Wickham vs Newcastle

Wickham is the younger of the two, with a median age of 32 against 41 in Newcastle. In both, most households rent and most households are people living alone. In Wickham, about half of homes are flats or apartments. In Newcastle, the large majority of homes are flats or apartments. Units cost more in Newcastle: a median of $962,000, against $790,000 in Wickham. On these figures, Wickham tends to suit young adults, share households, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Newcastle suits 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

Newcastle

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (9 vs 2)
  • has more childcare (5 vs 2)
  • But Wickham has more separate houses rather than flats (21% vs 2%)

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

First-home buyers

Wickham

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($912,000 vs $1,492,500)
  • has cheaper units ($790,000 vs $962,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

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

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

Commuting to the city

Wickham

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (158.7 km vs 160.8 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Newcastle

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (19% vs 11%)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (98% vs 79%)

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

Investors

Wickham

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (51.7% vs 39.9%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (5.4% vs 4.6%)

Weighs unit yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Wickham and Newcastle 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 Newcastle
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 Newcastle
Walkability 96 / 96
Wickham — Walkability: 96/100 Newcastle — Walkability: 96/100
Safety 2 / 2
Wickham — Safety: 2/100 Newcastle — Safety: 2/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Wickham — Low fire risk: 100/100 Newcastle — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Newcastle has more residents (3,852 vs 1,637); Newcastle skews older (41 vs 32).

Wickham Newcastle
Population 1,637 3,852
+135% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +51.7% +39.9%
Median age 32 41
Median household income $98,904/yr $101,036/yr
+2% vs other
Median weekly rent $470/wk $490/wk
+4% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Wickham Newcastle
0-4 3.7% / 2.5%
Wickham — 0-4: 3.7% Newcastle — 0-4: 2.5%
5-14 4.1% / 3.7%
Wickham — 5-14: 4.1% Newcastle — 5-14: 3.7%
15-19 2.2% / 2.5%
Wickham — 15-19: 2.2% Newcastle — 15-19: 2.5%
20-24 14.0% / 9.1%
Wickham — 20-24: 14.0% Newcastle — 20-24: 9.1%
25-34 30.1% / 23.0%
Wickham — 25-34: 30.1% Newcastle — 25-34: 23.0%
35-44 12.0% / 13.3%
Wickham — 35-44: 12.0% Newcastle — 35-44: 13.3%
45-54 10.1% / 12.4%
Wickham — 45-54: 10.1% Newcastle — 45-54: 12.4%
55-64 11.3% / 14.7%
Wickham — 55-64: 11.3% Newcastle — 55-64: 14.7%
65-74 7.9% / 12.1%
Wickham — 65-74: 7.9% Newcastle — 65-74: 12.1%
75-84 2.7% / 5.6%
Wickham — 75-84: 2.7% Newcastle — 75-84: 5.6%
85+ 0.7% / 1.3%
Wickham — 85+: 0.7% Newcastle — 85+: 1.3%

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 — Group Household: 18.3% Wickham — Couple Families: 14.1% Wickham — One Parent Families: 9.9% Wickham — Other Families: 1.9%
Newcastle 70.0% lone person
Newcastle — Lone Person: 70.0% Newcastle — Group Household: 9.9% Newcastle — Couple Families: 11.8% Newcastle — One Parent Families: 7.1% Newcastle — Other Families: 1.2%
Lone Person Group Household Couple Families 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%
Newcastle 55.1% renting
Newcastle — Owned Outright: 25.8% Newcastle — Mortgage: 19.1% Newcastle — Renting: 55.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Wickham Newcastle
Bachelor Degree 23.2% / 24.9%
Wickham — Bachelor Degree: 23.2% Newcastle — Bachelor Degree: 24.9%
Certificate III & IV 15.5% / 13.2%
Wickham — Certificate III & IV: 15.5% Newcastle — Certificate III & IV: 13.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.1% / 10.2%
Wickham — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.1% Newcastle — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.2%
Postgraduate Degree 8.2% / 11.5%
Wickham — Postgraduate Degree: 8.2% Newcastle — Postgraduate Degree: 11.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.8% / 2.9%
Wickham — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.8% Newcastle — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.9%).

