Upper Burringbar vs Smiths Creek

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Upper Burringbar, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Smiths Creek: a median of $1.95 million, against $1.65 million in Upper Burringbar. On these figures, Upper Burringbar tends to suit people living alone 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

Smiths Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (56% vs 42%)

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

First-home buyers

Upper Burringbar

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (29% vs 36%)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,650,000 vs $1,950,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Upper Burringbar

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (26% vs 14%)

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

Commuting to the city

Upper Burringbar

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (784.7 km vs 794.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.

Investors

Smiths Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (14.6% vs 3.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
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.

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Walkability 10 / 8
Upper Burringbar — Walkability: 10/100 Smiths Creek — Walkability: 8/100
Low fire risk 29 / 100
Upper Burringbar — Low fire risk: 29/100 Smiths Creek — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Smiths Creek has higher household incomes ($61,724 vs $54,184); Upper Burringbar skews older (49 vs 47).

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Population 289 345
+19% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.6% +14.6%
Median age 49 47
Median household income $54,184/yr $61,724/yr
+14% vs other
Median weekly rent $350/wk
+1% vs other
 $345/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
0-4 3.5% / 2.9%
Upper Burringbar — 0-4: 3.5% Smiths Creek — 0-4: 2.9%
5-14 7.3% / 10.7%
Upper Burringbar — 5-14: 7.3% Smiths Creek — 5-14: 10.7%
15-19 3.1% / 11.0%
Upper Burringbar — 15-19: 3.1% Smiths Creek — 15-19: 11.0%
20-24 5.9% / 3.2%
Upper Burringbar — 20-24: 5.9% Smiths Creek — 20-24: 3.2%
25-34 17.3% / 6.1%
Upper Burringbar — 25-34: 17.3% Smiths Creek — 25-34: 6.1%
35-44 9.0% / 9.9%
Upper Burringbar — 35-44: 9.0% Smiths Creek — 35-44: 9.9%
45-54 12.8% / 20.0%
Upper Burringbar — 45-54: 12.8% Smiths Creek — 45-54: 20.0%
55-64 20.1% / 16.5%
Upper Burringbar — 55-64: 20.1% Smiths Creek — 55-64: 16.5%
65-74 18.3% / 11.9%
Upper Burringbar — 65-74: 18.3% Smiths Creek — 65-74: 11.9%
75-84 6.2% / 7.8%
Upper Burringbar — 75-84: 6.2% Smiths Creek — 75-84: 7.8%
85+ — / —
Upper Burringbar — 85+: not among its largest Smiths Creek — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Upper Burringbar 46.6% lone person
Upper Burringbar — Lone Person: 46.6% Upper Burringbar — Couple Families: 28.8% Upper Burringbar — One Parent Families: 13.7% Upper Burringbar — Group Household: 11.0% Upper Burringbar — Other Families: 0.0%
Smiths Creek 32.2% lone person
Smiths Creek — Lone Person: 32.2% Smiths Creek — Couple Families: 40.0% Smiths Creek — One Parent Families: 15.6% Smiths Creek — Group Household: 8.9% Smiths Creek — Other Families: 3.3%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Upper Burringbar 26.4% renting
Upper Burringbar — Owned Outright: 40.6% Upper Burringbar — Mortgage: 33.0% Upper Burringbar — Renting: 26.4%
Smiths Creek 13.5% renting
Smiths Creek — Owned Outright: 53.2% Smiths Creek — Mortgage: 33.3% Smiths Creek — Renting: 13.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Certificate III & IV 14.5% / 15.1%
Upper Burringbar — Certificate III & IV: 14.5% Smiths Creek — Certificate III & IV: 15.1%
Bachelor Degree 13.1% / 11.9%
Upper Burringbar — Bachelor Degree: 13.1% Smiths Creek — Bachelor Degree: 11.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.7% / 9.0%
Upper Burringbar — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7% Smiths Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.1% / 3.2%
Upper Burringbar — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.1% Smiths Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2%
Postgraduate Degree 2.8% / 1.7%
Upper Burringbar — Postgraduate Degree: 2.8% Smiths Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.1%).

