Broadwater vs Woodburn

Woodburn is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 50 in Broadwater. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Broadwater, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Broadwater: a median of $710,000, against $590,000 in Woodburn, though rent is higher in Woodburn. On these figures, Broadwater tends to suit people living alone, while Woodburn suits buyers on a tighter budget.

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

Woodburn

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 43%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (91% vs 78%)
  • But Broadwater has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Woodburn

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 34%)
  • has cheaper houses ($590,000 vs $710,000)
  • But Broadwater has cheaper land ($227,500 vs $285,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Broadwater

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $340/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Woodburn

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (443 min vs 459 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (689 km vs 705.8 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Broadwater

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (22% vs 9%)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 20%)

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

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

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

Broadwater Woodburn
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.

Broadwater Woodburn
Walkability 0 / 0
Broadwater — Walkability: 0/100 Woodburn — Walkability: 0/100
Low fire risk 41 / 15
Broadwater — Low fire risk: 41/100 Woodburn — Low fire risk: 15/100

Demographics

Woodburn rents higher ($340/wk vs $250/wk); Woodburn has higher household incomes ($72,072 vs $55,692).

Broadwater Woodburn
Population 670 743
+11% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +4.7% +0.5%
Median age 50 41
Median household income $55,692/yr $72,072/yr
+29% vs other
Median weekly rent $250/wk $340/wk
+36% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Broadwater Woodburn
0-4 3.7% / 5.7%
Broadwater — 0-4: 3.7% Woodburn — 0-4: 5.7%
5-14 12.1% / 13.2%
Broadwater — 5-14: 12.1% Woodburn — 5-14: 13.2%
15-19 4.5% / 7.0%
Broadwater — 15-19: 4.5% Woodburn — 15-19: 7.0%
20-24 2.5% / 5.5%
Broadwater — 20-24: 2.5% Woodburn — 20-24: 5.5%
25-34 7.3% / 11.4%
Broadwater — 25-34: 7.3% Woodburn — 25-34: 11.4%
35-44 12.2% / 10.8%
Broadwater — 35-44: 12.2% Woodburn — 35-44: 10.8%
45-54 14.8% / 14.4%
Broadwater — 45-54: 14.8% Woodburn — 45-54: 14.4%
55-64 18.7% / 13.2%
Broadwater — 55-64: 18.7% Woodburn — 55-64: 13.2%
65-74 16.6% / 10.4%
Broadwater — 65-74: 16.6% Woodburn — 65-74: 10.4%
75-84 6.9% / 7.5%
Broadwater — 75-84: 6.9% Woodburn — 75-84: 7.5%
85+ 1.2% / 1.6%
Broadwater — 85+: 1.2% Woodburn — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Broadwater 47.0% lone person
Broadwater — Lone Person: 47.0% Broadwater — Couple Families: 29.8% Broadwater — One Parent Families: 13.6% Broadwater — Group Household: 7.1% Broadwater — Other Families: 2.5%
Woodburn 32.0% lone person
Woodburn — Lone Person: 32.0% Woodburn — Couple Families: 38.1% Woodburn — One Parent Families: 20.1% Woodburn — Group Household: 8.2% Woodburn — 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.

Broadwater 24.6% renting
Broadwater — Owned Outright: 42.3% Broadwater — Mortgage: 33.1% Broadwater — Renting: 24.6%
Woodburn 24.4% renting
Woodburn — Owned Outright: 36.0% Woodburn — Mortgage: 39.7% Woodburn — Renting: 24.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Broadwater Woodburn
England 2.4% / 1.9%
Broadwater — England: 2.4% Woodburn — England: 1.9%
New Zealand 0.6% / 1.2%
Broadwater — New Zealand: 0.6% Woodburn — New Zealand: 1.2%
Thailand 0.9% / —
Broadwater — Thailand: 0.9% Woodburn — Thailand: not among its largest
Netherlands 0.6% / —
Broadwater — Netherlands: 0.6% Woodburn — Netherlands: not among its largest
India 0.4% / —
Broadwater — India: 0.4% Woodburn — India: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.4%).

