Wickham vs Islington

Wickham is the younger of the two, with a median age of 32 against 35 in Islington. In Wickham, most households rent, about half of homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. In Islington, about half of households rent and most homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Islington: a median of $1.01 million, against $912,000 in Wickham, though rent is higher in Wickham. On these figures, Wickham tends to suit young adults and people living alone.

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

Islington

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (56% vs 21%)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • is already more of a family suburb (37% vs 24%)

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

First-home buyers

Wickham

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($912,000 vs $1,010,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Islington

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($430/wk vs $470/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

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

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Wickham

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (79% vs 44%)

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

Investors

Wickham

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (51.7% vs 7.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Wickham Islington
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.

Wickham Islington
Walkability 96 / 89
Wickham — Walkability: 96/100 Islington — Walkability: 89/100
Safety 2 / 8
Wickham — Safety: 2/100 Islington — Safety: 8/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Wickham — Low fire risk: 100/100 Islington — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Islington skews older (35 vs 32).

Wickham Islington
Population 1,637 2,026
+24% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +51.7% +7.6%
Median age 32 35
Median household income $98,904/yr
+4% vs other
 $95,056/yr
Median weekly rent $470/wk
+9% vs other
 $430/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Wickham Islington
0-4 3.7% / 5.0%
Wickham — 0-4: 3.7% Islington — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 4.1% / 8.2%
Wickham — 5-14: 4.1% Islington — 5-14: 8.2%
15-19 2.2% / 3.6%
Wickham — 15-19: 2.2% Islington — 15-19: 3.6%
20-24 14.0% / 10.5%
Wickham — 20-24: 14.0% Islington — 20-24: 10.5%
25-34 30.1% / 22.2%
Wickham — 25-34: 30.1% Islington — 25-34: 22.2%
35-44 12.0% / 15.6%
Wickham — 35-44: 12.0% Islington — 35-44: 15.6%
45-54 10.1% / 14.5%
Wickham — 45-54: 10.1% Islington — 45-54: 14.5%
55-64 11.3% / 10.8%
Wickham — 55-64: 11.3% Islington — 55-64: 10.8%
65-74 7.9% / 6.7%
Wickham — 65-74: 7.9% Islington — 65-74: 6.7%
75-84 2.7% / 2.6%
Wickham — 75-84: 2.7% Islington — 75-84: 2.6%
85+ 0.7% / 0.7%
Wickham — 85+: 0.7% Islington — 85+: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Wickham 55.7% lone person
Wickham — Lone Person: 55.7% Wickham — Couple Families: 14.1% Wickham — Group Household: 18.3% Wickham — One Parent Families: 9.9% Wickham — Other Families: 1.9%
Islington 44.1% lone person
Islington — Lone Person: 44.1% Islington — Couple Families: 23.8% Islington — Group Household: 16.5% Islington — One Parent Families: 13.3% Islington — Other Families: 2.3%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Wickham 56.9% renting
Wickham — Owned Outright: 18.2% Wickham — Mortgage: 24.9% Wickham — Renting: 56.9%
Islington 47.8% renting
Islington — Owned Outright: 20.8% Islington — Mortgage: 31.4% Islington — Renting: 47.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Wickham Islington
Bachelor Degree 23.2% / 22.1%
Wickham — Bachelor Degree: 23.2% Islington — Bachelor Degree: 22.1%
Certificate III & IV 15.5% / 14.1%
Wickham — Certificate III & IV: 15.5% Islington — Certificate III & IV: 14.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.1% / 8.6%
Wickham — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.1% Islington — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6%
Postgraduate Degree 8.2% / 7.8%
Wickham — Postgraduate Degree: 8.2% Islington — Postgraduate Degree: 7.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.8% / 3.0%
Wickham — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.8% Islington — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0%

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

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.

