Port Macquarie
NSWPort Macquarie is a growing suburb in NSW with 47,693 residents.
- SAL code
- 13258
- SA2
- 108041164
- Population
- 47,693
- LGA
- Port Macquarie-Hastings
Port Macquarie, NSW had 47,693 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 17.4% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 65-74 years, and the median age sits at 48. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $1,751 a month. Around 63.7% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned outright at 39.2%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 66.6% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 57 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
Port Macquarie, NSW at a glance
Port Macquarie is a coastal regional city on the NSW Mid-North Coast, ~390 km north of Sydney and the seat of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council. The town spreads from the Hastings River mouth through 17 beaches to a fast-growing western edge at Thrumster. Stock ranges from older waterfront cottages to new master-planned estates, and the population skews older with a strong retiree share. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle, and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
Port Macquarie reads as a coastal regional city rather than a holiday strip. You'll find 17 beaches inside the suburb boundary, with Town, Shelly, Flynn's and Lighthouse the daily-use names; the Hastings River frames the north edge and the Coastal Walk links the foreshore from Town Beach to Tacking Point. Two main shopping centres (Port Central and Settlement City) cover full-line retail, and Tacking Point Public sits above the state NAPLAN average per MySchool. There's no train; the Pacific Highway runs west of town, Newcastle is ~3 hrs south, Sydney ~4-4.5 hrs, and Port Macquarie Airport runs daily flights to Sydney and Brisbane. Locals on homely.com.au flag traffic congestion in summer holidays and a rental market they describe as expensive — both worth weighing. In short: a full-service coastal regional centre with strong amenity, but distance from a capital and seasonal congestion are part of the deal.
For investors
Port Macquarie is a moderate-yield, moderate-growth regional market with deep liquidity. Median house sale $900,000 against $680/wk rent gives ~3.95% gross yield; units sit at $605,000 / $520/wk for ~4.35% (Your Investment Property January 2026). 12-month house growth +4.65%, units flat at 0.00%. Days-on-market 31 (houses) / 37 (units). 761 house sales and 449 unit sales in the past 12 months — one of the deepest non-metro markets in NSW. Vacancy ~1.1% (SQM April 2026).
Strengths
- Deep transaction market (~1,210 sales/yr across houses + units, Your Investment Property Jan 2026) — easy to enter and exit at scale.
- Tight rental conditions — vacancy ~1.1% (SQM April 2026) against a national rate of ~1.6%.
- Diversified demand base — retirees, families, students (Charles Sturt campus) and tourism.
- Major health-precinct investment — $265M Port Macquarie Base Hospital upgrade plus $10M private hospital expansion underpin local employment (portnews.com.au 2026).
Trade-offs
- Yield is moderate (~3.95% houses, ~4.35% units) — capital-stable rather than cashflow-led.
- Unit growth flat over 12 months (0.00%, YIP Jan 2026) — house segment is doing the heavy lifting.
- Thrumster delivering ~2,000 lots master-planned (Sovereign Rise + Barton Heights, both selling from 2026) plus a 94-unit social/affordable build at Grant/Gordon Street — meaningful new supply on the western edge into 2027-28.
- No passenger rail and ~4 hrs to Sydney CBD limits commuter-investor demand and caps tenant pool to local employment + lifestyle movers.
What's coming
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council's 2025/26 program runs ~$164.5M in capital works against a $336.1M total budget. Highlights: the $24M Maria River Road sealing (20.2 km, construction through 2026), the 94-dwelling Grant/Gordon Street affordable-housing build (starting April 2026), the $265M Base Hospital expansion, and continued build-out of the Thrumster growth area (Sovereign Rise, Barton Heights, Sovereign Place Town Centre 60,000 sqm). The Cowarra Water Treatment Plant funding is staged into late 2026.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a full-service coastal city with beaches, schools and health on the doorstep, if you accept the distance from a capital. For investors: a deep, liquid regional market with tight rentals and stable houses — not a high-yield or high-growth play.
Population
?47,693
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+17.4%
3yr: +8.7% · 10yr: +39.3%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$1,282/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
48
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?3/10
SA2 · more disadvantaged
Unemployment
?3.3%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
7
5 primary, 2 secondary
Hospitals
?1
Within suburb
Childcare services
?26
16 long day, 9 OSHC
Parks & green space
?57
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?1
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?33
Port Macquarie-Hastings · Feb 2026
Median Weekly Rent
Based on NSW rental bond lodgements, aggregated at postcode level. All SALs sharing this postcode show the same median.
Median House Sale Price
Source: state Valuer-General (suburb-level quarterly medians).
→ Calculate stamp duty on this suburb's median price→ Estimate mortgage repayments→ Calculate rental yield (price + median rent)
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from NSW police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Port Macquarie - West (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Port Macquarie suburb alone is ~47,693 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 12,360 to 23,991 over 24 years, averaging 2.8% per year.
Schools
7 in suburbSector
7 public
Type
5 primary · 2 secondary
Total enrolment
3,308
Avg per school
473
Government school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
Westport PS35.7%
- Port Macquarie PS 29.5%
- Tacking Pt PS 16.9%
- Hastings PS 12.2%
- Lake Cathie PS 7.0%
Secondary
HSC Westport70.7%
- HSC Port Macquarie 29.9%
Source: NSW Department of Education — School Intake Zones. Boundaries can be amended without notice; confirm with the school before relying on enrolment.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Public housing 1.8%Predominantly detached houses (66.6%), mixed tenure (63.7% own or mortgage), built for families (42% are 3 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
NSW 33%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
Source: NSW RFS BFPL via SEED
As of May 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Flood risk
This suburb falls outside every flood polygon mapped by the relevant authority. Always confirm at the property address — local conditions and unmapped overlays can still apply.
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions. Source when available: NSW Rural Fire Service (BFPL) and NSW DPHI EPI Flood.
Planning zones
21 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | ZoneResidential | 36.9% | 19.58 km² |
| C2 | ZoneEnvironmental | 15.4% | 8.19 km² |
| C1 | ZoneEnvironmental | 14.0% | 7.46 km² |
| SP2 | ZoneSpecial use | 6.8% | 3.61 km² |
| RU1 | ZoneRural | 6.5% | 3.48 km² |
| RE1 | ZoneRecreation | 3.6% | 1.89 km² |
| W2 | ZoneWaterway | 3.3% | 1.75 km² |
| RE2 | ZoneRecreation | 3.2% | 1.68 km² |
| R3 | ZoneResidential | 1.4% | 0.75 km² |
| E3 | ZoneEnvironmental | 1.3% | 0.71 km² |
| E4 | ZoneEnvironmental | 1.3% | 0.71 km² |
| R2 | ZoneResidential | 1.3% | 0.68 km² |
| E2 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.8% | 0.43 km² |
| R4 | ZoneResidential | 0.8% | 0.42 km² |
| W1 | ZoneWaterway | 0.7% | 0.36 km² |
| C4 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.7% | 0.35 km² |
| SP4 | ZoneSpecial use | 0.5% | 0.28 km² |
| SP3 | ZoneSpecial use | 0.4% | 0.23 km² |
| E1 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.4% | 0.19 km² |
| C3 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.3% | 0.18 km² |
| MU1 | ZoneBusiness | 0.3% | 0.17 km² |
Source: NSW DPHI EPI Land Zoning (ZONE_NSW/2026-04-29/1eccf1a530fa1be5) · As of Apr 2026. Zone boundaries are amended periodically; verify the exact property with the relevant council before relying on permitted use.