Arrawarra vs Woolgoolga

Woolgoolga is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 66 in Arrawarra. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Arrawarra, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Arrawarra tends to suit people living alone and older residents.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Woolgoolga

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (9 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (4 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
  • But Arrawarra carries lower crime risk (53/100 vs 81/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Arrawarra

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 34%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Arrawarra has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $360/wk)
  • Woolgoolga has a bigger rental market to choose from (30% vs 16%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Woolgoolga

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (554.9 km vs 559.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Arrawarra

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (52% vs 27%)
  • carries lower crime risk (53/100 vs 81/100)
  • But Woolgoolga has more GPs (4 vs 0)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Arrawarra and Woolgoolga drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Walkability 12 / 8
Arrawarra — Walkability: 12/100 Woolgoolga — Walkability: 8/100
Safety 47 / 19
Arrawarra — Safety: 47/100 Woolgoolga — Safety: 19/100
Low fire risk 73 / 55
Arrawarra — Low fire risk: 73/100 Woolgoolga — Low fire risk: 55/100

Demographics

Woolgoolga has more residents (6,151 vs 591); Woolgoolga rents higher ($360/wk vs $200/wk).

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Population 591 6,151
+941% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +13.0% +16.3%
Median age 66 45
Median household income $37,336/yr $61,880/yr
+66% vs other
Median weekly rent $200/wk $360/wk
+80% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
0-4 1.5% / 5.3%
Arrawarra — 0-4: 1.5% Woolgoolga — 0-4: 5.3%
5-14 2.0% / 10.5%
Arrawarra — 5-14: 2.0% Woolgoolga — 5-14: 10.5%
15-19 1.7% / 4.6%
Arrawarra — 15-19: 1.7% Woolgoolga — 15-19: 4.6%
20-24 5.2% / 4.1%
Arrawarra — 20-24: 5.2% Woolgoolga — 20-24: 4.1%
25-34 12.4% / 13.6%
Arrawarra — 25-34: 12.4% Woolgoolga — 25-34: 13.6%
35-44 5.1% / 11.4%
Arrawarra — 35-44: 5.1% Woolgoolga — 35-44: 11.4%
45-54 7.1% / 10.6%
Arrawarra — 45-54: 7.1% Woolgoolga — 45-54: 10.6%
55-64 13.0% / 13.2%
Arrawarra — 55-64: 13.0% Woolgoolga — 55-64: 13.2%
65-74 25.0% / 15.3%
Arrawarra — 65-74: 25.0% Woolgoolga — 65-74: 15.3%
75-84 22.2% / 7.9%
Arrawarra — 75-84: 22.2% Woolgoolga — 75-84: 7.9%
85+ 4.9% / 3.6%
Arrawarra — 85+: 4.9% Woolgoolga — 85+: 3.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Arrawarra 73.3% lone person
Arrawarra — Lone Person: 73.3% Arrawarra — Couple Families: 5.8% Arrawarra — One Parent Families: 9.4% Arrawarra — Group Household: 8.9% Arrawarra — Other Families: 2.6%
Woolgoolga 41.0% lone person
Woolgoolga — Lone Person: 41.0% Woolgoolga — Couple Families: 34.6% Woolgoolga — One Parent Families: 16.4% Woolgoolga — Group Household: 6.8% Woolgoolga — Other Families: 1.1%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Arrawarra 15.5% renting
Arrawarra — Owned Outright: 79.0% Arrawarra — Mortgage: 5.5% Arrawarra — Renting: 15.5%
Woolgoolga 30.5% renting
Woolgoolga — Owned Outright: 45.8% Woolgoolga — Mortgage: 23.6% Woolgoolga — Renting: 30.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Certificate III & IV 15.7% / 14.9%
Arrawarra — Certificate III & IV: 15.7% Woolgoolga — Certificate III & IV: 14.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.1% / 8.6%
Arrawarra — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.1% Woolgoolga — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6%
Bachelor Degree 4.7% / 10.0%
Arrawarra — Bachelor Degree: 4.7% Woolgoolga — Bachelor Degree: 10.0%
Postgraduate Degree 1.4% / 2.4%
Arrawarra — Postgraduate Degree: 1.4% Woolgoolga — Postgraduate Degree: 2.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.8% / 1.6%
Arrawarra — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.8% Woolgoolga — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
India 1.0% / 10.7%
Arrawarra — India: 1.0% Woolgoolga — India: 10.7%
England 5.8% / 3.5%
Arrawarra — England: 5.8% Woolgoolga — England: 3.5%
New Zealand 3.6% / 1.0%
Arrawarra — New Zealand: 3.6% Woolgoolga — New Zealand: 1.0%
Malaysia 1.4% / 1.0%
Arrawarra — Malaysia: 1.4% Woolgoolga — Malaysia: 1.0%
Scotland 1.7% / 0.5%
Arrawarra — Scotland: 1.7% Woolgoolga — Scotland: 0.5%
Germany 0.5% / 0.6%
Arrawarra — Germany: 0.5% Woolgoolga — Germany: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (10.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Arrawarra 77.8% houses
Arrawarra — Houses: 77.8% Arrawarra — Flats / Apartments: 21.2% Arrawarra — Townhouses: 1.0%
Woolgoolga 82.2% houses
Woolgoolga — Houses: 82.2% Woolgoolga — Flats / Apartments: 4.6% Woolgoolga — Townhouses: 13.2%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Median house price $930,000 $920,000
Median unit price — $640,000
Median land price — $450,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 40 days
from 5 sales
 32 days
from 56 sales

