NSW · Upper Hunter Shire Council
Blandford, 2338
Current weather
13.6°CClear sky
74% humidity · 19.6 km/h wind · 16.6° / 10.8° today · 8.4 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Education hub
- High desirability
- Café precinct
Suburb profile
In Upper Hunter Shire, Blandford keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. Leafy streets and shaded corners make the suburb feel greener and more established than many nearby.
A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. Green space is a real strength, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb.
Transport options are solid enough for daily errands and regular trips further afield. The market sits in a sensible middle ground: not cheap, but fair value for the area.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and housing affordability against similar regional towns, even with safety and parks and green space holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 205
- Median age
- 51
- Median household income / week
- $1,449
- Dwelling vacancy
- 20.2%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 21 of 104
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Employment rate
- 58.6%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 4 / 0 / 0
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 11
- Against the person
- 4
- Against property
- 4
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 53.7
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 51 residents
- State safety percentile
- 30.6th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -35.1%
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order6
- Domestic Violence Related Assault12
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment9
- Malicious Damage To Property7
- Prohibited And Regulated Weapons Offences6
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Period: Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 978
- Blandford Public SchoolPrimary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Public transport
16 public transport stops in this suburb
- 33 Timor Rd
- 6019 Newell Hwy
- Blandford Public School, Salisbury St
- Timor Rd After Clarke St
- Timor Rd Opp 33
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed (updated nightly)
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
15 planning-related records
2026· 2 proposals
May 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Manufactured home48 SALISBURY STREET BLANDFORD 2338Under Assessment
April 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Manufactured home; Moveable dwelling; Residential Accommodation11 BOURKE STREET BLANDFORD 2338Under Assessment
2025· 2 proposals
October 2025
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Swimming pool461 TIMOR ROAD BLANDFORD 2338Determined
September 2025
- Farm buildings; Erection of a new structure120 WARLANDS CREEK ROAD BLANDFORD 2338Determined
2024· 1 proposal
April 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Animal care premises184 TIMOR ROAD BLANDFORD 2338Determined
2023· 4 proposals
October 2023
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure6047 NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY BLANDFORD 2338Determined
September 2023
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure6089 NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY BLANDFORD 2338Determined
April 2023
- DwellingSTOCK ROUTE ROAD BLANDFORD 2338Determined
March 2023
- Dwelling1 MILLS STREET BLANDFORD 2338Determined
2022· 2 proposals
August 2022
- Subdivision of land528 TIMOR ROAD BLANDFORD 2338Determined
July 2022
- Shed60 DEBENHAM STREET BLANDFORD 2338Determined
2021· 4 proposals
November 2021
- Farm buildings528 TIMOR ROAD BLANDFORD 2338Determined
September 2021
- DwellingPAGE STREET BLANDFORD 2338Determined
July 2021
- Subdivision of land528 TIMOR ROAD BLANDFORD 2338Determined
May 2021
- Other48 SALISBURY STREET BLANDFORD 2338Determined
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Period: 2020–2026 · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 7/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 7/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- Overlay applies
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 34
- Parks (OSM)
- 0
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 28.2/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5527th in Australia
- State rank
- 1732nd in NSW
- Peer rank
- #401 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #767 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 78%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Breach Apprehended Violence Ordercrime6
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime12
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime9
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime7
- Prohibited And Regulated Weapons Offencescrime6
- 33 Timor Rdtransport
- 6019 Newell Hwytransport
- Blandford Public School, Salisbury Sttransport
- Timor Rd After Clarke Sttransport
- Timor Rd Opp 33transport
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · Updated on site · GTFS static feed (updated nightly)
More in Upper Hunter Shire Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.