Median house price
$720k
-11% change
NSW · Port Macquarie-Hastings Council
Gum Scrub, 2441
Est. population · Jun 2025
119
Growth (1 yr)
+0.8%
Growth (5 yr)
0.0%
Median age
44
Median income
$1,583/wk
Employment rate
63.6%
Median house price · October to December 2025
$720,000
Languages at home
Mostly English at home
2021 Census · usual residence
- Excellent transport
Suburb profile
Gum Scrub offers a slower smaller community life in Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. It is a long way from Sydney, so life orients around regional towns and local hubs rather than the metro area. The area suits established families and long-term locals, with plenty of young families in the mix.
Everyday basics may be close by, but bigger shopping and services typically require a trip to a nearby centre. Open space is thinner than in many comparable suburbs, so residents often travel a little further for a longer park day. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here, with buses covering longer trips across the wider area.
Property prices run toward the upper end of the local market. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
At a glance
Gum Scrub snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$525/wk
Population (ERP)
119
+0.8% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
7.0%
Census unoccupied dwellings
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Safety
56th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
62nd
percentile in NSW
Advantage (IRSAD)
5/10
national SEIFA decile
Population growth
Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years
Housing mix
Dwelling types from the 2021 Census
Risks & flags
Quick scan — open a section below for full context
Living here
Housing
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $528
- Median house price (October to December 2025)
- $720,000
- Median price change
- -10.7%
Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- DCJ rent and sales tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · January to March 2026; October to December 2025 · Updated · Quarterly releases
Population
Estimated resident population
119(June 2025)
+0.8% annual · 0.0% over 5 years · 62th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +0.8%
- 5-year growth
- 0.0%
- Change in 1 year
- +1
- Change in 5 years
- 0
- Growth rank in NSW
- 62th percentile
ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.
Methodology
Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.
The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~100), extrapolated at +0.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 121
- Median age
- 44
- Median household income / week
- $1,583
- Dwelling vacancy
- 7%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 3 of 43
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,000
- Employment rate
- 63.6%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 40 / 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 · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
- Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries
Community & culture
No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 9
- Against the person
- 3
- Against property
- 4
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 75.6
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 40 residents
- State safety percentile
- 56th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -9.8%
Most common offence types
- Domestic Violence Related Assault40
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment41
- Malicious Damage To Property39
- Motor Vehicle Theft19
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault25
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 · Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated · Rolling 12-month windows
Family & Lifestyle
Public transport
4 public transport stops in this suburb
- Ballengara Bransdon Rd Opp Gum Scrub Rd
- Ballengara Bransdon Rd Opp Gum Scrub Rd
- Gum Scrub Rd At Ballengara Bransdon Rd
- Gum Scrub Rd At Ballengara Bransdon Rd
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 · current · Updated · Nightly GTFS feed
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Nearest hospital
- Wauchope District Memorial Hospital (22.2 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 4
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 33.6
Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.
For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.
Data sources & freshness
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
Weather
Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.
Summer (Dec–Feb)
- Usual max / min
- 27° / 19°
- Rainfall
- 439 mm · ~55 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 24° / 16°
- Rainfall
- 494 mm · ~62 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 19° / 10°
- Rainfall
- 252 mm · ~32 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 23° / 14°
- Rainfall
- 279 mm · ~35 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
- Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated
Future & Planning
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
3 planning-related records
2025· 1 proposal
November 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation494 GUM SCRUB ROAD GUM SCRUB 2441Determined
2022· 2 proposals
November 2022
- Secondary dwelling301 GUM SCRUB ROAD GUM SCRUB 2441Determined
October 2022
- Farm buildings429 GUM SCRUB ROAD GUM SCRUB 2441Determined
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 · 2020–2026 · Updated · Daily feed (from Oct 2018)
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 · current · Updated
Politics & representation
- Federal electorate
- Cowper
- Member of Parliament
- Pat CONAGHAN (The Nationals)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 131,639
- Turnout (2025)
- 90.8%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +0.5 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 59.1%Labor 40.9%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 22.9 km away).
Coalition 63.6%Labor 36.4%
4.6 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +0.9 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- Telegraph PointLabor 29.7% · Coalition 70.3% TPP (2025)10.0 km away
- KundabungLabor 38.8% · Coalition 61.2% TPP (2025)11.0 km away
- RiversideLabor 46.5% · Coalition 53.5% TPP (2025)20.9 km away
- Kempsey SouthLabor 40.4% · Coalition 59.6% TPP (2025)21.1 km away
- Kempsey EastLabor 35.5% · Coalition 64.5% TPP (2025)22.3 km away
Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.
Data sources & freshness
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 5/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 5/10
ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).
What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?
IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.
IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.
A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
More in Port Macquarie-Hastings Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.