2845, NSW

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population rose to 9.3%, which is well above the New South Wales figure of 3.4%. Children under 15 make up 21.7% of the community, a rate much higher than most similar areas.

The area is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with 88.2% born here and only 7.2% born overseas, which is far below the national average.

English is the primary language for 92.1% of residents. Very few people speak little or no English, at 0.6%, though the use of other languages at home rose slightly since 2011 to 3.7%.

More than half of residents identify as Christian, while 41.8% report no religion. This last figure has risen sharply by 25 percentage points since 2011.

Educational attainment is much lower than most areas, with only 9.0% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Year 12 completion sits at 31.7%, which is far below the state and national figures.

Typical weekly household income is $1,424, which is well below the New South Wales figure. Personal incomes are also lower than usual, with the typical resident earning $666 a week.

Health challenges are more common here than in most areas, with 34.4% of people living with a long-term health condition and 6.8% needing help with daily activities.

Unpaid care is a common feature of local life, as 14.5% of people provide unpaid care—a rate much higher than most areas. However, volunteering has fallen since 2011 to 12.8%.

Families tend to be larger than usual, with 2.6 people per home. One-parent families are much more common here than in most areas, making up 17.4% of households.

The housing stock is dominated by separate houses (94.0%), and 83.6% of homes have three or more bedrooms. Typical weekly rent is $275, which is well below the national figure.

Cars are essential for travel, as 71.1% of workers drive to get to their jobs and no one commutes by public transport. Very few people work from home at 8.8%.

The community is relatively stable, with 31.1% of people moving in the last five years, which is well below the national figure of 40.7%.

Full-time employment is slightly higher than the national average at 60.2%. The most common industries for local workers are health care, public administration, and mining.

The area faces significant challenges, ranking in the bottom 10% of similar areas for education and job skills. Overall advantage is much lower than for most other areas.

The area is somewhat walkable, with many homes within a 15-minute walk of parks, groceries, and health services. However, only about half of residents can walk to a school within 15 minutes.