Northern Rivers, NSW
estuary · aviation-heritage · fishing · beach-town
Want to find out if you can afford to move?
Move Regional compares towns across QLD, NSW and WA on price, work, schools and lifestyle, so you can find the one that fits.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Drive to the coast
1 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
36 min
By road
Airport access
42 min
By road
Schools access
Good
Average daytime temp
24.7°C
Rainfall
Wet
Evans Head has the feel of a small working beach town rather than a polished resort. About 2,900 people live here, the median age is 52 and population has grown by roughly 14% since 2016. Fishing, the river, beaches and aviation history all sit inside the town’s identity, with Airforce Beach, the heritage aviation museum and nearby national park giving residents several different ways to spend time outdoors.
Shopping is moderate, healthcare is limited and the nearest major hospital is about 35 minutes away, so the town cannot provide every service locally. The airport is roughly 40 minutes away. The weather stays warm, with wet, while the coast is immediate.
Brisbane is about 2 hours 25 minutes by road, close enough for occasional trips but not close enough to shape a normal working week. The small population also means employment options are narrower than in Ballina or Coffs Harbour.
Evans Head suits people who want a quieter coastal community with real local character and are happy to travel for specialist care, larger shops and some work opportunities. By contrast, anyone looking for a dense café scene or city-level convenience beside the beach. may find the compromises difficult.
7 photos
Photo credits: 1. sridgway · CC BY 2.0; 2. lotus8 · CC BY 2.0; 3. Ben May · CC BY 2.0; 4. lotus8 · CC BY 2.0; 5. Ben May · CC BY 2.0; 6. Ben May · CC BY 2.0
This is a good fit for retirees, families and remote workers who want a quiet beach town rather than a social or restaurant-led coastal scene. It also suits people who fish, boat, surf or simply want the ocean close every day and are comfortable travelling to larger centres for some services.
The town has only moderate shopping and healthcare access, with a major hospital around 36 minutes away. Brisbane is about 2 hours 25 minutes by road, so it is not a practical daily link. The small population also means less choice in services and employment than Ballina or Coffs Harbour.
Swim at Airforce Beach
Visit Evans Head Heritage Aviation Museum
Walk Bundjalung National Park beaches
Paddle the Evans River
No median price is published for Evans Head — too few sales are recorded here for one to be released.
Healthcare access
Moderate
Shopping & everyday services
Moderate
Supermarket within 10km, limited other retail
Internet connection
Fixed line
Job market by industry
Healthcare — 14.7%
Largest share of local jobs
Employment figures cover this town's wider statistical region, not the town alone — you'll see the same figures for Byron Bay, Mullumbimby, Lennox Head, Ballina and Murwillumbah.
The score ranks this region against other regions for the same occupation, not against other jobs here — a low score means it isn't a regional stronghold for that field, not that there are no vacancies. Counts online job advertisements, so trades and farm work hired by word of mouth are undercounted, and outside capital cities this is published at a regional level larger than one town.
Evans Head (SAL 11472) · 2021 Census
Older than the country as a whole: 30.6% are 65 or over against 17.2% nationally, and 14.7% are children against 18.2%. Among households, couples without children outnumber couples with them (52.8% of families against 28.7%). Lone-person households are more common than average (35% against 25.6%).
Population
2,907
Population growth
+14%
Evans Head (SA2 112011241)
Median age
52 years
Labour force participation
46.5%
Growth is measured across the wider area named under the figure, which can be a different size to the town.
Share of total population in each band — rounding means these won't land on exactly 100%.
Couples are a share of total families; lone-person households are a share of total households — different bases, not one breakdown.
Median personal income
$638
Per week · ≈ $33,176/year
Median family income
$1,455
Per week
Median household income
$1,086
Per week
Personal is one person's income; family and household cover everyone living together — a single-income household will show a lower household figure than its highest earner's personal one. Personal income also covers every resident aged 15 and over, retirees included, so it reads low in a town with an older population even where household income is solid.
Owner-occupied
58.9%
Rented
37.4%
Born in Australia
83.4%
Born overseas
6.8%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.