Port Macquarie market assessment: demand, key precincts and future growth

Port Macquarie is one of the Mid North Coast’s primary commercial and service centres, supporting a broad regional catchment through healthcare, education, retail, tourism, professional services and industrial activity. Positioned between Sydney and Brisbane, Port Macquarie continues to strengthen its role as a key economic hub for the wider region, with population growth, infrastructure investment and expanding employment sectors driving broader demand across the commercial property market beyond the traditional CBD and coastal tourism economy.

Port Macquarie market position and demand

Port Macquarie’s population reached 90,835 in 2024 and is forecast to continue growing strongly over coming decades, supporting sustained long-term demand across residential, commercial and service sectors (Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, 2025). The region generates approximately $6.97 billion in Gross Regional Product and $13.85 billion in annual output, while unemployment remains low at around 3%, reflecting a comparatively tight labour market and ongoing economic participation (Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, 2025).

Importantly, Port Macquarie-Hastings operates as a net exporter, generating more value from goods and services sold outside the region than it imports. This reinforces the market’s economic depth and highlights that the local economy extends beyond internal population servicing alone. Commercial property demand is increasingly being underpinned by healthcare, retail, education, construction, tourism and broader business services, reflecting Port Macquarie’s growing importance as both a regional employment centre and business hub.

Port Macquarie precinct composition and occupier mix

Commercial property demand across Port Macquarie is becoming increasingly precinct-led, with key locations serving distinct market functions across the broader region.

• Port Macquarie’s CBD is the region’s primary mixed-use commercial centre, accommodating office, retail, hospitality and tourism-related uses, with growing strategic focus on higher-density mixed-use activation.
• The Healthcare Precinct is a core and expanding employment hub supporting demand from medical, allied health, specialist consulting and health-supporting service providers.
• The airport corridor is positioned for long-term business and employment growth through the Airport Business and Technology Park and broader airport precinct planning.
• Thrumster and Sancrox are key western growth and industrial areas becoming increasingly important for employment, trade, industrial and service-based uses, supported by expanding industrial and commercial land supply.
• Wauchope continues to serve as a supporting service, industrial and town centre market within the broader Port Macquarie commercial network, reinforcing the region’s increasingly distributed economic structure.

Infrastructure and future growth

Supporting this expansion is a substantial infrastructure pipeline, with Port Macquarie-Hastings Council identifying more than $800 million in priority projects to facilitate future population and employment growth (Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, 2025). Key projects include the Cowarra Water Supply Scheme and Thrumster Wastewater Treatment Plant, both critical to increasing long-term servicing capacity across the broader urban area, together with major transport upgrades such as Ocean Drive Duplication and planned improvements to Boundary Street, Lake Road and Hastings River Drive.

Industrial expansion is also being supported through projects such as the proposed Sancrox Quarry expansion and continued development of estates including Kew Industrial Estate, helping improve long-term industrial and construction-supporting capacity across the region. Collectively, these projects are expected to improve accessibility, unlock additional development land and support the continued expansion of key commercial and employment precincts.

Port Macquarie investment assessment

Port Macquarie’s commercial property market is becoming increasingly segmented, with precinct positioning and asset alignment playing a larger role in future performance. As growth continues to distribute across healthcare, mixed-use, industrial and employment-oriented precincts, strategic location selection is likely to become increasingly important for investors, occupiers and developers alike.

Supported by long-term population growth, infrastructure investment and a broadening economic base, Port Macquarie’s commercial market continues to present a positive long-term outlook. However, the market is becoming more nuanced as different precincts assume increasingly specialised commercial roles and not all locations are likely to benefit equally from future growth.

If you are considering selling or leasing commercial property in Port Macquarie, Commercial Collective can help you position your asset in line with evolving market conditions and buyer demand. Speak with our team today to discuss your property strategy.