Median house price
$1.38M
+15% change
NSW · Byron Council
The Pocket, 2483
Est. population · Jun 2025
248
Growth (1 yr)
+2.1%
Growth (5 yr)
+9.7%
Median age
44
Median income
$1,812/wk
Employment rate
51.3%
Median house price · October to December 2025
$1,382,000
Languages at home
6.5%non-English
Most common: Punjabi
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- National parks
- Excellent transport
- Education hub
- High desirability
Suburb profile
The Pocket is a quieter smaller community in Byron Council, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. Established families and long-term residents give the suburb a settled feel, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice.
Local shops are sparse, so a fuller set of amenities usually means travelling to a neighbouring town or regional hub. Open space is thinner than in many regional towns, so residents often travel a little further for a longer park day. A car helps for most daily errands, though buses still link the suburb further afield.
Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
Versus similar regional towns, the suburb reads below average on desirability, chiefly because local dining and lifestyle amenities, plus growth momentum trail behind. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
At a glance
The Pocket snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$850/wk
Houses $925 · Units $620
Population (ERP)
248
+2.1% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
8.9%
Census unoccupied dwellings
Livability profile
Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Desirability
#217
among Country & regional · Emerging
Safety
37th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
88th
percentile in NSW
Advantage (IRSAD)
8/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
75th
percentile among schools with ICSEA
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
Desirability
Ranks & confidence
- Desirability score
- 28.2/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5852nd in Australia
- State rank
- 1893rd in NSW
- Peer rank
- #217 among Country & regional · Emerging suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #866 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 89%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
- Flats / units (January to March 2026)
- $620
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $925
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $850
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 81
- Median house price (October to December 2025)
- $1,382,000
- Median price change
- +15.2%
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
248(June 2025)
+2.1% annual · +9.7% over 5 years · 88th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +2.1%
- 5-year growth
- +9.7%
- Change in 1 year
- +5
- Change in 5 years
- +22
- Growth rank in NSW
- 88th 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 (~250), extrapolated at +1.7% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 231
- Median age
- 44
- Median household income / week
- $1,812
- Dwelling vacancy
- 8.9%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 7 of 79
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,950
- Employment rate
- 51.3%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 66 / 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)
- 14
- Against the person
- 4
- Against property
- 7
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 56.5
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 58 residents
- State safety percentile
- 37.3th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -6.4%
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order50
- Domestic Violence Related Assault50
- Fraud47
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment68
- Malicious Damage To Property77
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
Schools & preschools
- Schools within 2 km
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 1,068
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 75th
School list
- The Pocket Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1068 · 75th percentile · LBOTE 24% · 111 students · Top SEA quarter 29% · 0.8 km awayView on My School →
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 · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
Public transport
2 public transport stops in this suburb
- The Pocket Public School, The Pocket Rd
- The Pocket Public School, The Pocket 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
1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Limited walkable amenities nearby
- Walkability proxy
- 3/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 0
Community(1)
- The Pocket Public SchoolSchool
The Pocket
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.
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
Parks & reserves
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Inner Pocket Nature ReserveNature reserve
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 1
- 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 — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Nearest hospital
- Byron Central Hospital (16.8 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)
- 6
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 24.2
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
- 29° / 20°
- Rainfall
- 628 mm · ~78 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 26° / 17°
- Rainfall
- 552 mm · ~69 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 21° / 10°
- Rainfall
- 240 mm · ~30 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 25° / 15°
- Rainfall
- 282 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.
2026· 3 proposals
July 2026
- Shed; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure887 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Under Assessment
June 2026
- Shed; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia887 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Additional Information Requested
January 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool955 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Determined
2025· 1 proposal
September 2025
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure713 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Determined
2024· 1 proposal
July 2024
- Erection of a new structure; Earthworks, retaining walls and structural support; Fences595 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Determined
2023· 1 proposal
June 2023
- Secondary dwelling; Office premises538 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Deferred Commencement
2022· 5 proposals
July 2022
- Dual occupancy; Other664 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Determined
June 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development83 WALKERS LANE THE POCKET 2483Determined
April 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development512 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Determined
February 2022
- Dual occupancy521 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Determined
- Other503 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Operational consent issued
2021· 7 proposals
December 2021
- Alterations and additions to residential development933 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Determined
- Dual occupancy; Alterations and additions to residential development284 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Operational consent issued
September 2021
- Other17 SHERRINGTONS LANE THE POCKET 2483Determined
June 2021
- Alterations and additions to residential development933 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Determined
- Pools / decks / fencing17 SHERRINGTONS LANE THE POCKET 2483Determined
- Subdivision of land34 Sherringtons Lane The PocketDetermined
February 2021
- Secondary dwelling; Alterations and additions to residential development284 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Operational consent issued
2020· 7 proposals
September 2020
- Other17 SKYLINE ROAD THE POCKET 2483Determined
August 2020
- Other446 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Determined
July 2020
- Dual occupancy594 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Determined
May 2020
- DwellingTHE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Determined
April 2020
- Alterations and additions to residential development860 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Determined
- Dual occupancy512 THE POCKET ROAD THE POCKET 2483Determined
February 2020
- Dual occupancy; Other17 SKYLINE ROAD THE POCKET 2483Deferred Commencement
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 · 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
- Richmond
- Member of Parliament
- Justine ELLIOT (Australian Labor Party)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 126,814
- Turnout (2025)
- 89.5%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +1.8 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 40.0%Labor 60.0%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 7.8 km away).
Coalition 28.9%Labor 71.1%
11.1 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: -0.4 pp toward Coalition
Nearest polling places
- BillinudgelLabor 71.0% · Coalition 29.0% TPP (2025)2.7 km away
- DurrumbulLabor 73.7% · Coalition 26.3% TPP (2025)5.6 km away
- MullumbimbyLabor 73.4% · Coalition 26.6% TPP (2025)5.6 km away
- Crabbes CreekLabor 65.9% · Coalition 34.1% TPP (2025)5.8 km away
- Mullumbimby SouthLabor 73.6% · Coalition 26.4% TPP (2025)6.5 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)
- 8/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 7/10
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 Byron Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.