Town guide
Macksville
The Macksville Bridge over the Nambucca River. Photo: wood26, CC BY-SA 3.0
The council's home town, 14 km up the Nambucca River from the sea: a punt crossing until 1931, a highway town until the bypass, and still where the valley comes to do its business.
What homes cost
Macksville shares postcode 2447 with Scotts Head, so the government's figures cover both the river town and the beach village.
Postcode 2447 · Macksville, Scotts Head
$790,000
Median sale price, January to March 2026 (35 sales)
- Non-strata homes (mostly houses)
- $790,000
- Median rent, new leases
- $570 a week
- Houses
- $578 a week
NSW Rent and Sales Report: sales January to March 2026 (NSW Valuer General data), rents April to June 2026 (new bonds).
Five years of prices
The numbers
| Postcode 2447 | Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| March quarter 2021 | $480,000 | $500,000 |
| March quarter 2022 | $745,000 | $678,000 |
| March quarter 2023 | $650,000 | $570,000 |
| March quarter 2024 | $620,000 | $600,000 |
| March quarter 2025 | $770,000 | $740,000 |
| March quarter 2026 | $790,000 | $725,000 |
Who lives here
| 2021 Census | Macksville | NSW |
|---|---|---|
| People | 2,782 | |
| Median age | 47 | 39 |
| Aged 65 or over | 28% | |
| Private dwellings | 1,227 | |
| Homes owned outright | 41.6% | 31.5% |
| Homes with a mortgage | 24.8% | 32.5% |
| Homes rented | 28.9% | 32.6% |
| Median weekly household income | $944 | $1,829 |
| Median weekly rent (2021) | $320 | $420 |
| Empty on Census night | 7.0% | 9.4% |
ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, Macksville. The 2026 Census results are due from June 2027.
Macksville is younger than Nambucca Heads, with a median age of 47, and almost entirely detached houses: 91 per cent of occupied homes at the 2021 Census.
Good for
- Families who want services close by: the council, the district hospital and the main schools
- Buyers who want a house rather than a unit
- Highway access: the Pacific Highway bypass passes the town
Worth knowing
- The river floods: the town has had major floods, most recently in 2021, so check flood information first
- No beach in town: Scotts Head is about 15 minutes away
Health care
Macksville District Hospital opened in 2020, a $73 million NSW Government build on a site about 3 km north of the town centre. It has a 28-bed acute unit, a 24-hour emergency department with telehealth links to Coffs Harbour, two operating suites and a midwifery group practice.
Floods
Macksville sits on the low land beside the river. The ABC reported in March 2021 that the river at Macksville had passed its major flood level of 2.6 metres nine times since the 1890s, peaking at 3.4 metres in 1950, and that on 20 March 2021 it passed the major flood level again after 350 mm of rain fell at Nambucca Heads in a day. Our flood risk guide explains how to check a particular property.
How the town grew
The council's history, drawn from a 1999 heritage main street study, starts at the river: the first wharf, a pub in 1882, 118 people by the 1891 census, then Mackay's Store, the Court House, the Star Hotel and the school before 1900. The railway arrived in 1919.
The punt was replaced by a 712-foot concrete and steel bridge that opened on 12 December 1931, at a cost of about £40,000. In December 2017 the new highway bridge on the bypass was named the Phillip Hughes Bridge, after the Test cricketer who grew up in the town.
The other towns
Common questions
What do homes cost in Macksville?
Postcode 2447, which Macksville shares with Scotts Head, had a median sale price of $790,000 from January to March 2026, from 35 sales. New leases had a median rent of $570 a week from April to June 2026.
What is the population of Macksville?
2,782 at the 2021 Census, with a median age of 47.
Does Macksville flood?
Yes. The river at Macksville has passed its major flood level many times since the 1890s, including in March 2021. Check the council's flood information for any property.
Sources
- NSW Department of Communities and Justice, Rent and Sales Report (postcode 2447: sales Jan to Mar 2021 to 2026, rents Apr to Jun 2026)
- ABS, 2021 Census QuickStats, Macksville (SAL12439)
- Nambucca Valley Council, History and Heritage (Heritage Main Street Study, 1999)
- Mid North Coast Local Health District, Macksville District Hospital
- NSW Government, Macksville Hospital Development
- ABC News, NSW floods unmatched in scale and rainfall (26 March 2021)
- Sydney Morning Herald, 9 November 1931, Bridge at Macksville (Trove)
- Coffs Harbour Advocate, 15 December 1931, Macksville Bridge Opening Celebrations (Trove)
- Transport for NSW, New crossing of Nambucca River: The Phillip Hughes Bridge (16 December 2017)