Vacy NSW 2421

Located in New South Wales, Vacy sits 192 km from Sydney CBD, around 2 hours 30 minutes by car. The locality has 719 residents, a median age of 42, and a median household income of $93,756 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 40% nationally. Population grew 15.0% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $265 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,167. All 1 school within the locality boundary rank above the state average, and walkability is low.

Is Vacy a good place to live?

Vacy scores a C (44/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on community, weaker on transit.

Schools

Mixed results

1 school · 1 above peer schools

Transit

Car-dependent

Walkability 8/100 · 191.8 km · 148 min drive to Sydney

Prices

Around the state median

Median $1.09M

Safety

Moderate crime risk

Fire 33/100 · Crime 45/100

Community

Advantaged

SEIFA decile 7/10 · median age 42 · 719 residents

C

Liveability Rating

44 / 100 · Ranked #914 in NSW

Each bar is Vacy'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
too few schools to rate
Safety
58
Bushfire Low · Crime Moderate

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
54
Advantaged
Walkability
14
Very car-dependent
CBD access
32
191.8 km · 148 min drive to Sydney
How it's calculated: Safety rank 58 × 25% + Socio-economic rank 54 × 25% + Walkability rank 14 × 15% + CBD access rank 32 × 10% = 44 / 100. Missing components rebalance the remaining weights.

How do you rate the liveability in Vacy?

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

Our score

44 / 100

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

Residents say

…

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What applies here? (optional)

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

Median House Price

Public listings data

Vacy's house market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $1.09 million, roughly 52% below where it sat a year earlier.

Houses

$1,091,250

last 2 quarters
↓ −52.5% year-on-year

Based on 20 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 72 days — median across 8 sales that recorded a listing period

Land

$873,000

↑ +0.9% year-on-year

Based on only 8 sales — small sample, take as indicative.

Is Vacy safe? Crime statistics

2025

Crime in Vacy sits in the moderate band, with 21 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 31% on the prior year.

21 offences

31.2% since 2024
Theft 13 (61.9%)
Property Damage 4 (19.0%)
Assault 1 (4.8%)
Harassment & Stalking 1 (4.8%)
Disorderly Conduct 1 (4.8%)
Sexual Offences 1 (4.8%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

1 crash

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

Dungog Shire 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.

All 6 on the portal

Schools

One school serve Vacy, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance. Vacy Public School leads the pack.

62
out of 100
Average
1 school in this locality
1 above similar
  • • 106 students in one school (avg 106)

Primary

Government · K-6 · 106 students
ICSEA 946 (higher than 23% of Australian schools) · 5% top-SEA students
Above similar

Walkability

Vacy 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 Vacy.

29
out of 100
Bus
Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
9.5 arrivals/hr
Off-peak weekday
2.4 arrivals/hr
Saturday
0.0 arrivals/hr
Median peak wait
1 min
Span of service
9.7 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 Vacy.

30
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
287
Technology mix
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 98%
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 2%

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

Dungog: council population

The whole council area, not just Vacy · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
10,102
+1.9% in a year
Change
+191
people since 2024
Density
4.5
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+21
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+158
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+12
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
7/10
7/10 within NSW
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
10/10
9/10 within NSW
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
4/10
4/10 within NSW
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Vacy is home to 719 residents, with a median age of 42, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $94,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.7%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

719

15.0% since 2016

Median Age

42

7.7% since 2016

Median Household Income

$93,756/yr

2.4% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$265/wk

26.2% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$2,167/mo

11.1% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.8

no change since 2016

Median Personal Income

$41,028/yr

11.4% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

3.7%

17.8% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

7.0%

50.7% since 2016

Total Dwellings

256

17.4% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

93.1%

0.3% since 2016

Houses

100.8%

4.1% since 2016

Rental Stress

14.7%

23.5% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

27.7%

8.2% since 2016

Work From Home

25.0%

155.1% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 258 (100.8%)

Property Ownership

Mortgage 126 (51.4%)
Owned Outright 102 (41.6%)
Renting 17 (6.9%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
91.9%
English Spoken at Home
97.1%
Employment Rate
63.9%
5.6% since 2016
Completed Year 12
32.0%

Occupations

Technicians & Trades 80 (21.9%)
Professionals 56 (15.3%)
Clerical & Administrative 51 (14.0%)
Managers 49 (13.4%)
Labourers 42 (11.5%)
Community & Personal Service 39 (10.7%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 30 (8.2%)
Sales 15 (4.1%)

Religion

Christianity 460 (64.0%)
No Religion 235 (32.7%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 21 (2.9%)
New Zealand 7 (1.0%)
Netherlands 5 (0.7%)
Germany 3 (0.4%)

Where New Residents Came From

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

5.5% of residents (37) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Sydney (31).