Wickham Islington
England 2.9% / 2.3%
Wickham — England: 2.9% Islington — England: 2.3%
New Zealand 2.1% / 1.8%
Wickham — New Zealand: 2.1% Islington — New Zealand: 1.8%
Philippines 0.8% / 0.9%
Wickham — Philippines: 0.8% Islington — Philippines: 0.9%
China 1.0% / 0.5%
Wickham — China: 1.0% Islington — China: 0.5%
India 0.5% / 1.0%
Wickham — India: 0.5% Islington — India: 1.0%
South Africa — / 0.9%
Wickham — South Africa: not among its largest Islington — South Africa: 0.9%
Brazil 0.8% / —
Wickham — Brazil: 0.8% Islington — Brazil: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.9%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Wickham 20.6% houses
Wickham — Houses: 20.6% Wickham — Flats / Apartments: 48.0% Wickham — Townhouses: 31.4%
Islington 55.9% houses
Islington — Houses: 55.9% Islington — Flats / Apartments: 13.8% Islington — Townhouses: 30.4%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Wickham Islington
Median house price $912,000 $1,010,000
Median unit price $790,000 $770,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 34 days
from 5 sales
 22 days
from 24 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Wickham Islington
1 bed $668K / $500K
Wickham — 1 bed: $668K (10 sales) Islington — 1 bed: $500K (7 sales)

10 vs 7 sales

2 bed $860K / $778K
Wickham — 2 bed: $860K (27 sales) Islington — 2 bed: $778K (16 sales)

27 vs 16 sales

Zoning mix

Wickham Islington
Residential 53% 57%
Parks and recreation 20% 13%
Industrial 15% 14%
Infrastructure and transport 8% 6%
Environmental 0% 5%
Commercial 3% 4%
Planning zones cover 100% of Wickham and 99% of Islington. 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

Wickham Islington
New dwellings approved 912
across Newcastle
same for both
Approvals change year on year +77%
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.

Wickham Islington
Houses — 4.0%
$688/wk on $905K
Units 5.4%
$750/wk on $724K
 —

Ranking within NSW

Wickham Islington
House price Higher than 53% of NSW Higher than 50% of NSW
Income — Higher than 62% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 99% of NSW Higher than 96% of NSW
Affordability — Higher than 61% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 70% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 82% of NSW —

Liveability

Wickham scores higher overall (63 vs 58).

Wickham Islington
Grade B
same for both
Score 63/100 58/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Wickham Islington
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
98/100
 High
92/100
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 22
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Wickham Islington
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
The University of Newcastle (Newcastle City), 2.2 km
 2
The University of Newcastle (Newcastle City), 3.3 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.9% 3.8%

Schools in Wickham

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

Schools in Islington

  • Islington Public School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Wickham Islington
Cafes & restaurants 3 7
Parks & reserves 2
same for both
Childcare 2 1
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 0 3

Mobility

Wickham Islington
Walkability score 96/100 89/100
Distance to Sydney 158.7 km 158.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 123 min 121 min
Public transport score 75/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 25.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 89.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 2 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 2293
 0.9%
postcode 2296
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 20
postcode 2293
 25
postcode 2296

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.

Wickham Islington
Car (driver) 52.0% / 54.0%
Wickham — Car (driver): 52.0% Islington — Car (driver): 54.0%
Worked from Home 30.8% / 34.7%
Wickham — Worked from Home: 30.8% Islington — Worked from Home: 34.7%
Walked Only 6.5% / 3.4%
Wickham — Walked Only: 6.5% Islington — Walked Only: 3.4%
Bicycle 2.3% / 3.5%
Wickham — Bicycle: 2.3% Islington — Bicycle: 3.5%
Car (passenger) 3.3% / 2.2%
Wickham — Car (passenger): 3.3% Islington — Car (passenger): 2.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (54.0%).

Setting

Wickham Islington
Elevation 5 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 9 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.5 km
2.7 km to a named beach
 2.2 km
3.6 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Wickham Islington
Connectivity score 75/100 71/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 54%
1,492 premises
 47%
1,293 premises

Climate

Wickham Islington
Annual rainfall 1,025 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.2°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Wickham Islington
PM2.5 6.8 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 22.6 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.89 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Wickham Islington
Average residential rate $1,783/yr
same for both
Council Newcastle
same for both

Federal electorate

Wickham Islington
Division Newcastle
same for both
Member Sharon Claydon
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Wickham Islington
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Wickham

Apartments Coastal Gentrifying Nightlife Parks Professionals Townhouses Trains

Islington

Coastal Parks Professionals Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Wickham

Wickham vs Hamilton Wickham vs Newcastle Wickham vs Carrington Wickham vs Maryville Wickham vs Newcastle West

Other comparisons with Islington

Islington vs Mayfield Islington vs Hamilton Islington vs Georgetown Islington vs Tighes Hill Islington vs Maryville Islington vs Hamilton North
Full data on Wickham Full data on Islington
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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