Pokolbin, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Pokolbin is a rural locality in the Hunter region of New South Wales, about 163 kilometres north of Sydney and roughly 12 kilometres west-north-west of Cessnock. The Wonnarua people are recorded as the area's original inhabitants, living here for more than 3,000 years. Pokolbin sits at the heart of the Lower Hunter Valley wine country, one of the oldest wine regions in Australia. Vines were first planted in the district by James Busby in the 1820s, and pioneering family estates followed, with the Tyrrell family establishing their vineyard in 1859 and others planting through the 1860s. Today the locality is ringed by dozens of wineries, from large producers to small family cellar doors, drawing visitors to its restaurants, resorts and tasting rooms. Wine and tourism dominate the local economy.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Pokolbin is more socio-economically advantaged than about 97% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1123, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Is Pokolbin a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Strong on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Pokolbin from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
97/100Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (97/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
3/100Among the more expensive suburbs
Median weekly rent was $600 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 3% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Pokolbin at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,049
- Median age
- 57
- Median weekly household income
- $2,395
- SEIFA score
- 1123
- Local government area
- Cessnock
- Coordinates
- -32.7535, 151.2746
Map of Pokolbin
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Pokolbin
What it costs to live in Pokolbin and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $600
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $2,550
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 86%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 11%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Pokolbin demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Pokolbin demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Pokolbin using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 35% and 22% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 120 | 12% |
| Youth (15–24) | 69 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 167 | 16% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 366 | 35% |
| Seniors (65+) | 321 | 31% |
Share of the 1,043 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 192 | 49% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 148 | 37% |
| Rented | 42 | 11% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 397 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 397 occupied private dwellings in Pokolbin.
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,648
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,045
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 226 (22%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 59 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 20 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 588 (65%)
- Labour-force participation
- 60.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.2%
- Employed full-time
- 304
- Employed part-time
- 185
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Pokolbin
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Pokolbin is January (average daytime high around 30.2°C) and the coolest is July (around 16.7°C). The area receives roughly 722 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30.2°C | 18.6°C | 77 mm |
| Feb | 28.6°C | 18.1°C | 75 mm |
| Mar | 26.5°C | 16.8°C | 117 mm |
| Apr | 23.1°C | 13.2°C | 54 mm |
| May | 19.7°C | 9.5°C | 25 mm |
| Jun | 16.7°C | 7.4°C | 39 mm |
| Jul | 16.7°C | 6.4°C | 41 mm |
| Aug | 18.1°C | 6.8°C | 40 mm |
| Sep | 21.5°C | 9.4°C | 42 mm |
| Oct | 24.7°C | 12.4°C | 68 mm |
| Nov | 26.7°C | 14.5°C | 65 mm |
| Dec | 28.9°C | 16.9°C | 79 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Pokolbin
Is Pokolbin a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Pokolbin rates 66/100 overall (Strong on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Pokolbin?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Pokolbin was $600, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,550. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Pokolbin?
Pokolbin is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia, in the Cessnock local government area.
What is the population of Pokolbin?
At the 2021 Census, Pokolbin had a population of about 1,049.
Is Pokolbin an advantaged area?
Pokolbin has an ABS SEIFA score of 1123, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 97 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 97% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Pokolbin?
Pokolbin has average daytime highs of about 23.4°C and overnight lows of about 12.5°C, with roughly 722 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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