Barrack Heights vs Warilla

Barrack Heights is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 45 in Warilla. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. On these figures, Warilla tends to suit people living alone.

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

Barrack Heights

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (63% vs 50%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (88% vs 71%)
  • carries lower crime risk (69/100 vs 84/100)
  • But Warilla has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Barrack Heights

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($560,000 vs $720,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (32% vs 40%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Warilla

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $380/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Warilla

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (87/100 vs 67/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Warilla

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 1)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (29% vs 12%)
  • is more walkable (87/100 vs 67/100)
  • But Barrack Heights carries lower crime risk (69/100 vs 84/100)

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

Investors

Barrack Heights

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (1.7% vs -3.5%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Barrack Heights Warilla
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.

Barrack Heights Warilla
Walkability 67 / 87
Barrack Heights — Walkability: 67/100 Warilla — Walkability: 87/100
Safety 31 / 16
Barrack Heights — Safety: 31/100 Warilla — Safety: 16/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Barrack Heights — Low fire risk: 100/100 Warilla — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Barrack Heights has higher household incomes ($69,680 vs $51,324); Barrack Heights rents higher ($380/wk vs $300/wk).

Barrack Heights Warilla
Population 6,003 6,226
+4% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.7% -3.5%
Median age 41 45
Median household income $69,680/yr
+26% vs other
 $51,324/yr
Median weekly rent $380/wk
+21% vs other
 $300/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Barrack Heights Warilla
0-4 5.4% / 5.1%
Barrack Heights — 0-4: 5.4% Warilla — 0-4: 5.1%
5-14 12.9% / 11.6%
Barrack Heights — 5-14: 12.9% Warilla — 5-14: 11.6%
15-19 6.5% / 6.0%
Barrack Heights — 15-19: 6.5% Warilla — 15-19: 6.0%
20-24 5.5% / 5.8%
Barrack Heights — 20-24: 5.5% Warilla — 20-24: 5.8%
25-34 12.2% / 10.3%
Barrack Heights — 25-34: 12.2% Warilla — 25-34: 10.3%
35-44 12.3% / 10.1%
Barrack Heights — 35-44: 12.3% Warilla — 35-44: 10.1%
45-54 11.9% / 12.5%
Barrack Heights — 45-54: 11.9% Warilla — 45-54: 12.5%
55-64 12.6% / 13.9%
Barrack Heights — 55-64: 12.6% Warilla — 55-64: 13.9%
65-74 11.4% / 11.8%
Barrack Heights — 65-74: 11.4% Warilla — 65-74: 11.8%
75-84 7.0% / 9.5%
Barrack Heights — 75-84: 7.0% Warilla — 75-84: 9.5%
85+ 2.2% / 3.3%
Barrack Heights — 85+: 2.2% Warilla — 85+: 3.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Barrack Heights 32.5% lone person
Barrack Heights — Lone Person: 32.5% Barrack Heights — Couple Families: 36.5% Barrack Heights — One Parent Families: 26.7% Barrack Heights — Group Household: 2.5% Barrack Heights — Other Families: 1.8%
Warilla 43.7% lone person
Warilla — Lone Person: 43.7% Warilla — Couple Families: 26.2% Warilla — One Parent Families: 24.3% Warilla — Group Household: 4.2% Warilla — Other Families: 1.5%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Barrack Heights 33.8% renting
Barrack Heights — Owned Outright: 37.1% Barrack Heights — Mortgage: 29.1% Barrack Heights — Renting: 33.8%
Warilla 41.9% renting
Warilla — Owned Outright: 36.0% Warilla — Mortgage: 22.1% Warilla — Renting: 41.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Barrack Heights Warilla
Certificate III & IV 19.4% / 16.7%
Barrack Heights — Certificate III & IV: 19.4% Warilla — Certificate III & IV: 16.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.0% / 5.4%
Barrack Heights — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.0% Warilla — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.4%
Bachelor Degree 5.5% / 4.7%
Barrack Heights — Bachelor Degree: 5.5% Warilla — Bachelor Degree: 4.7%
Postgraduate Degree 1.2% / 1.3%
Barrack Heights — Postgraduate Degree: 1.2% Warilla — Postgraduate Degree: 1.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.7% / 0.6%
Barrack Heights — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.7% Warilla — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).

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.

