Located in New South Wales, Marlo Merrican sits 423 km from Sydney CBD, around 5 hours by car. The locality has 60 residents, a median age of 43, and a median household income of $49,348 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The locality fell 14.3% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $250 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,625. Marlo Merrican is characterised by high bushfire risk and high crime risk. Walkability is low.
This locality is too small to rate.
The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 60. 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.
How do you rate the liveability in Marlo Merrican?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
Not enough data to score this locality.
Residents say
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Rental Market
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- All rentals
- $505/wk
- 18 bonds
- +39% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2441 (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 2025117 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 26% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2441.
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.
Short-Stay Rentals
No active Airbnb listings.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months.
Is Marlo Merrican safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Marlo Merrican sits in the moderate band, with 2 incidents recorded in 2025.
2 offences
no change since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–2025No crash in Marlo Merrican killed anyone or put anyone in hospital in 2021–2025.
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 Macquarie-Hastings Council has published 10 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
- Camden Haven River and Lakes System Flood Study Update (2025) 2026
- North Brother Local Catchments Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan 2021
- North Brother Local Catchments Flood Study 2020
- Hastings River Floodplain Risk Management Plan 2014
- Dunbogan - Report for Flood Access Investigation & Design Route Options Feasibility 2008
Schools
Walkability
Marlo Merrican is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.
We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Marlo Merrican.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 25
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
Port Macquarie-Hastings: council population
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
Marlo Merrican is home to 60 residents, with a median age of 43, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $49,000 a year, with unemployment at 0.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
60
Median Age
43
Median Household Income
$49,348/yr
Census Median Rent
$250/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,625/mo
Avg Household Size
2.8
Median Personal Income
$21,164/yr
Unemployment Rate
0.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
0.0%
Total Dwellings
20
Owner-Occupier Rate
82.4%
Houses
100.0%
Rental Stress
26.3%
Mortgage Stress
39.5%
Work From Home
36.0%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 86.7%
- English Spoken at Home
- 70.0%
- Employment Rate
- 54.3%
- Completed Year 12
- 36.7%
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 $1,325 a year through Port Macquarie-Hastings based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Environmental 58%
- Rural and farming 42%
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 Macquarie-Hastings
In the year to August 2026, 546 new dwellings were approved across Port Macquarie-Hastings. That mix is 357 houses and 189 units. Approvals are up 32.7% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Kempsey 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.
Climate & Setting
from Yarras (Mount Seaview), 46.5 kmHigh rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 142 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 27.1 km
- Annual rainfall
- 2,842 mm
- 156 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 29.0°C
- 12 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 6.7°C
- 1 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
In postcode 2441, 16 of 4,515 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.2% (52 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.5%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2441, 1,330 rooftop-solar systems totalling 7.9 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,857 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 55 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).
Federal Electorate
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
Currently held by Michael Kemp The Nationals
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Michael Kemp NP | 62.8% |
| 2019 | Melinda Pavey NP | 64.9% |
| 2015 | Melinda Pavey NP | 60.9% |
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 Marlo Merrican?
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.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 60 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 Marlo Merrican to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Marlo Merrican
Is Marlo Merrican a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Marlo Merrican is moderate (63/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Marlo Merrican?
Marlo Merrican has a high recorded bushfire history (92/100, 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.
What is the population of Marlo Merrican?
Marlo Merrican, NSW had a population of 60 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Marlo Merrican, NSW?
The postcode for Marlo Merrican, NSW is 2441.
How far is Marlo Merrican from Sydney?
Marlo Merrican is 423 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 300 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Marlo Merrican?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Marlo Merrican was $49,348 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 Marlo Merrican?
There are too few current rental listings in Marlo Merrican for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $250, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Marlo Merrican?
The median age of residents in Marlo Merrican was 43 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Marlo Merrican at risk of bushfire?
Marlo Merrican has a high recorded bushfire history (92/100). 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.
What is the weather like in Marlo Merrican?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Marlo Merrican, Yarras (Mount Seaview) (46.5 km away), summer days average 29°C, winter nights 6.7°C, 2,842 mm of rain a year over 156 rainy days, and 12 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Marlo Merrican?
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 Marlo Merrican belong to?
Marlo Merrican sits within the Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Marlo Merrican?
The average residential rates bill through Port Macquarie-Hastings is $1,325 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Marlo Merrican?
Across Port Macquarie-Hastings, 546 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 32.7% 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 Marlo Merrican in?
Marlo Merrican sits within the federal Division of Lyne, currently held by Alison Penfold (The Nationals).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- 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
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- 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.