Bombala vs Cathcart
Cathcart is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 47 in Bombala. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bombala, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Bombala tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Cathcart suits families with children.
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
Bombala
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
- But Cathcart is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 44%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Cathcart
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($180/wk vs $215/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Bombala
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (15/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (320 min vs 337 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (479.7 km vs 487.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Bombala
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (15/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 9%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bombala and Cathcart 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
Bombala has more residents (1,372 vs 106); Bombala skews older (47 vs 37).
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,372 +92% vs other | 106 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.1% | -1.9% |
| Median age | 47 | 37 |
| Median household income | $66,404/yr | $68,224/yr +3% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $215/wk +16% vs other | $180/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).
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 (16.5%).
Property market
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $402,500 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $88,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 112 days from 20 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Cathcart has more land zoned for conservation (20% vs 0%).
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 89% | 80% |
| Environmental | 0% | 20% |
| Residential | 9% | 0% |
| Parks and recreation | 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
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 72 across Snowy Monaro same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +29% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 12% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 29% of NSW | Higher than 31% of NSW |
| Schools | Higher than 65% of NSW | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 65% of NSW | Higher than 32% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 88% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 21% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 66% of NSW | Higher than 17% of NSW |
Liveability
Bombala is more walkable (15 vs 0).
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 39/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Cathcart carries more bushfire risk (92 vs 26).
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 26/100 | High 92/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 59/100 | Moderate 58/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 3 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Bombala
- Bombala Public School Government · Primary above peers
- Bombala High School Government · Secondary at peers
- St Joseph's Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
Schools in Cathcart
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 0 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 11 | 25 |
Mobility
Cathcart sits further from the CBD (487.4 km vs 479.7 km).
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 15/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 479.7 km | 487.4 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 320 min | 337 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2632 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 40 postcode 2632 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 (82.9%).
Setting
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 757 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 830 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 46/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 14% 762 premises | 0% 32 premises |
Climate
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 670 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 25.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | -0.2°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,253/yr same for both | |
| Council | Snowy Monaro same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Eden-monaro same for both | |
| Member | Kristy Mcbain same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bombala | Cathcart | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Bombala
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Bombala
Other comparisons with Cathcart
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.