Bourke vs North Bourke
Bourke is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 42 in North Bourke. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In North Bourke, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in North Bourke: a median of $380,000, against $230,000 in Bourke, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Bourke tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget, while North Bourke suits 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
Bourke
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (9 vs 1)
- has more schools inside the suburb (5 vs 0)
- has more childcare (4 vs 0)
- But North Bourke carries lower crime risk (88/100 vs 99/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Bourke
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper land ($26,000 vs $250,000)
- has cheaper houses ($230,000 vs $380,000)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Bourke
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($180/wk vs $200/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Bourke
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (542 min vs 622 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (748 km vs 812.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
North Bourke
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 14%)
- carries lower crime risk (88/100 vs 99/100)
- But Bourke has more GPs (3 vs 0)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Bourke
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-11.0% vs -30.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bourke and North Bourke 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
Bourke has more residents (1,699 vs 200); North Bourke skews older (42 vs 35).
| Bourke | North Bourke | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,699 +88% vs other | 200 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -11.0% | -30.3% |
| Median age | 35 | 42 |
| Median household income | $81,120/yr | $92,612/yr +14% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $180/wk | $200/wk +11% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.5%).
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 (15.0%).
Property market
| Bourke | North Bourke | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $230,000 | $380,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $26,000 | $250,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 106 days from 8 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Bourke | North Bourke | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 99% | 100% |
| 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
| Bourke | North Bourke | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 4 across Bourke same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Bourke | North Bourke | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 2% of NSW | Higher than 10% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 48% of NSW | Higher than 59% of NSW |
| Schools | Higher than 2% of NSW | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 2% of NSW | Higher than 1% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 98% of NSW | Higher than 95% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 10% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 65% of NSW | Higher than 1% of NSW |
Liveability
| Bourke | North Bourke | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 18/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
North Bourke carries more bushfire risk (26 vs 13); Bourke carries more crime risk (99 vs 88).
| Bourke | North Bourke | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 13/100 | Low 26/100 |
| Crime | High 99/100 | High 88/100 |
| 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
| Bourke | North Bourke | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 5 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Bourke
- Bourke-Walgett School of Distance Education Government · Primary at peers
- St Ignatius' Parish School Catholic · Primary at peers
- Bourke Public School Government · Primary below peers
- Bourke High School Government · Secondary
- Koinonia Christian Academy Independent · Combined
Schools in North Bourke
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Bourke | North Bourke | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 9 | 1 |
| Childcare | 4 | 0 |
| GPs | 3 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 3 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 3 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 80 | 83 |
Mobility
North Bourke sits further from the CBD (812.1 km vs 748 km).
| Bourke | North Bourke | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 748 km | 812.1 km +9% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 542 min | 622 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 2840 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 77 postcode 2840 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 (71.9%).
Setting
| Bourke | North Bourke | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 108 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 117 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Bourke | North Bourke | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 44/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 1,145 premises | 0% 40 premises |
Council rates
| Bourke | North Bourke | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $414/yr same for both | |
| Council | Bourke same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bourke | North Bourke | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Parkes same for both | |
| Member | Jamie Chaffey same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bourke | North Bourke | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Bourke
North Bourke
More comparisons
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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.