NSW · Clarence Valley Council
Palmers Island, NSW, 2463
Desirability index
#296 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Suburb snapshot
Palmers Island is a small locality in the Clarence Valley area, home to around 482 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 496 offences in Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 with relatively stable year-on-year trends (-3%), roughly 1029.0 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $580, 1 school and preschool site in the area, strong public transport coverage with many public transport stops, a quieter amenity profile than busier neighbouring suburbs, and notable planning and development activity on record. Use the sections below for detailed population, safety, schools, and local activity data.
Population
- Population
- 482
- Median age
- 49
- Median household income / week
- $1,404
- Dwelling vacancy
- 9.2%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 17 of 184
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Employment rate
- 55.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 6 / 4 / 0
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.
Housing
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $580
Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Data sources & freshness
- DCJ rent tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · Period: January to March 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 496
- Against the person
- 167
- Against property
- 189
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 1,029
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 3 residents
- State safety percentile
- 33.9th (lower crime is better)
- Year-on-year change
- -2.6%
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order30
- Domestic Violence Related Assault32
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment63
- Malicious Damage To Property41
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault38
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
- 944
- Palmers Island Public SchoolPrimary
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
17 public transport stops in this suburb
- Palmers Channel North Bank Rd At Middle Rd
- Palmers Channel North Bank Rd Before Yamba Rd
- Palmers Island Public School, School Rd
- Yamba Rd At Middle Rd
- Yamba Rd Opp Palmers Island Public School
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
63 planning-related records
2026· 6 proposals
May 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Boat launching ramp135 SCHOOL ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation23 YAMBA STREET PALMERS ISLAND 2463Under Assessment
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure111 SCHOOL ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Under Assessment
February 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation990 YAMBA ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure99 PALMERS CHANNEL NORTH BANK ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
January 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Jetty; Mooring63 MCCONNELLS LANE PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
2025· 4 proposals
December 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure63 MCCONNELLS LANE PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
November 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Water recreation structure; Jetty357 SCHOOL ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
June 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support369 SCHOOL ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
March 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structureO'KEEFES LANE PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
2024· 9 proposals
December 2024
- Shed; Erection of a new structure108 PALMERS CHANNEL NORTH BANK ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
November 2024
- Secondary dwelling; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia147 SCHOOL ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
October 2024
- Dual occupancy; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached)147 SCHOOL ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
August 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Recreation/Tourist Premise282 O'KEEFES LANE PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
- Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure283 SCHOOL ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
June 2024
- Shed; Erection of a new structure28 O'KEEFES LANE PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
April 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Swimming pool105 PALMERS CHANNEL NORTH BANK ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
March 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Garage, carport or carparking space5 GORDON STREET PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
February 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Garage, carport or carparking space; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external); Swimming pool; Supporting Development320 SCHOOL ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
2023· 8 proposals
December 2023
- Shed; Erection of a new structure108 PALMERS CHANNEL NORTH BANK ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Withdrawn
November 2023
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure13 SCHOOL ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
October 2023
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure111 SCHOOL ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
August 2023
- Pools / decks / fencing976 YAMBA ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
July 2023
- Secondary dwelling5 YAMBA STREET PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
May 2023
- Flood mitigation work109 SCHOOL ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
January 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development4 CARRINGTON STREET, PALMERS ISLAND, NSW 2463Determined
- Signage898 YAMBA ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Withdrawn
2022· 14 proposals
December 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development5 DALLEY STREET PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
November 2022
- Pools / decks / fencing283 SCHOOL ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
October 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development2 GORDON STREET PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
July 2022
- Farm buildings4 RIVER ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
May 2022
- Secondary dwelling; Demolition; Earthworks / change in levels; Retaining walls, protection of trees; Garages, carports and car parking spaces9 GORDON STREET PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
April 2022
- Pools / decks / fencing12 GORDON STREET PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
- Earthworks / change in levels; Shed63 MCCONNELLS LANE PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
- Subdivision of land9 MIDDLE ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
March 2022
- Secondary dwelling8 Gordon Street, Palmers IslandDetermined
- Dwelling5 CARRINGTON STREET PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
February 2022
- Dwelling283 SCHOOL ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
January 2022
- Dwelling12 RIVER ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
- Dwelling369 SCHOOL ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Determined
2021· 20 proposals
20 proposals lodged in 2021. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
2020· 2 proposals
2 proposals lodged in 2020. Individual listings are kept for the most recent proposals.
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Period: 2020; 2020–2026; 2021… · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
Amenities
2 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Palmers Island Public School, Yamba RdBus stop
- Yamba Rd opp Palmers Island Public SchoolBus stop
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 6/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 7/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Desirability index
- Desirability score
- 35.8/100
- Cohort rank
- #296 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Palmers Channel North Bank Rd At Middle Rdtransport
- Palmers Channel North Bank Rd Before Yamba Rdtransport
- Palmers Island Public School, School Rdtransport
- Yamba Rd At Middle Rdtransport
- Yamba Rd Opp Palmers Island Public Schooltransport
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning4 CARRINGTON STREET, PALMERS ISLAND, NSW 2463Lodged 09 Jan 2023 · Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning5 DALLEY STREET PALMERS ISLAND 2463Lodged 23 Dec 2022 · Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning2 GORDON STREET PALMERS ISLAND 2463Lodged 31 Oct 2022 · Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Garage, carport or carparking space; Minor building alterations (internal); Minor building alterations (external); Swimming pool; Supporting Developmentplanning320 SCHOOL ROAD PALMERS ISLAND 2463Lodged 02 Feb 2024 · Determined
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Driveways and hard stand spaces; Garage, carport or carparking spaceplanning5 GORDON STREET PALMERS ISLAND 2463Lodged 04 Mar 2024 · Determined
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Similar suburbs
Suburbs with a comparable population profile, socio-economic decile, and location.