Moving to Box Hill (Nelson area) from Port Macquarie (South area)
Schools, childcare, demographics and house prices for Box Hill - Nelson and Port Macquarie - South, side by side - all from public government data.
Box Hill (Nelson area) has 26,348 people (ABS, June 2025), +17.4% in a year, a median house price of $1.28M, 3 schools and 15 childcare services. Full Box Hill (Nelson area) suburb profile.
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Sources: ABS ERP June 2025 · ABS Census 2021 · ABS SEIFA 2021 · ACARA School Profile 2025 · ACECQA NQS register · Valuer-General Victoria & DFFH (VIC) · DCJ Housing sales Mar 2026 and rent Jun 2026 (NSW) · RTA Queensland rents (QLD) · NSW BOCSAR (NSW) · CSA Victoria (VIC). How we source this data →
Which school is zoned?
The free government school your child can attend in each area - side by side, never a blended average.
Port Macquarie Public School
The government school your child can attend for free by living in Port Macquarie - South.
The government catchment school for parts of Port Macquarie - South is Port Macquarie Public School - just outside the suburb boundary (NSW catchment data).
See the catchment on the mapFee-paying schools can’t be enrolled in by zone - they’re shown for context, not as the area’s school quality.
We show school intake context and catchments, not exam results. We don’t publish a school ranking.
Oakville Public School
The government school your child can attend for free by living in Box Hill - Nelson.
The government catchment school for parts of Box Hill - Nelson is Oakville Public School - just outside the suburb boundary (NSW catchment data).
See the catchment on the mapFee-paying schools can’t be enrolled in by zone - they’re shown for context, not as the area’s school quality.
We show school intake context and catchments, not exam results. We don’t publish a school ranking.
Honest tradeoff
Catholic/independent schools are separate from the free government catchment - average ICSEA Box Hill - Nelson 1,091 (2 schools), Port Macquarie - South 1,051 (3 schools).
Childcare services matched by suburb name: 15 in Box Hill - Nelson vs 26 in Port Macquarie - South.
The proportion of children from non-English-speaking backgrounds is higher in Box Hill - Nelson at 43.2% (vs 4.5% in Port Macquarie - South).
Box Hill - Nelson has a SEIFA advantage (IRSAD) of Decile 10, above Port Macquarie - South's Decile 5. Decile 10 is the most advantaged nationally.
Median house prices are 35% higher in Box Hill - Nelson ($1.28M vs $950,000).
Similar suburbs near Box Hill - Nelson
Related moves
What is the population of Box Hill (Nelson area)?
26,348 people lived in Box Hill (Nelson area) at June 2025 (ABS Estimated Resident Population), a change of +17.4% over the year. Port Macquarie (South area) had 17,470.
Are houses cheaper in Box Hill (Nelson area) than in Port Macquarie (South area)?
No. The median house price is $1.28M in Box Hill (Nelson area) and $950,000 in Port Macquarie (South area), 35% higher in Box Hill (Nelson area).
How many schools are in Box Hill (Nelson area)?
ACARA lists 3 schools in Box Hill (Nelson area), against 3 in Port Macquarie (South area). The zoned government school for an address is shown above under "Which school is zoned?".
Make this comparison yours
The Move Planner adds your kids' ages, school catchment zones on the map, and a shareable link for your partner.
Plan the move: Port Macquarie - South → Box Hill - Nelson