Mid North Coast, NSW
regional · riverside · practical · heritage
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Move Regional compares towns across QLD, NSW and WA on price, work, schools and lifestyle, so you can find the one that fits.
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Drive to the coast
19 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
2 min
By road
Airport access
1h 12m
By road
Schools access
Excellent
Average daytime temp
24.1°C
Rainfall
Moderate rainfall
Taree is a practical Manning Valley service town rather than a classic sea-change destination. Around 16,700 people live here, the median age is 45 and population growth has been modest at roughly 3% since 2016. The hospital is only a few minutes away, schools are strong and shopping is solid, so the town performs an important regional role for surrounding communities.
Housing is relatively affordable for the NSW coast, with a median around $765,000 and three-bedroom rents near $550 a week. The Manning River is the main local landscape feature, while the heritage walk, regional gallery and produce markets add some cultural depth.
The ocean is about 20 minutes away, so beach trips are easy but not woven into every errand or school run. Taree itself is moderately car-dependent and less visually dramatic than nearby coastal towns. The road trip to Sydney is about 3 hours 45 minutes away and the airport around 1 hour 10 minutes.
The move makes sense for people who prioritise services, housing value and a regional job base over living directly on the sand. If surfing, dining or scenery is the whole reason for relocating, smaller coastal centres nearby may feel more immediately rewarding.
6 photos
Taree is more about day-to-day practicality than destination appeal. Families, healthcare workers and tradespeople get strong schools, a nearby hospital and useful shopping, while the coast and rural areas remain within reach. It makes sense when having the basics close matters more than living directly on the water.
The coast is around 19 minutes away, so this is not a walk-to-the-beach move. The town is only moderately walkable and has a less distinctive outdoor identity than many coastal options. Sydney is around 3 hours 45 minutes away. People moving mainly for surf, dining or scenery may prefer nearby coastal towns.
Spend time on the Manning River
Follow the heritage walk
Visit Manning Regional Art Gallery and local produce markets
Median house price
$765,000
31% below the NSW median
Median attached price (townhouse/apartment)
$450,000
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$550
≈ $2,383/month
Houses here typically sell from $583,000 to $985,000 (25th–75th percentile).
Attached properties typically sell from $355,000 to $590,000.
Sourced from NSW Department of Communities and Justice · January - March 2026 quarter
Healthcare access
Excellent
Shopping & everyday services
Good
4–9 shopping centres within 20km
Internet connection
Fixed line
Plus 15 more within 20km — showing the 8 closest.
Job market by industry
Healthcare — 15.7%
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 Blueys Beach, Nambucca Heads, Old Bar, Port Macquarie, Seal Rocks, South West Rocks, Laurieton and Forster-Tuncurry.
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.
Taree (SAL 13779) · 2021 Census
Older than the country as a whole: 27.3% are 65 or over against 17.2% nationally, and 17.6% are children against 18.2%. Among households, couples without children outnumber couples with them (42.7% of families against 28.6%). Lone-person households are more common than average (35.7% against 25.6%).
Population
16,715
Population growth
+2.5%
Taree (SA2 108051169)
Median age
45 years
Labour force participation
44.2%
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
$544
Per week · ≈ $28,288/year
Median family income
$1,290
Per week
Median household income
$968
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
58.7%
Rented
37.1%
Born in Australia
82.1%
Born overseas
8.9%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.