Barraba vs Cobbadah
Cobbadah is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 58 in Barraba. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Barraba, most households are people living alone. In Cobbadah, most households are couple families. On these figures, Barraba tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Cobbadah suits 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Barraba has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
- Cobbadah is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 32%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Cobbadah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (9% vs 22%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Cobbadah
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (7% vs 25%)
- has cheaper rent ($75/wk vs $195/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Barraba
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (501.5 km vs 518.2 km)
- has a shorter drive in (371 min vs 380 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Barraba has more residents already 65 and over (38% vs 20%)
- Cobbadah carries lower crime risk (62/100 vs 80/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Cobbadah
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (5.6% vs -5.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Barraba and Cobbadah 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
Barraba has more residents (1,329 vs 95); Barraba rents higher ($195/wk vs $75/wk).
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,329 +93% vs other | 95 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -5.7% | +5.6% |
| Median age | 58 | 43 |
| Median household income | $40,352/yr | $58,500/yr +45% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $195/wk +62% vs other | $75/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).
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 (14.6%).
Property market
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $290,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $32,500 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 49 days from 12 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| 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
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 390 across Tamworth | 15 across Gwydir |
| Approvals change year on year | -35% | -50% |
Gross rental yield
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 8.5% $405/wk on $248K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 6% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 5% of NSW | Higher than 18% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 23% of NSW | Higher than 3% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 86% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 46% of NSW | Higher than 2% of NSW |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 100% of NSW | — |
Liveability
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 19/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Cobbadah carries more bushfire risk (37 vs 13); Barraba carries more crime risk (80 vs 62).
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 13/100 | Low 37/100 |
| Crime | High 80/100 | Moderate 62/100 |
| 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
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Barraba
- Barraba Central School Government · Combined at peers
- St Joseph's Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers
Schools in Cobbadah
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 5 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 16 | 13 |
Mobility
Cobbadah sits further from the CBD (518.2 km vs 501.5 km).
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 501.5 km | 518.2 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 371 min | 380 min |
| Public transport score | 36/100 Bus | 22/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 12.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 4.0 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual | 2 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2347 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 43 postcode 2347 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 (68.4%).
Setting
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 519 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 568 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 819 premises | 0% 28 premises |
Climate
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 679 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 32.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 0.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,397/yr | $825/yr |
| Council | Tamworth | Gwydir |
Federal electorate
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England same for both | |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Barraba | Cobbadah | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Barraba
Cobbadah
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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.