Whian Whian vs Huonbrook
Whian Whian is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 52 in Huonbrook. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Whian Whian, about half of households are couple families. In Huonbrook, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Huonbrook: a median of $1.36 million, against $840,000 in Whian Whian, though rent is higher in Whian Whian. On these figures, Whian Whian tends to suit couples and buyers on a tighter budget, while Huonbrook suits people living alone and older residents.
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
Whian Whian
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (67% vs 35%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 85%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Whian Whian
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 41%)
- has cheaper houses ($840,000 vs $1,365,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Whian Whian leaves renters under less rental stress (24% vs 35%)
- Huonbrook has cheaper rent ($255/wk vs $350/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Whian Whian
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (758.4 km vs 781.3 km)
- has a shorter drive in (519 min vs 525 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Huonbrook
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (29% vs 21%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Whian Whian
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (27.9% vs -34.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Whian Whian and Huonbrook drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Whian Whian has higher household incomes ($74,724 vs $37,700); Whian Whian has more residents (179 vs 99).
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 179 +45% vs other | 99 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +27.9% | -34.0% |
| Median age | 47 | 52 |
| Median household income | $74,724/yr +50% vs other | $37,700/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk +27% vs other | $255/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.2%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $840,000 | $1,365,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 80% | 81% |
| Rural and farming | 20% | 19% |
| 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
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 138 across Lismore | 129 across Byron |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% | -65% |
Ranking within NSW
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 37% of NSW | Higher than 70% of NSW |
| Income | — | Higher than 3% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 30% of NSW | Higher than 51% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 4% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 58% of NSW | Higher than 90% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 42% of NSW | Higher than 22% of NSW |
Liveability
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Huonbrook carries more bushfire risk (76 vs 60).
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 60/100 | High 76/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 55/100 same for both | |
| 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
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Whian Whian
- Whian Whian Public School Government · Primary
Schools in Huonbrook
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 7 | 2 |
Mobility
Huonbrook sits further from the CBD (781.3 km vs 758.4 km).
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 6/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 758.4 km | 781.3 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 519 min | 525 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 2480 | 1.5% postcode 2482 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 69 postcode 2480 | 89 postcode 2482 |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.9%).
Setting
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 347 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 430 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 21.1 km | 18.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 74 premises | 0% 37 premises |
Climate
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,487/yr | $1,577/yr |
| Council | Lismore | Byron |
Federal electorate
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page | Richmond |
| Member | Kevin Hogan | Justine Elliot |
| Party | The Nationals | Australian Labor Party |
First Home Owner Grant
| Whian Whian | Huonbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Whian Whian
Huonbrook
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Whian Whian
Other comparisons with Huonbrook
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.