Located in New South Wales, Horseshoe Bend sits 165 km from Sydney CBD, around 2 hours 5 minutes by car. The suburb has 427 residents, a median age of 40, and a median household income of $71,500 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. Population grew 11.5% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $330 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,344. The area shows high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. Walkability is moderate.
This suburb is too small to rate.
The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 427. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.
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Median House Price
Public listings dataHorseshoe Bend's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $730,000, about 8% above where it sat a year earlier.
$730,000
12% below its 3 neighbours (median $825,000)
Based on 17 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 48 days — median across 3 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 12 sales $735K
Rental Market
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $610/wk
- 143 bonds
- +38% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $500/wk
- 14 bonds
- +37% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2320 (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 202590 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 33% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2320.
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 Horseshoe Bend safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Horseshoe Bend sits in the moderate band, with 18 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 28% on the prior year.
18 offences
28.0% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–2025No crash in Horseshoe Bend killed anyone or put anyone in hospital in 2021–2025.
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb 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
Maitland City Council has published 6 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
Schools
Walkability
Horseshoe Bend is somewhat walkable on foot — at 57/100, a short cluster of errands work on foot but most trips still benefit from a car.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Horseshoe Bend.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 99%
- Premises covered
- 192
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
Maitland: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Horseshoe Bend is home to 427 residents, with a median age of 40, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $72,000 a year, with unemployment at 6.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
427
Median Age
40
Median Household Income
$71,500/yr
Census Median Rent
$330/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,344/mo
Avg Household Size
2.4
Median Personal Income
$34,996/yr
Unemployment Rate
6.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
4.4%
Total Dwellings
158
Owner-Occupier Rate
69.3%
Houses
88.6%
Rental Stress
24.0%
Mortgage Stress
22.6%
Work From Home
21.1%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 87.4%
- English Spoken at Home
- 89.9%
- Employment Rate
- 52.7%
- Completed Year 12
- 30.4%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,908 a year through Maitland based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 65%
- Residential 25%
- Environmental 6%
- Parks and recreation 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 — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Maitland
In the year to August 2026, 1,413 new dwellings were approved across Maitland. That mix is 773 houses and 640 units. Approvals are up 19.7% on the same period a year earlier.
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
MODERATEPM2.5 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, 11.0 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Paterson (Tocal AWS), 12.0 kmHigh rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 8 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 22.4 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 suburb 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.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
2 facilities within 5 km- 4.4 kmWaste Remediation and Materials Recovery ServicesTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Sulfur dioxide
- 4.9 kmSewerage and Drainage ServicesTop reported: Hydrogen sulfide · Ammonia (total)
EV adoption
In postcode 2320, 187 of 34,368 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.4% (1,176 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 4.0%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2320, 8,346 rooftop-solar systems totalling 69.7 MW have been installed since 2001, against 14,845 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 625 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.
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).
Mortgage repayments
16 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2320.
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.
At $730,000 this is $130,000 above the $600,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Revenue NSW.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
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
Currently held by Meryl Swanson Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Meryl Swanson | 56.9% | 43.1% | +4.3 |
| 2022 | Meryl Swanson | 53.3% | 46.7% | +1.7 |
| 2019 | Meryl Swanson | 55.0% | 45.0% | +5.7 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Jenny Aitchison Labor
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Jenny Aitchison ALP | 68.6% |
| 2019 | Jenny Aitchison ALP | 63.2% |
| 2015 | Jenny Aitchison ALP | 63.8% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.
Looking at a specific address in Horseshoe Bend?
Every figure above is a suburb 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.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 427 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Nearby suburbs
Compare Horseshoe Bend 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 Horseshoe Bend
Is Horseshoe Bend a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Horseshoe Bend is moderate (64/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Horseshoe Bend?
Horseshoe Bend has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Horseshoe Bend?
Horseshoe Bend, NSW had a population of 427 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Horseshoe Bend, NSW?
The postcode for Horseshoe Bend, NSW is 2320.
How far is Horseshoe Bend from Sydney?
Horseshoe Bend is 165 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 124 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Horseshoe Bend?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Horseshoe Bend was $71,500 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 Horseshoe Bend?
There are too few current rental listings in Horseshoe Bend for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $330, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Horseshoe Bend?
The median age of residents in Horseshoe Bend was 40 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Horseshoe Bend walkable?
Horseshoe Bend scores 57/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it somewhat walkable. 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 Horseshoe Bend?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Horseshoe Bend (Beresfield) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 17.5 µg/m³. That puts Horseshoe Bend 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 Horseshoe Bend?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Horseshoe Bend, Paterson (Tocal AWS) (12 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 Horseshoe Bend?
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 Horseshoe Bend belong to?
Horseshoe Bend sits within the Maitland local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Horseshoe Bend?
The average residential rates bill through Maitland is $1,908 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Horseshoe Bend?
Across Maitland, 1,413 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 19.7% 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 Horseshoe Bend in?
Horseshoe Bend sits within the federal Division of Paterson, currently held by Meryl Swanson (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2023
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.