Upper Duroby sits 813 km from Sydney CBD in New South Wales, around 8 hours 40 minutes by car. Census data records 118 residents with a median age of 54 and a median household income of $71,500 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the middle range nationally. The suburb grew 13.5% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $725 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $936. Upper Duroby is characterised by high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. Walkability is low.
This suburb is too small to rate.
The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 118. 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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Our score
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Rental Market
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $925/wk
- 29 bonds
- +40% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $750/wk
- 12 bonds
- +61% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2486 (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 202572 Severely unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 42% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2486.
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
2 active Airbnb listings: 2 whole homes and 0 rooms.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months.
Is Upper Duroby safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Upper Duroby sits in the high band, with 9 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 350% on the prior year.
9 offences
350.0% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20251 crash
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
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
Tweed Shire Council has published 8 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
Schools
Walkability
Upper Duroby is very car-dependent on foot — at 22/100, nearly all errands require a car.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Upper Duroby.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 47
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
Tweed: 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
Upper Duroby is home to 118 residents, with a median age of 54 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $72,000 a year, with unemployment at 7.4%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
118
Median Age
54
Median Household Income
$71,500/yr
Census Median Rent
$725/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$936/mo
Avg Household Size
2.8
Median Personal Income
$31,148/yr
Unemployment Rate
7.4%
Unoccupied Dwellings
7.0%
Total Dwellings
43
Owner-Occupier Rate
90.5%
Houses
100.0%
Rental Stress
52.7%
Mortgage Stress
15.7%
Work From Home
20.6%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 71.2%
- English Spoken at Home
- 90.7%
- Employment Rate
- 48.6%
- Completed Year 12
- 50.0%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, 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 $1,745 a year through Tweed based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 85%
- Other and special use 9%
- Environmental 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 — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Tweed
In the year to August 2026, 331 new dwellings were approved across Tweed. That mix is 187 houses and 144 units. Approvals are down 49.7% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Tweed Byron 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 Murwillumbah (Bray Park), 11.1 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 145 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 12.9 km
- Annual rainfall
- 1,569 mm
- 108 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 29.1°C
- 4 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 9.1°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
1 facility within 5 km- 4.0 kmOther Non-Metallic Mineral Mining and QuarryingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10) · Carbon monoxide
EV adoption
In postcode 2486, 136 of 22,045 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.1% (674 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.7%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2486, 10,037 rooftop-solar systems totalling 58.3 MW have been installed since 2001, against 13,583 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 494 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 Justine Elliot Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Justine Elliot | 60.0% | 40.0% | +1.8 |
| 2022 | Justine Elliot | 58.2% | 41.8% | -4.2 |
| 2019 | Justine Elliot | 54.1% | 45.9% | -0.1 |
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 Geoff Provest The Nationals
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Geoff Provest NP | 53.6% |
| 2019 | Geoff Provest NP | 55.0% |
| 2015 | Geoff Provest NP | 53.2% |
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 Upper Duroby?
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 118 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
Bilambil NSW 2486
North Tumbulgum NSW 2490
Carool NSW 2486
Urliup NSW 2484
Dulguigan NSW 2484
Duroby NSW 2486
Compare Upper Duroby 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 Upper Duroby
Is Upper Duroby a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Upper Duroby is high (81/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Upper Duroby?
Upper Duroby 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 Upper Duroby?
Upper Duroby, NSW had a population of 118 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Upper Duroby, NSW?
The postcode for Upper Duroby, NSW is 2486.
How far is Upper Duroby from Sydney?
Upper Duroby is 813 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 522 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Upper Duroby?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Upper Duroby 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 Upper Duroby?
There are too few current rental listings in Upper Duroby for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $725, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Upper Duroby?
The median age of residents in Upper Duroby was 54 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Upper Duroby walkable?
Upper Duroby scores 22/100 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 weather like in Upper Duroby?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Upper Duroby, Murwillumbah (Bray Park) (11.1 km away), summer days average 29.1°C, winter nights 9.1°C, 1,569 mm of rain a year over 108 rainy days, and 4 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Upper Duroby?
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 Upper Duroby belong to?
Upper Duroby sits within the Tweed local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Upper Duroby?
The average residential rates bill through Tweed is $1,745 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Upper Duroby?
Across Tweed, 331 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 49.7% 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 Upper Duroby in?
Upper Duroby sits within the federal Division of Richmond, currently held by Justine Elliot (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- 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.