Biala vs Narrawa

Biala is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 53 in Narrawa. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Biala, the large majority of households are couple families. In Narrawa, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Biala tends to suit families with children and couples, while Narrawa suits 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

Biala

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (78% vs 54%)

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

First-home buyers

Narrawa

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (3% vs 55%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Narrawa

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $230/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Biala

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (179 min vs 195 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (255.7 km vs 275.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Biala is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
  • Narrawa has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 11%)

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

Investors

Biala

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (42.4% vs 30.2%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Biala Narrawa
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.

Biala Narrawa
Walkability 8 / 0
Biala — Walkability: 8/100 Narrawa — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 100 / 100
Biala — Safety: 100/100 Narrawa — Safety: 100/100
Low fire risk 80 / 100
Biala — Low fire risk: 80/100 Narrawa — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Biala rents higher ($230/wk vs $150/wk); Narrawa skews older (53 vs 38).

Biala Narrawa
Population 84 112
+33% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +42.4% +30.2%
Median age 38 53
Median household income $110,500/yr $112,632/yr
+2% vs other
Median weekly rent $230/wk
+35% vs other
 $150/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Biala Narrawa
0-4 13.1% / 8.0%
Biala — 0-4: 13.1% Narrawa — 0-4: 8.0%
5-14 16.7% / 5.4%
Biala — 5-14: 16.7% Narrawa — 5-14: 5.4%
15-19 8.3% / 2.7%
Biala — 15-19: 8.3% Narrawa — 15-19: 2.7%
20-24 — / 4.5%
Biala — 20-24: not among its largest Narrawa — 20-24: 4.5%
25-34 13.1% / 7.1%
Biala — 25-34: 13.1% Narrawa — 25-34: 7.1%
35-44 15.5% / 8.0%
Biala — 35-44: 15.5% Narrawa — 35-44: 8.0%
45-54 21.4% / 16.1%
Biala — 45-54: 21.4% Narrawa — 45-54: 16.1%
55-64 11.9% / 23.2%
Biala — 55-64: 11.9% Narrawa — 55-64: 23.2%
65-74 10.7% / 13.4%
Biala — 65-74: 10.7% Narrawa — 65-74: 13.4%
75-84 — / 8.9%
Biala — 75-84: not among its largest Narrawa — 75-84: 8.9%
85+ — / 2.7%
Biala — 85+: not among its largest Narrawa — 85+: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Biala 77.8% couple families
Biala — Couple Families: 77.8% Biala — Lone Person: 22.2%
Narrawa 54.2% couple families
Narrawa — Couple Families: 54.2% Narrawa — Lone Person: 45.8%
Couple Families Lone Person

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Biala 15.8% renting
Biala — Owned Outright: 84.2% Biala — Mortgage: 0.0% Biala — Renting: 15.8%
Narrawa 0.0% renting
Narrawa — Owned Outright: 81.2% Narrawa — Mortgage: 18.8% Narrawa — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Biala 91.3% houses
Biala — Houses: 91.3% Biala — Flats / Apartments: 8.7%
Narrawa 97.7% houses
Narrawa — Houses: 97.7% Narrawa — Flats / Apartments: 2.3%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Biala Narrawa
Certificate III & IV 15.5% / 17.0%
Biala — Certificate III & IV: 15.5% Narrawa — Certificate III & IV: 17.0%
Bachelor Degree 13.1% / 11.6%
Biala — Bachelor Degree: 13.1% Narrawa — Bachelor Degree: 11.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.7% / 8.0%
Biala — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.7% Narrawa — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0%
Postgraduate Degree 3.6% / —
Biala — Postgraduate Degree: 3.6% Narrawa — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).

Property market

Biala Narrawa
Median house price — $3,840,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $1,835,000 —

Zoning mix

Biala Narrawa
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

Biala Narrawa
New dwellings approved 44
across Upper Lachlan
same for both
Approvals change year on year +175%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Biala Narrawa
House price — Higher than 97% of NSW
Income Higher than 76% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 52% of NSW Higher than 11% of NSW
Affordability — Higher than 4% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 6% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 6% of NSW
same for both

Liveability

Biala is more walkable (8 vs 0).

Biala Narrawa
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Biala carries more bushfire risk (20 vs 0).

Biala Narrawa
Bushfire Low
20/100
 None
0/100
Crime None
0/100
same for both
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

Biala Narrawa
Inside the suburb 0
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Amenities in the suburb

Biala Narrawa
Waterways 21 17

Mobility

Narrawa sits further from the CBD (275.4 km vs 255.7 km).

Biala Narrawa
Walkability score 8/100 0/100
Distance to Sydney 255.7 km 275.4 km
+8% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 179 min 195 min
Electric vehicle share 1.0%
postcode 2581
 0.1%
postcode 2583
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 67
postcode 2581
 47
postcode 2583

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.

Biala Narrawa
Car (driver) 47.5% / 50.0%
Biala — Car (driver): 47.5% Narrawa — Car (driver): 50.0%
Worked from Home 45.0% / 43.3%
Biala — Worked from Home: 45.0% Narrawa — Worked from Home: 43.3%
Walked Only 7.5% / 6.7%
Biala — Walked Only: 7.5% Narrawa — Walked Only: 6.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (50.0%).

Setting

Biala Narrawa
Elevation 621 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 625 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Biala Narrawa
Connectivity score 15/100
same for both
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
21 premises
 0%
37 premises

Climate

Biala Narrawa
Annual rainfall 840 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Biala Narrawa
Average residential rate $636/yr
same for both
Council Upper Lachlan
same for both

Federal electorate

Biala Narrawa
Division Riverina
same for both
Member Michael Mccormack
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Biala Narrawa
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Biala

Family Premium Rural Young Families

Narrawa

Luxury Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Biala

Biala vs Grabben Gullen Biala vs Blakney Creek Biala vs Gurrundah Biala vs Wheeo

Other comparisons with Narrawa

Narrawa vs Binda Narrawa vs Lost River Narrawa vs Rugby Narrawa vs Crooked Corner Narrawa vs Wheeo Narrawa vs Taylors Flat
Full data on Biala Full data on Narrawa
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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.

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