NSW · Byron Council
The Pocket, 2483
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Updated
Desirability score
- National parks
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
The Pocket is a quieter smaller community in Byron, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. A strong local centre anchors daily routines, while the surrounding region adds variety for weekends away. Open skies and rolling countryside set a calm backdrop to everyday routines.
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, and that is part of the charm. Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment.
Infill and new builds are slowly updating the area without overwhelming its existing character.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and parks and green space lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in housing affordability. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- 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)
- 12 / 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.
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 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 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)
- 14
- Against the person
- 4
- Against property
- 6
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 60.6
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 58 residents
- State safety percentile
- 38.3th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +0.3%
Reported offences are unchanged compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
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 · 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
- 1,068
- The Pocket 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
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 · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed (updated nightly)
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
24 planning-related records
2026· 2 proposals
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 · Period: 2020–2026 · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
Amenities
1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- The Pocket Public SchoolSchool
The Pocket
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
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
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 · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 8/10
- 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)
- 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 features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 27.1/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5753rd in Australia
- State rank
- 1802nd in NSW
- Peer rank
- #295 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #812 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
- The Pocket Public SchoolamenitiesThe Pocketschool
- Breach Apprehended Violence Ordercrime50
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime50
- Fraudcrime47
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime68
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime77
- The Pocket Public School, The Pocket Rdtransport
- The Pocket Public School, The Pocket Rdtransport
- Inner Pocket Nature Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
- Alterations and additions to residential developmentplanning83 WALKERS LANE THE POCKET 2483Lodged 04 Jun 2022 · Determined
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
- 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)
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
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.