Duns Creek NSW 2321

Located in New South Wales, Duns Creek sits 180 km from Sydney CBD, around 2 hours 20 minutes by car. The locality has 582 residents, a median age of 42, and a median household income of $116,272 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 40% nationally. Population grew 6.6% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $355 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,167. Walkability is low.

Is Duns Creek a good place to live?

Duns Creek scores a B (49/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on community, weaker on transit.

Transit

Car-dependent

Walkability 8/100 · 180.4 km · 141 min drive to Sydney

Prices

Around the state median

Median $1.2M

Safety

Moderate bushfire risk

Fire 46/100 · Crime 26/100

Community

Advantaged

SEIFA decile 8/10 · median age 42 · 582 residents

B

Liveability Rating

49 / 100 · Ranked #767 in NSW

Each bar is Duns Creek's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.

Schools quality no data
no schools mapped
Safety
63
Bushfire Moderate · Crime Low

No flood data is published for New South Wales — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.

Socio-economic
64
Advantaged
Walkability
14
Very car-dependent
CBD access
33
180.4 km · 141 min drive to Sydney
How it's calculated: Safety rank 63 × 25% + Socio-economic rank 64 × 25% + Walkability rank 14 × 15% + CBD access rank 33 × 10% = 49 / 100. Missing components rebalance the remaining weights.

How do you rate the liveability in Duns Creek?

Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.

Our score

49 / 100

From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.

Residents say

…

AwfulPoorAverageGoodGreat
What applies here? (optional)

One rating per person. You can change yours at any time.

Median House Price

Public listings data

Duns Creek's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $1.2 million, about 8% above where it sat a year earlier.

$1,200,000

↑ +8.3% year-on-year

Based on 11 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 82 days — median across 4 sales that recorded a listing period

Rental Market

Rent agreed on new leases

Jul–Sep 2026
3-bed houses
$625/wk
84 bonds
+40% since 2021
2-bed units
$540/wk
23 bonds
+30% since 2021

Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2321 (NSW publishes bonds by postcode, which can cover several suburbs). Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.

Rental affordability

June quarter 2025

88 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 34% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2321.

SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.

Is Duns Creek safe? Crime statistics

2025

Crime in Duns Creek sits in the low band, with 9 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 29% on the prior year.

9 offences

28.6% since 2024
Assault 2 (22.2%)
Theft 2 (22.2%)
Arson 1 (11.1%)
Harassment & Stalking 1 (11.1%)
Disorderly Conduct 1 (11.1%)
Property Damage 1 (11.1%)
Sexual Offences 1 (11.1%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

2 crashes

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital

Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the locality carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.

Council Flood Studies

Port Stephens Council has published 7 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.

All 7 on the portal

Schools

No schools in this locality boundary.

Walkability

Duns Creek is very car-dependent on foot — at 8/100, nearly all errands require a car.

8
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Public Transport within 1 km 28
Schools within 1.5 km 0
Parks within 800 m 0
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 0
Hospitals within 5 km 0

Public transport

Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Duns Creek.

21
out of 100
Bottom 9% in NSW
Bus
Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
4.2 arrivals/hr
Off-peak weekday
1.0 arrivals/hr
Saturday
0.0 arrivals/hr
Median peak wait
2 min
Span of service
9.2 hours

Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.

NBN connectivity

The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Duns Creek.

29
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
207
Technology mix
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 94%
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 6%

NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.

Amenities

Supermarkets
None
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
None
Parks & Reserves
1 in locality
Sport & Recreation
None
Beaches
None
Waterways
3 in locality
Childcare
None
GPs
None
Pharmacies
None
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
None
Fuel Stations
None
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
None
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
None

Port Stephens: council population

The whole council area, not just Duns Creek · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
80,070
+1.3% in a year
Change
+1,022
people since 2024
Density
93
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+48
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+716
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+258
arrivals minus departures

The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.