Qualifications

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

Broadwater Woodburn
Certificate III & IV 20.0% / 19.7%
Broadwater — Certificate III & IV: 20.0% Woodburn — Certificate III & IV: 19.7%
Bachelor Degree 6.4% / 5.9%
Broadwater — Bachelor Degree: 6.4% Woodburn — Bachelor Degree: 5.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.5% / 5.5%
Broadwater — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.5% Woodburn — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.5%
Postgraduate Degree 2.2% / 0.5%
Broadwater — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2% Woodburn — Postgraduate Degree: 0.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.3% / 0.8%
Broadwater — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3% Woodburn — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Broadwater 78.3% houses
Broadwater — Houses: 78.3% Broadwater — Flats / Apartments: 21.7% Broadwater — Townhouses: 0.0%
Woodburn 90.8% houses
Woodburn — Houses: 90.8% Woodburn — Flats / Apartments: 3.4% Woodburn — Townhouses: 5.7%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Broadwater Woodburn
Median house price $710,000 $590,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $227,500 $285,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 88 days
from 4 sales
 80 days
from 11 sales

Zoning mix

Broadwater has more land zoned for conservation (72% vs 26%); Woodburn has more rural and farming land (71% vs 26%).

Broadwater Woodburn
Environmental 72% 26%
Rural and farming 26% 71%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 3%
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

Broadwater Woodburn
New dwellings approved 24
across Richmond Valley
same for both
Approvals change year on year -78%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Broadwater Woodburn
House price Higher than 17% of NSW Higher than 16% of NSW
Income Higher than 16% of NSW Higher than 39% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 32% of NSW Higher than 3% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 66% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 25% of NSW Higher than 24% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW

Liveability

Broadwater scores higher overall (13 vs 8).

Broadwater Woodburn
Grade D
same for both
Score 13/100 8/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Woodburn carries more bushfire risk (85 vs 59).

Broadwater Woodburn
Bushfire Moderate
59/100
 High
85/100
Crime —
same for both
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Moderate
60/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Broadwater Woodburn
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Broadwater

  • Broadwater Public School Government · Primary above peers

Schools in Woodburn

  • St Joseph's Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Woodburn Public School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Broadwater Woodburn
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 2 7
Parks & reserves 3 2
Childcare 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1
same for both
Fuel stations 2 0
Beaches 1
same for both
Waterways 21 15

Mobility

Broadwater sits further from the CBD (705.8 km vs 689 km).

Broadwater Woodburn
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 705.8 km
+2% vs other
 689 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 459 min 443 min
Public transport score 29/100
Bus
 41/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 8.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 14.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 2472
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 79
postcode 2472
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.

Broadwater Woodburn
Car (driver) 72.5% / 73.5%
Broadwater — Car (driver): 72.5% Woodburn — Car (driver): 73.5%
Worked from Home 16.9% / 9.2%
Broadwater — Worked from Home: 16.9% Woodburn — Worked from Home: 9.2%
Car (passenger) 5.9% / 10.1%
Broadwater — Car (passenger): 5.9% Woodburn — Car (passenger): 10.1%
Walked Only 4.7% / 7.1%
Broadwater — Walked Only: 4.7% Woodburn — Walked Only: 7.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (73.5%).

Setting

Broadwater Woodburn
Elevation 8 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 6 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.6 km
3.0 km to a named beach
 7.6 km
3.1 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Broadwater Woodburn
Connectivity score 30/100 79/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
270 premises
 52%
367 premises

Climate

Broadwater Woodburn
Annual rainfall 1,557 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 11.0°C
same for both

Council rates

Broadwater Woodburn
Average residential rate $1,282/yr
same for both
Council Richmond Valley
same for both

Federal electorate

Broadwater Woodburn
Division Page
same for both
Member Kevin Hogan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Broadwater Woodburn
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Broadwater

Affordable Coastal Rural

Woodburn

Affordable Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Broadwater

Broadwater vs Evans Head Broadwater vs Wardell Broadwater vs East Wardell Broadwater vs Doonbah Broadwater vs Rileys Hill Broadwater vs Bagotville

Other comparisons with Woodburn

Woodburn vs Evans Head Woodburn vs Swan Bay Woodburn vs Doonbah Woodburn vs New Italy Woodburn vs Rileys Hill Woodburn vs North Woodburn
Full data on Broadwater Full data on Woodburn
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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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