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.

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
England 3.5% / 8.1%
Upper Burringbar — England: 3.5% Smiths Creek — England: 8.1%
New Zealand 2.4% / 0.9%
Upper Burringbar — New Zealand: 2.4% Smiths Creek — New Zealand: 0.9%
Japan 2.1% / —
Upper Burringbar — Japan: 2.1% Smiths Creek — Japan: not among its largest
Philippines — / 1.2%
Upper Burringbar — Philippines: not among its largest Smiths Creek — Philippines: 1.2%
Germany — / 1.2%
Upper Burringbar — Germany: not among its largest Smiths Creek — Germany: 1.2%
Italy 1.0% / —
Upper Burringbar — Italy: 1.0% Smiths Creek — Italy: not among its largest
Scotland — / 0.9%
Upper Burringbar — Scotland: not among its largest Smiths Creek — Scotland: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Upper Burringbar 100.0% houses
Upper Burringbar — Houses: 100.0% Upper Burringbar — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Smiths Creek 97.5% houses
Smiths Creek — Houses: 97.5% Smiths Creek — Flats / Apartments: 2.5%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Median house price $1,650,000 $1,950,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Smiths Creek has more land zoned for conservation (25% vs 1%); Upper Burringbar has more rural and farming land (79% vs 62%).

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Rural and farming 79% 62%
Environmental 1% 25%
Other and special use 21% 6%
Residential 0% 3%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 3%
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

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
New dwellings approved 331
across Tweed
same for both
Approvals change year on year -50%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
House price Higher than 50% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Income Higher than 14% of NSW Higher than 24% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 57% of NSW Higher than 54% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 21% of NSW Higher than 5% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 85% of NSW Higher than 65% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 29% of NSW Higher than 47% of NSW

Liveability

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Upper Burringbar carries more bushfire risk (71 vs 0).

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Bushfire High
71/100
 None
0/100
Crime Low
20/100
 —
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
same for both

Schools

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
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

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Waterways 3 7

Mobility

Smiths Creek sits further from the CBD (794.9 km vs 784.7 km).

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Walkability score 10/100 8/100
Distance to Sydney 784.7 km 794.9 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 515 min 516 min
Electric vehicle share 1.2%
postcode 2483
 0.6%
postcode 2484
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 72
postcode 2483
 76
postcode 2484

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.

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Car (driver) 72.4% / 66.1%
Upper Burringbar — Car (driver): 72.4% Smiths Creek — Car (driver): 66.1%
Worked from Home 20.4% / 25.4%
Upper Burringbar — Worked from Home: 20.4% Smiths Creek — Worked from Home: 25.4%
Walked Only 4.1% / 5.1%
Upper Burringbar — Walked Only: 4.1% Smiths Creek — Walked Only: 5.1%
Car (passenger) 3.1% / 3.4%
Upper Burringbar — Car (passenger): 3.1% Smiths Creek — Car (passenger): 3.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.4%).

Setting

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Elevation 116 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 73 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 12.9 km 17.5 km

NBN connectivity

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Connectivity score 20/100 29/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
136 premises
 0%
131 premises

Climate

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Annual rainfall 1,569 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.1°C
same for both

Council rates

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Average residential rate $1,745/yr
same for both
Council Tweed
same for both

Federal electorate

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Division Richmond
same for both
Member Justine Elliot
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Upper Burringbar Smiths Creek
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Upper Burringbar

Rural

Smiths Creek

Premium River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Upper Burringbar

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Other comparisons with Smiths Creek

Smiths Creek vs Stokers Siding Smiths Creek vs Uki Smiths Creek vs Dum Dum Smiths Creek vs Rowlands Creek Smiths Creek vs Chowan Creek
Full data on Upper Burringbar Full data on Smiths Creek
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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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