways 1 13

Mobility

Thrumster Lake Innes
Walkability score 35/100 6/100
Distance to Sydney 377.7 km 377.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 253 min 257 min
Public transport score 33/100
Bus
 21/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 7.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 3.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 3 min
scheduled, not actual
 5 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 2444
 0.5%
postcode 2446
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 51
postcode 2444
 69
postcode 2446

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.

Thrumster Lake Innes
Car (driver) 79.0% / 77.0%
Thrumster — Car (driver): 79.0% Lake Innes — Car (driver): 77.0%
Worked from Home 12.8% / 18.3%
Thrumster — Worked from Home: 12.8% Lake Innes — Worked from Home: 18.3%
Car (passenger) 5.8% / 4.7%
Thrumster — Car (passenger): 5.8% Lake Innes — Car (passenger): 4.7%
Walked Only 1.9% / —
Thrumster — Walked Only: 1.9% Lake Innes — Walked Only: not among its largest
Bus 0.3% / —
Thrumster — Bus: 0.3% Lake Innes — Bus: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.0%).

Setting

Thrumster Lake Innes
Elevation 33 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 2 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.1 km 5.4 km

NBN connectivity

Thrumster Lake Innes
Connectivity score 98/100 30/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 97%
1,803 premises
 0%
188 premises

Air quality (annual mean)

Thrumster Lake Innes
PM2.5 5.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 11.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.92 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Thrumster Lake Innes
Average residential rate $1,325/yr
same for both
Council Port Macquarie-Hastings
same for both

Federal electorate

Thrumster Lake Innes
Division Cowper Lyne
Member Pat Conaghan Alison Penfold
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Thrumster Lake Innes
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Thrumster

Acreage Family Quiet Young Families

Lake Innes

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Thrumster

Thrumster vs Port Macquarie Thrumster vs Sancrox Thrumster vs Fernbank Creek

Other comparisons with Lake Innes

Lake Innes vs Port Macquarie Lake Innes vs Lake Cathie Lake Innes vs King Creek Lake Innes vs Sancrox Lake Innes vs Herons Creek
Full data on Thrumster Full data on Lake Innes
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or