Zoning mix

Arrawarra has more land zoned for conservation (75% vs 8%); Woolgoolga has more rural and farming land (77% vs 19%).

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Rural and farming 19% 77%
Environmental 75% 8%
Residential 3% 7%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 4%
Parks and recreation 2% 3%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
New dwellings approved 356
across Coffs Harbour
same for both
Approvals change year on year +61%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Houses — 3.7%
$700/wk on $987K
Units — 3.7%
$490/wk on $688K

Ranking within NSW

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
House price Higher than 53% of NSW Higher than 39% of NSW
Income Higher than 2% of NSW Higher than 24% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 11% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 53% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 7% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 52% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 66% of NSW Higher than 69% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 56% of NSW
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 15% of NSW

Liveability

Arrawarra scores higher overall (25 vs 19).

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Grade D
same for both
Score 25/100 19/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Woolgoolga carries more bushfire risk (45 vs 27); Woolgoolga carries more crime risk (81 vs 53).

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Bushfire Low
27/100
 Moderate
45/100
Crime Moderate
53/100
 High
81/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
36/100
 Moderate
58/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Inside the suburb 0 3
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0 2

Schools in Arrawarra

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Woolgoolga

  • Woolgoolga Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Francis Xavier Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • Woolgoolga High School Government · Secondary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Supermarkets 0 3
Cafes & restaurants 1 10
Parks & reserves 0 9
Childcare 0 4
GPs 0 4
Pharmacies 0 2
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 3
Fuel stations 0 3
Waterways 2 28

Mobility

Arrawarra sits further from the CBD (559.6 km vs 554.9 km).

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Walkability score 12/100 8/100
Distance to Sydney 559.6 km 554.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 369 min 370 min
Public transport score 24/100
Bus
 71/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 6.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 65.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2456
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 59
postcode 2456
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Car (driver) 45.1% / 76.6%
Arrawarra — Car (driver): 45.1% Woolgoolga — Car (driver): 76.6%
Bus 40.3% / 0.5%
Arrawarra — Bus: 40.3% Woolgoolga — Bus: 0.5%
Worked from Home 7.6% / 9.8%
Arrawarra — Worked from Home: 7.6% Woolgoolga — Worked from Home: 9.8%
Car (passenger) 3.5% / 8.4%
Arrawarra — Car (passenger): 3.5% Woolgoolga — Car (passenger): 8.4%
Walked Only 3.5% / 4.2%
Arrawarra — Walked Only: 3.5% Woolgoolga — Walked Only: 4.2%
Bicycle — / 0.6%
Arrawarra — Bicycle: not among its largest Woolgoolga — Bicycle: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.6%).

Setting

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Elevation 3 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 62 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 397 m 3.4 km
4.8 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Connectivity score 49/100 59/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 7%
544 premises
 22%
3,566 premises

Climate

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Annual rainfall 1,827 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
PM2.5 4.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 10.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.22 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Average residential rate $1,437/yr
same for both
Council Coffs Harbour
same for both

Federal electorate

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Division Page
same for both
Member Kevin Hogan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Arrawarra Woolgoolga
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Arrawarra

Coastal Quiet Retirees River

Woolgoolga

Retirees River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Arrawarra

Arrawarra vs Corindi Beach Arrawarra vs Arrawarra Headland

Other comparisons with Woolgoolga

Woolgoolga vs Sandy Beach Woolgoolga vs Emerald Beach Woolgoolga vs Corindi Beach Woolgoolga vs Safety Beach Woolgoolga vs Arrawarra Headland Woolgoolga vs Bucca
Full data on Arrawarra Full data on Woolgoolga
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or