Socio-economic profile

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
8/10
8/10 within NSW
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
10/10
10/10 within NSW
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
7/10
6/10 within NSW
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Duns Creek is home to 582 residents, with a median age of 42, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $116,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.6%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

582

6.6% since 2016

Median Age

42

2.4% since 2016

Median Household Income

$116,272/yr

26.0% since 2016
Top 20% in NSW

Census Median Rent

$355/wk

1.4% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$2,167/mo

no change since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.9

3.3% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$43,940/yr

23.5% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

2.6%

44.7% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

3.7%

22.9% since 2016

Total Dwellings

187

13.3% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

93.5%

1.2% since 2016

Houses

100.0%

no change since 2016

Rental Stress

15.9%

19.3% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

22.4%

20.6% since 2016

Work From Home

17.7%

110.7% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 187 (100.0%)

Property Ownership

Mortgage 94 (51.1%)
Owned Outright 78 (42.4%)
Renting 12 (6.5%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
85.7%
English Spoken at Home
92.3%
Employment Rate
63.8%
4.9% since 2016
Completed Year 12
40.2%

Occupations

Professionals 73 (23.9%)
Technicians & Trades 53 (17.4%)
Clerical & Administrative 38 (12.5%)
Community & Personal Service 34 (11.1%)
Labourers 29 (9.5%)
Managers 25 (8.2%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 22 (7.2%)
Sales 21 (6.9%)

Religion

Christianity 338 (58.1%)
No Religion 203 (34.9%)
Buddhism 7 (1.2%)
Other Religions 4 (0.7%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 13 (2.2%)
New Zealand 7 (1.2%)
South Africa 6 (1.0%)
Greece 5 (0.9%)
Fiji 5 (0.9%)
Netherlands 4 (0.7%)
Scotland 3 (0.5%)
Germany 3 (0.5%)

Where New Residents Came From

Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.

Newcastle and Lake Macquarie 50 (9.0%)

Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 554 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.

Languages Spoken at Home

Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.

Mandarin 3 (0.5%)
Greek 3 (0.5%)

Age Distribution

0-4 28 (4.8%)
5-14 80 (13.7%)
15-19 48 (8.2%)
20-24 39 (6.7%)
25-34 48 (8.2%)
35-44 71 (12.2%)
45-54 78 (13.4%)
55-64 102 (17.5%)
65-74 66 (11.3%)
75-84 18 (3.1%)

Family & Household Composition

Couple Families 91 (68.9%)
Lone Person 19 (14.4%)
One Parent Families 11 (8.3%)
Group Household 6 (4.5%)
Other Families 5 (3.8%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 197 (79.4%)
Worked from Home 44 (17.7%)
Car (passenger) 7 (2.8%)

1% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (3 of 305).

City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.

Education

Certificate III & IV 111 (19.1%)
Bachelor Degree 78 (13.4%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 43 (7.4%)
Postgraduate Degree 19 (3.3%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 8 (1.4%)

Cars per Dwelling

1 car 28 (15.1%)
2 cars 78 (42.2%)
3 cars 40 (21.6%)
4+ cars 44 (23.8%)

Council Rates

Port Stephens
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,359 a year through Port Stephens based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,359/yr
10% above the NSW average of $1,230 · median of 128 councils
Valuation basis
Unimproved Value
land only

How this land is zoned

Share of Duns Creek's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Environmental 55%
  • Rural and farming 45%

Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the locality around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.

Building Approvals: Port Stephens

The whole council area, not just Duns Creek · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 495 new dwellings were approved across Port Stephens. That mix is 294 houses and 201 units. Approvals are down 72.1% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
495dwellings
-72.1% YoY
Houses
294
detached dwellings
Units
201
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Land Council

Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Local Aboriginal Land Councils are statutory bodies under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, responsible for land claims and land management for their members. Their boundaries are administrative and are not a statement of whose Country this is. NSW does not publish a register of Aboriginal parties by area — they are registered for each project.

Air Quality

MODERATE

PM2.5 averaged 6.3 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.

PM10 averaged 17.5 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.72 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 1 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.

From the Beresfield monitoring station, 20.2 km away.