Newcastle and Lake Macquarie 32 (4.8%)

Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 671 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.

Age Distribution

0-4 48 (6.7%)
5-14 99 (13.8%)
15-19 37 (5.1%)
20-24 33 (4.6%)
25-34 73 (10.2%)
35-44 89 (12.4%)
45-54 107 (14.9%)
55-64 103 (14.3%)
65-74 92 (12.8%)
75-84 36 (5.0%)
85+ 9 (1.3%)

Family & Household Composition

Couple Families 102 (61.4%)
Lone Person 44 (26.5%)
One Parent Families 17 (10.2%)
Other Families 3 (1.8%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 205 (71.2%)
Worked from Home 72 (25.0%)
Car (passenger) 7 (2.4%)
Walked Only 4 (1.4%)

Education

Certificate III & IV 177 (24.6%)
Bachelor Degree 73 (10.2%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 56 (7.8%)
Postgraduate Degree 12 (1.7%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 7 (1.0%)

Cars per Dwelling

0 cars 5 (2.0%)
1 car 41 (16.3%)
2 cars 103 (41.0%)
3 cars 58 (23.1%)
4+ cars 47 (18.7%)

Council Rates

Dungog
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,646 a year through Dungog based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,646/yr
34% above the NSW average of $1,230 · median of 128 councils
Valuation basis
Unimproved Value
land only

How this land is zoned

Share of Vacy's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 86%
  • Residential 9%
  • Environmental 5%

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: Dungog

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

In the year to August 2026, 55 new dwellings were approved across Dungog. That mix is 53 houses and 2 units. Approvals are down 23.1% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
55dwellings
-23.1% YoY
Houses
53
detached dwellings
Units
2
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Land Council

Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Karuah 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 Paterson (Tocal AWS), 10.9 km

High rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.

Elevation
31 m
above sea level, at the locality centre
Distance to the ocean
38.5 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

0.3%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021
+0.1 points this year

In postcode 2421, 5 of 1,886 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.8% (53 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.1%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.00%
2023
0.00%
2024
0.21%
2025
0.27%

Rooftop solar

78
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 8.3 kW each

In postcode 2421, 595 rooftop-solar systems totalling 4.9 MW have been installed since 2001, against 762 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 57 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
34
2020
50
2021
39
2022
43
2023
52
2024
45
2025
41
2026
40

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
$5,691
Loan amount
$873,000
Total interest over 30 years
$1,175,870
Deposit
$218,250
Stamp duty
$43,293
Cash needed at settlement
$261,543

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

Upper Hunter District

Currently held by Dave Layzell The Nationals

Next state election: 13 March 2027.

Year Winner Won with
2023 Dave Layzell NP 53.8%
2019 Michael Johnsen NP 52.6%
2015 Michael Johnsen NP 52.2%

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this 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 Vacy?

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.

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Nearby suburbs

Compare Vacy 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 Vacy

Is Vacy a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Vacy is moderate (45/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Vacy?

Vacy has a low recorded bushfire history (33/100, 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 Vacy a good place to live?

Vacy has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (44/100), 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 Vacy?

Vacy, NSW had a population of 719 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Vacy, NSW?

The postcode for Vacy, NSW is 2421.

How far is Vacy from Sydney?

Vacy is 192 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 148 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Vacy?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Vacy was $93,756 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 Vacy?

There are too few current rental listings in Vacy for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $265, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Vacy?

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

Is Vacy at risk of bushfire?

Vacy has a low recorded bushfire history (33/100). 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.

How are the schools in Vacy?

There is 1 school inside the Vacy boundary: 1 above similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).

Is Vacy walkable?

Vacy 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 weather like in Vacy?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Vacy, Paterson (Tocal AWS) (10.9 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 Vacy?

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 Vacy belong to?

Vacy sits within the Dungog local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Vacy?

The average residential rates bill through Dungog is $1,646 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Vacy?

Across Dungog, 55 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 23.1% 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 Vacy in?

Vacy 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.

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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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