NSW · Coffs Harbour Council
Upper Orara, 2450
Current weather
15.9°CClear sky
90% humidity · 10.9 km/h wind · 19.6° / 12.2° today · 2 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Excellent transport
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Upper Orara is a quieter smaller community in Coffs Harbour, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. The community is self-contained in the best sense. Local life comes first, with the region opening up beyond. Wide horizons and a country quiet give the area a restorative, unhurried atmosphere.
The area suits established families and long-term locals, with family life visible on every street. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Buses and nearby services make commuting and cross-suburb trips straightforward.
Property is in demand, reflecting the appeal of living in a place people actively choose. A busy pipeline of new development is gradually changing the look and feel of the streets.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and parks and green space against similar regional towns, even with housing affordability and transport and access holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 863
- Median age
- 45
- Median household income / week
- $1,739
- Dwelling vacancy
- 6.8%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 20 of 292
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,800
- Employment rate
- 56.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 17 / 3 / 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)
- $500
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $680
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $620
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 433
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)
- 114
- Against the person
- 30
- Against property
- 42
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 132.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 29 residents
- State safety percentile
- 86.6th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -12.1%
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order390
- Breach Bail Conditions817
- Domestic Violence Related Assault416
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment572
- Malicious Damage To Property460
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
- 940
- Orara Upper 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
147 public transport stops in this suburb
- 201 Dairyville Rd
- 221 Dairyville Rd
- 251 Dairyville Rd
- 553 Upper Orara Rd
- Upper Orara Rd Opp Watkin 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).
58 planning-related records
2026· 3 proposals
June 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Fences276 SOUTH ISLAND LOOP ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Additional Information Requested
May 2026
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Swimming pool651 DAIRYVILLE ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
- Shed; Erection of a new structure425F UPPER ORARA ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
2025· 9 proposals
December 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure128E FRIDAYS CREEK ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
November 2025
- Home occupation; Hours of operation and trading128 FRIDAYS CREEK ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
October 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure111 NORTH ISLAND LOOP ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
September 2025
- Erection of a new structure; Carport; Minor building alterations (external)128 FRIDAYS CREEK ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
August 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure251 DAIRYVILLE ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
June 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure366a Dairyville Road, Upper Orara NSW 2450Determined
May 2025
- Dual occupancy; Change of use of land or a building or the classification of a building under the Building Code of Australia; Dual occupancy (detached)417 FRIDAYS CREEK ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
January 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure40 WALTERS ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
- Demolition; Farm buildings; Shed; Erection of a new structure128 FRIDAYS CREEK ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
2024· 5 proposals
October 2024
- Place of public worship; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Other Infrastructure; Infrastructure115 WAYPER CREEK ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
September 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation812A UPPER ORARA ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
July 2024
- Shed; Erection of a new structure375A UPPER ORARA ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
June 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation211 DAIRYVILLE ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
March 2024
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation350 SOUTH ISLAND LOOP ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
2023· 6 proposals
October 2023
- Erection of a new structure; Swimming pool79-79A WALTERS ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
September 2023
- Dual occupancy420 SOUTH ISLAND LOOP ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
July 2023
- Alterations and additions to residential development425 UPPER ORARA ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
May 2023
- Dwelling284 DAIRYVILLE ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
- Alterations and additions to residential development40A WALTERS ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
March 2023
- Farm buildings128F FRIDAYS CREEK ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
2022· 9 proposals
November 2022
- Dual occupancy366 DAIRYVILLE ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
September 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development158A NORTH ISLAND LOOP ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
August 2022
- Dwelling; Dual occupancy; Pools / decks / fencing352 NORTH ISLAND LOOP ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
May 2022
- Alterations and additions to residential development158A NORTH ISLAND LOOP ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
- Dwelling26C JABOH CLOSE UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
March 2022
- Dwelling352 NORTH ISLAND LOOP ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
- Subdivision of land51 FRIDAYS CREEK ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
- Secondary dwelling; Garages, carports and car parking spaces721 DAIRYVILLE ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Withdrawn
January 2022
- Development Application529 DAIRYVILLE ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
2021· 8 proposals
December 2021
- Pools / decks / fencing157 NORTH ISLAND LOOP ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
- Secondary dwelling420 SOUTH ISLAND LOOP ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
November 2021
- DwellingLot 2 DP260041 - Upper Orara Road, Upper OraraDetermined
- Dwelling111 NORTH ISLAND LOOP ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
October 2021
- Dwelling352 NORTH ISLAND LOOP ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
- Dwelling425A UPPER ORARA ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Withdrawn
- Secondary dwelling24B JABOH CLOSE UPPER ORARA 2450Withdrawn
September 2021
- Shed128F FRIDAYS CREEK ROAD UPPER ORARA 2450Determined
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
Parks & reserves
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Upper Orara Recreation ReservePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
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)
- 1
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
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
- 34.7/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4441st in Australia
- State rank
- 1415th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #255 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #548 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 Ordercrime390
- Breach Bail Conditionscrime817
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime416
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime572
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime460
- 201 Dairyville Rdtransport
- 221 Dairyville Rdtransport
- 251 Dairyville Rdtransport
- 553 Upper Orara Rdtransport
- Upper Orara Rd Opp Watkin Rdtransport
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 Coffs Harbour Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.