Climate & Setting

from Paterson (Tocal AWS), 5.6 km

High rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.

Elevation
91 m
above sea level, at the locality centre
Distance to the ocean
26.7 km
Annual rainfall
996 mm
89 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
30.0°C
20 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
7.1°C
0 frost days ≤ 0°C

Elevation is the ground at the locality centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.

EV adoption

0.6%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.02% in 2021
+0.2 points this year

In postcode 2321, 98 of 17,669 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.1% (542 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.6%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.02%
2022
0.09%
2023
0.16%
2024
0.36%
2025
0.56%

Rooftop solar

69
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 7.6 kW each

In postcode 2321, 5,061 rooftop-solar systems totalling 38.3 MW have been installed since 2001, against 7,365 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 460 went up in the last year.

Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
328
2020
497
2021
521
2022
499
2023
561
2024
536
2025
436
2026
285

2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.

First Home Owner Grant

FY2026-27

$10,000 for new homes priced up to $600,000.

Off-the-plan or contracted-build value cap is $750,000 (vs $600,000 for completed new homes). Stamp duty concessions are a separate scheme (First Home Buyers Assistance).

Verify eligibility with Revenue NSW

Mortgage repayments

I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$6,258
Loan amount
$960,000
Total interest over 30 years
$1,293,053

6 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2321.

Deposit
$240,000
Stamp duty
$48,187
Cash needed at settlement
$288,187

Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Revenue NSW

The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $600,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with Revenue NSW.

Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.

Federal Electorate

Division of Lyne

Currently held by Alison Penfold The Nationals

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Alison Penfold 40.2% 59.8% +4.0
2022 David Gillespie 36.2% 63.8% -1.4
2019 David Gillespie 34.8% 65.2% +3.5

Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact locality's voters across time.

State Electorate

Port Stephens District

Currently held by Kate Washington Labor

Next state election: 13 March 2027.

Year Winner Won with
2023 Kate Washington ALP 69.0%
2019 Kate Washington ALP 55.8%
2015 Kate Washington ALP 54.7%

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.

Looking at a specific address in Duns Creek?

Every figure above is a locality average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.

Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.

Nearby suburbs

Compare Duns Creek to another suburb

Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.

Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:

Common questions about Duns Creek

Is Duns Creek a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Duns Creek is low (26/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Duns Creek?

Duns Creek has a moderate recorded bushfire history (46/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

Is Duns Creek a good place to live?

Duns Creek has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (49/100), ranked against other NSW suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.

What is the population of Duns Creek?

Duns Creek, NSW had a population of 582 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Duns Creek, NSW?

The postcode for Duns Creek, NSW is 2321.

How far is Duns Creek from Sydney?

Duns Creek is 180 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 141 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Duns Creek?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Duns Creek was $116,272 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.

What is the median weekly rent in Duns Creek?

There are too few current rental listings in Duns Creek for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $355, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Duns Creek?

The median age of residents in Duns Creek was 42 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Duns Creek at risk of bushfire?

Duns Creek has a moderate recorded bushfire history (46/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the locality relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.

Is Duns Creek walkable?

Duns Creek scores 8/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very car-dependent. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.

What is the air quality in Duns Creek?

The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Duns Creek (Beresfield) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 17.5 µg/m³. That puts Duns Creek below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

What is the weather like in Duns Creek?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Duns Creek, Paterson (Tocal AWS) (5.6 km away), summer days average 30°C, winter nights 7.1°C, 996 mm of rain a year over 89 rainy days, and 20 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Duns Creek?

First-home buyers in NSW may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $600,000. The grant is administered by Revenue NSW; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.

What council does Duns Creek belong to?

Duns Creek sits within the Port Stephens local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Duns Creek?

The average residential rates bill through Port Stephens is $1,359 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Duns Creek?

Across Port Stephens, 495 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 72.1% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.

Which federal electorate is Duns Creek in?

Duns Creek sits within the federal Division of Lyne, currently held by Alison Penfold (The Nationals).

Search another suburb or address

Data freshness

Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.

Was the information on this page useful to you?

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