Bolong vs Terara
Bolong is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 59 in Terara. In both, most households own their home. In Bolong, the large majority of homes are detached houses and about half of households are people living alone. In Terara, most homes are flats or apartments and most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Terara: a median of $1.69 million, against $1.4 million in Bolong, though rent is higher in Bolong. On these figures, Bolong tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Terara 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Bolong has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 45%)
- Terara carries lower crime risk (78/100 vs 95/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Bolong
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,400,000 vs $1,690,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Bolong has a bigger rental market to choose from (37% vs 16%)
- Terara has cheaper rent ($210/wk vs $335/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Bolong sits closer to the CBD (157.2 km vs 163.9 km)
- Terara is more walkable (28/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Terara
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (28/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (40% vs 19%)
- carries lower crime risk (78/100 vs 95/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Terara
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (30.3% vs -9.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bolong and Terara 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
Terara has more residents (305 vs 94); Bolong has higher household incomes ($84,500 vs $42,900).
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 94 | 305 +224% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -9.6% | +30.3% |
| Median age | 46 | 59 |
| Median household income | $84,500/yr +49% vs other | $42,900/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $335/wk +37% vs other | $210/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.9%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,400,000 | $1,690,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $7,700,000 | — |
Zoning mix
Bolong has more rural and farming land (91% vs 77%); Terara has more land zoned for conservation (16% vs 6%).
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 91% | 77% |
| Environmental | 6% | 16% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% | 4% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 3% |
| Industrial | 2% | 0% |
| 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
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 854 across Shoalhaven same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -10% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 71% of NSW | Higher than 63% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 52% of NSW | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 9% of NSW | Higher than 74% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 27% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 53% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 63% of NSW | Higher than 94% of NSW |
Liveability
Terara is more walkable (28 vs 0).
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Terara carries more bushfire risk (28 vs 0); Bolong carries more crime risk (95 vs 78).
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 28/100 |
| Crime | High 95/100 | High 78/100 |
| 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 | 5 within 5 km | 4 within 5 km |
Schools
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Bolong
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Terara
- Terara Public School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 12 | 3 |
Mobility
Terara sits further from the CBD (163.9 km vs 157.2 km).
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 28/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 157.2 km | 163.9 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 133 min | 134 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2540 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 44 postcode 2540 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 (65.5%).
Setting
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 1 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 3 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 9.6 km | 9.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 32/100 | 88/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 2% 44 premises | 82% 157 premises |
Climate
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 974 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,501/yr same for both | |
| Council | Shoalhaven same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Gilmore same for both | |
| Member | Fiona Phillips same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bolong | Terara | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Bolong
Other comparisons with Terara
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.