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 Newcastle
England 2.9% / 3.2%
Wickham — England: 2.9% Newcastle — England: 3.2%
New Zealand 2.1% / 1.7%
Wickham — New Zealand: 2.1% Newcastle — New Zealand: 1.7%
India 0.5% / 1.2%
Wickham — India: 0.5% Newcastle — India: 1.2%
China 1.0% / 0.6%
Wickham — China: 1.0% Newcastle — China: 0.6%
Philippines 0.8% / 0.7%
Wickham — Philippines: 0.8% Newcastle — Philippines: 0.7%
Brazil 0.8% / 0.5%
Wickham — Brazil: 0.8% Newcastle — Brazil: 0.5%
South Africa — / 0.6%
Wickham — South Africa: not among its largest Newcastle — South Africa: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Wickham 48.0% flats / apartments
Wickham — Flats / Apartments: 48.0% Wickham — Townhouses: 31.4% Wickham — Houses: 20.6%
Newcastle 94.0% flats / apartments
Newcastle — Flats / Apartments: 94.0% Newcastle — Townhouses: 3.8% Newcastle — Houses: 2.2%
Flats / Apartments Townhouses Houses

Property market

Wickham Newcastle
Median house price $912,000 $1,492,500
Median unit price $790,000 $962,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 34 days
from 5 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 Newcastle
1 bed $668K / $704K
Wickham — 1 bed: $668K (10 sales) Newcastle — 1 bed: $704K (96 sales)

10 vs 96 sales

2 bed $860K / $1.12M
Wickham — 2 bed: $860K (27 sales) Newcastle — 2 bed: $1.12M (103 sales)

27 vs 103 sales

Zoning mix

Wickham has more industrially zoned land (15% vs 0%).

Wickham Newcastle
Residential 53% 51%
Parks and recreation 20% 37%
Industrial 15% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 8% 6%
Commercial 3% 6%
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 Newcastle
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 Newcastle
Houses — 3.2%
$850/wk on $1.39M
Units 5.4%
$750/wk on $724K
 4.6%
$850/wk on $952K

Ranking within NSW

Wickham Newcastle
House price Higher than 53% of NSW Higher than 71% of NSW
Income — Higher than 69% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 99% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Affordability — Higher than 39% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 91% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 72% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 29% of NSW
Rental yield (units) Higher than 82% of NSW Higher than 50% of NSW

Liveability

Wickham Newcastle
Grade B
same for both
Score 63/100 64/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Wickham Newcastle
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
98/100
same for both
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Moderate
47/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 22
within 5 km
 13
within 5 km

Schools

Wickham Newcastle
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 2
The University of Newcastle (Newcastle City), 2.2 km
 2
The University of Newcastle (Newcastle City), 0.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.9% 3.5%

Schools in Wickham

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

Schools in Newcastle

  • Newcastle Grammar Bolton Street Campus Independent · Secondary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Wickham Newcastle
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 3 87
Parks & reserves 2 9
Childcare 2 5
GPs 2
same for both
Pharmacies 0 4
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 7
EV chargers 0 1
Beaches 0 1
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Newcastle sits further from the CBD (160.8 km vs 158.7 km).

Wickham Newcastle
Walkability score 96/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 158.7 km 160.8 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 123 min 126 min
Public transport score 75/100
Rail · Bus
 80/100
Tram · Bus · Ferry
Peak arrivals per hour 25.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 242.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 2 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 2293
 1.7%
postcode 2300
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 20
postcode 2293
 12
postcode 2300

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 Newcastle
Car (driver) 52.0% / 43.6%
Wickham — Car (driver): 52.0% Newcastle — Car (driver): 43.6%
Worked from Home 30.8% / 37.0%
Wickham — Worked from Home: 30.8% Newcastle — Worked from Home: 37.0%
Walked Only 6.5% / 12.5%
Wickham — Walked Only: 6.5% Newcastle — Walked Only: 12.5%
Car (passenger) 3.3% / 2.1%
Wickham — Car (passenger): 3.3% Newcastle — Car (passenger): 2.1%
Bus 1.7% / 2.4%
Wickham — Bus: 1.7% Newcastle — Bus: 2.4%
Bicycle 2.3% / 1.4%
Wickham — Bicycle: 2.3% Newcastle — Bicycle: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (52.0%).

Setting

Wickham Newcastle
Elevation 5 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 11 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.5 km
2.7 km to a named beach
 110 m
814 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Wickham Newcastle
Connectivity score 75/100 64/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 54%
1,492 premises
 34%
4,863 premises

Climate

Wickham Newcastle
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 Newcastle
PM2.5 6.8 µg/m³ 6.5 µg/m³
PM10 22.6 µg/m³ 21.7 µg/m³
NO₂ 0.89 pphm 0.64 pphm

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

Wickham Newcastle
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

Newcastle

Apartments Beach Cafe Culture Coastal Nightlife Parks Professionals Trams Transport Hub Urban

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Wickham

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

Other comparisons with Newcastle

Newcastle vs Stockton Newcastle vs Cooks Hill Newcastle vs The Hill Newcastle vs Carrington Newcastle vs Tighes Hill Newcastle vs Newcastle West
Full data on Wickham Full data on Newcastle
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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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