Barrack Heights Warilla
England 4.5% / 4.5%
Barrack Heights — England: 4.5% Warilla — England: 4.5%
Scotland 0.8% / 1.1%
Barrack Heights — Scotland: 0.8% Warilla — Scotland: 1.1%
New Zealand 0.8% / 0.9%
Barrack Heights — New Zealand: 0.8% Warilla — New Zealand: 0.9%
Germany 0.7% / 0.8%
Barrack Heights — Germany: 0.7% Warilla — Germany: 0.8%
Philippines 0.6% / 0.8%
Barrack Heights — Philippines: 0.6% Warilla — Philippines: 0.8%
Italy 0.7% / 0.4%
Barrack Heights — Italy: 0.7% Warilla — Italy: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Barrack Heights 88.3% houses
Barrack Heights — Houses: 88.3% Barrack Heights — Flats / Apartments: 10.6% Barrack Heights — Townhouses: 1.1%
Warilla 70.9% houses
Warilla — Houses: 70.9% Warilla — Flats / Apartments: 15.3% Warilla — Townhouses: 13.8%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Barrack Heights Warilla
Median house price $937,500 $900,000
Median unit price $560,000 $720,000
Median land price — $950,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 26 days
from 49 sales
 26 days
from 39 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Barrack Heights Warilla
3 bed $875K / $878K
Barrack Heights — 3 bed: $875K (59 sales) Warilla — 3 bed: $878K (48 sales)

59 vs 48 sales

4 bed $1.14M / $1.02M
Barrack Heights — 4 bed: $1.14M (20 sales) Warilla — 4 bed: $1.02M (19 sales)

20 vs 19 sales

Zoning mix

Barrack Heights Warilla
Residential 77% 72%
Parks and recreation 15% 18%
Commercial 1% 5%
Industrial 4% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 4%
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

Barrack Heights Warilla
New dwellings approved 883
across Shellharbour
same for both
Approvals change year on year +25%
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.

Barrack Heights Warilla
Houses 3.9%
$720/wk on $949K
 3.5%
$700/wk on $1.05M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Barrack Heights Warilla
House price Higher than 39% of NSW Higher than 37% of NSW
Income Higher than 33% of NSW Higher than 12% of NSW
Schools Higher than 10% of NSW Higher than 66% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 95% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 49% of NSW Higher than 29% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 30% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 80% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 70% of NSW Higher than 42% of NSW

Liveability

Warilla is more walkable (87 vs 67); Warilla scores higher overall (49 vs 38).

Barrack Heights Warilla
Grade C B
Score 38/100 49/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 high-need area
decile 1/10

Risk profile

Warilla carries more crime risk (84 vs 69).

Barrack Heights Warilla
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
69/100
 High
84/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 Moderate
64/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 4
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Barrack Heights Warilla
Inside the suburb 3
same for both
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 2 1

Schools in Barrack Heights

  • Barrack Heights Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Warilla High School Government · Secondary below peers
  • Aspect South Coast School, Barrack Heights Independent · Primary · Special school

Schools in Warilla

  • Warilla Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Warilla North Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Peterborough School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Barrack Heights Warilla
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 2
Parks & reserves 11 18
Childcare 5 3
GPs 1 3
Pharmacies 0 2
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 1
same for both
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Barrack Heights Warilla
Walkability score 67/100 87/100
Distance to Sydney 102.6 km
+1% vs other
 101.1 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 98 min 96 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 47.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 85.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 2528
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 31
postcode 2528
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.

Barrack Heights Warilla
Car (driver) 74.6% / 73.3%
Barrack Heights — Car (driver): 74.6% Warilla — Car (driver): 73.3%
Worked from Home 17.5% / 15.7%
Barrack Heights — Worked from Home: 17.5% Warilla — Worked from Home: 15.7%
Car (passenger) 4.8% / 5.9%
Barrack Heights — Car (passenger): 4.8% Warilla — Car (passenger): 5.9%
Walked Only 1.7% / 2.5%
Barrack Heights — Walked Only: 1.7% Warilla — Walked Only: 2.5%
Bus 0.7% / 1.9%
Barrack Heights — Bus: 0.7% Warilla — Bus: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.6%).

Setting

Barrack Heights Warilla
Elevation 11 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 7 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.3 km
1.5 km to a named beach
 912 m
2.1 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Barrack Heights Warilla
Connectivity score 73/100 68/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 51%
2,681 premises
 42%
3,123 premises

Climate

Barrack Heights Warilla
Annual rainfall 974 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Barrack Heights Warilla
PM2.5 5.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.37 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Barrack Heights Warilla
Average residential rate $1,788/yr
same for both
Council Shellharbour
same for both

Federal electorate

Barrack Heights Warilla
Division Whitlam
same for both
Member Carol Berry
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Barrack Heights Warilla
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Barrack Heights

Beach Coastal Parks

Warilla

Coastal Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Barrack Heights

Barrack Heights vs Oak Flats Barrack Heights vs Mount Warrigal Barrack Heights vs Shellharbour Barrack Heights vs Blackbutt Barrack Heights vs Barrack Point Barrack Heights vs Shellharbour City Centre

Other comparisons with Warilla

Warilla vs Mount Warrigal Warilla vs Lake Illawarra Warilla vs Barrack Point
Full data on Barrack Heights Full data on Warilla
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.

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