Ashford vs Atholwood
Atholwood is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 54 in Ashford. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Atholwood tends to suit families with children and couples.
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
Atholwood
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 85/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (54% vs 42%)
- But Ashford has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Atholwood
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (7% vs 18%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Atholwood
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (6% vs 22%)
- has cheaper rent ($84/wk vs $185/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Ashford
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (491 min vs 527 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (637.5 km vs 667.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Ashford has more GPs (2 vs 0)
- Atholwood carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 85/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Ashford
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (1.1% vs -13.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Ashford and Atholwood drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Ashford has more residents (659 vs 68); Ashford rents higher ($185/wk vs $84/wk).
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 659 +90% vs other | 68 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.1% | -13.9% |
| Median age | 54 | 50 |
| Median household income | $44,460/yr | $73,112/yr +64% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $185/wk +55% vs other | $84/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).
Property market
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $235,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $80,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 46 days from 7 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 98% | 92% |
| Environmental | 2% | 8% |
| 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
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 31 across Inverell same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 6% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 7% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 21% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 89% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 37% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 46% of NSW | Higher than 25% of NSW |
Liveability
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 6/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Ashford carries more crime risk (85 vs 0).
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 51/100 | Moderate 48/100 |
| Crime | High 85/100 | None 0/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Ashford
- Ashford Central School Government · Combined below peers
Schools in Atholwood
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| GPs | 2 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 20 | 3 |
Mobility
Atholwood sits further from the CBD (667.7 km vs 637.5 km).
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 637.5 km | 667.7 km +5% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 491 min | 527 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2361 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 69 postcode 2361 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (67.2%).
Setting
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 476 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 489 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 16/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 351 premises | 0% 23 premises |
Climate
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 675 mm | 664 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 32.0°C | 33.5°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 2.8°C | 5.1°C |
Council rates
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,170/yr same for both | |
| Council | Inverell same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Ashford | Atholwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Ashford
Other comparisons with Atholwood
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.